Owner of Defunct Amusement Park | Alpine, TX | 1-Person
Household | Former WW II Prisoner of War. | 2007
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Project
Competition
Director's Choice
MARK MENJIVAR, San
Antonio, TX
You Are What You Eat
For three years I traveled around the country examining the issue
of hunger. The more time I spent speaking and listening to individual
stories, the more I began to think about the foods we consume and the
effects they have on us as individuals and communities. An intense curiosity
and questions about stewardship led me to begin to make these unconventional
portraits.
A refrigerator is both a private and a shared space. One person likened
the question, "May I photograph the interior of your fridge?"
to asking someone to pose nude for the camera. Each fridge is photographed
"as is." Nothing added, nothing taken away.
These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans,
members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers
in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more. We never know the full
story of one's life.
My hope is that we will think deeply about how we care.
How we care for our bodies. How we care for others. And how we care for
the land.
All images are captured on 4x5 transparency film and printed as 32x40
Archival Digital Prints.
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Carpenter/Photographer | San Antonio, TX | 3-Person Household
| 12 Point Buck shot on family property. | 2008
Disabled | Marathon,TX | 2-Person Household |
Weighed 390lbs earlier this year. | 2007
Retired Train Conductor | Jackson, MS | 1-Person Household
| Started Meals on Wheels in his community. | 2008
Bar Tender | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household |
Goes to sleep at 8AM and wakes up at 4PM daily. | 2008
Documentary Film Makers | San Diego, CA | 3-Person Household
| Efforts have helped send millions of dollars to children in
Uganda. | 2008
Community Volunteer | San Angelo, TX | 1-Person Household | Completely
blind and lives alone. | 2007
Anesthesiologist | Ft. Worth , TX | 3-Person Household | Youngest
son works on lobster boat in Alaska.
| Day after Thanksgiving, 2007
Graphic Designer/Print Shop Owner | Waco, TX | 2-Person
Household | Founder of www.DeliverUsFromLiberals.com
| 2008
Custodian/Convenience Store Clerk | Ft. Wayne, IN | 2-Person Household
| Ate nothing but donuts for over 3 years. | 2008
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Street Advertiser | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household |
Lives on $432 fixed monthly income. | 2007
Midwife/Middle School Science Teacher | San Antonio, TX |
3-Person Household (including dog) | First week after deciding
to eat all local produce. | 2008
Red Cross Board Member | San Antonio, TX | 1-Person Household
| Sleeps with a loaded .45 pistol on nightstand. | 2008
Restaurant Owner | Waco, TX | 1-Person Household | Has a photographic
memory for useless information. | 2009
Botanist | Ft. Wayne, IN | 1-Person Household | Feels more comfortable
among flora and fauna of his era than people.
| 2008
Construction Worker/House Wife | San Angelo, TX | 4-Person Household |
Wife wakes every morning at 4AM to cook
breakfast for family. | 2007
Short Order Cook | Marathon,TX | 2-Person Household |
She can bench press over 300lbs. | 2007
School Crossing Guard/Nursing Home Assistant | Austin, TX |
6-Person Household | Parents and 3 adult children live in an
efficiency apartment. | 2007
Journalist/Designer/School Teacher | Austin, TX | 3-Person
Household | Writes the obituaries for the local newspaper. | 2009
All images © Mark Menjivar
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