Local photographer Martín Orozco has been on a mission since 1 January 2016… to take one portrait every day. Through his Instagram and Facebook accounts he is daily documenting the faces of Mendoza – from the street sweeper through to the President of Argentina.
#Project365 started with an ambition to push himself as a photographer, and do one portrait a day for the whole year. That was 2016. But by 31st December 2016, he didn’t feel ready to leave the project and is still uploading a daily portrait of locals in Mendoza.
In a similar style to the instagram page of ‘Humans of New York‘ (with 7 million followers) Martin tells the story of each person he meets, often with a personal anecdote of how they met or know each other. If you want to get to know the people and faces of Mendoza, #Project365 is a good place to start…
The Skater
Day 18. Portrait Franco.
“I was going for a walk with my son this afternoon and I decided to take my camera to get a portrait of a stranger on the street. While my moppet played as we walked, I was looking for interesting faces. We stopped at San Martin plaza – the mecca of skateboarding in Mendoza. I saw guys rapping, smoking, drinking, sleeping, looking around and training. What caught my eye was the intensity at which this crazy guy, Franco Leal, was doing jumps. He would jump the steps of the plaza again and again and again. It was 38 degrees outside, and he didn’t stop. I got close and asked if I could take his portrait. In just one photo, there was no need for a second. All attitude.”
The Singer
Day 80. Portrait of Paula.
“A few days ago I was prepping the fire for a barbecue, I assembled the firewood, and before starting I was thinking about which music to play. I remembered my friend Paula Neder. I searched for her on Spotify and while waiting for the fire I heard her whole 2014 record, “Caleidoscopio”. She instantly became my favorite singer.
I wrote to her and invited her to the project. It’s very satisfying that the people you admire agree and collaborate with you.
We have a similar history with Paula, we both went to law school and design afterwards, this path somehow set us on the way of our calling.
A woman with incredible talent and sensitivity, simple, with a desire to grow without stepping on anyone’s head, based on sheer work. Admiration and joy, faithful reflection of this project.”
The Cuidacoche (street attendant)
Day 232. Portrait of Daniel.
“Today is the international photography day, and I found no better homage than to go out with all the energy to make a street portrait of a stranger. I asked my brother Facundo to help me and off we went. Two blocks away from my studio I ran into my friend and personal hairdresser and asked him if the guy who watches the parked cars was all right. He answered “El Dani is cool”, and called him. Daniel came, I explained the project to him and he agreed happily. I directed him quite a bit and he followed instructions like a pro.
Himself, his dad and brother have been watching cars on España St. for some years. If there’s something typical about Mendoza, this is it.”
The Diva
Day 69. Portrait or Edith de Ferrer.
“There have been ‘fans’ of this project who have been putting pressure on me to ‘take something hot’ for Day 69… Today I went out on the street to find the most beautiful woman I could see, and ask her for a photo on this special occasion. I left the studio with Facu, who always helps me, and within two blocks I saw her. A beautiful woman with an incredible smile and vibe. I told her about the project and she immediately agreed. She asked me if her dog could be in it too, ‘yes please’ I told her! Edith is a real cracker, this is how I hope we all age. I declare her our Diva Mendocina!”
The Artist
Day 293. Portrait of Marcelo.
“Mr. Marcelo Arias, videographer, filmmaker and visual artist with more than 20 years of experience, and above all, a friend. I like the saying “you reap what you sow”, and this guy proved it. He’s worked as a filmmaker for a long time, always in a good mood and willing to help,working with almost every photographer in Mendoza, doing weddings and social events. He’s always that guy who offers you a helping hand even if he doesn’t know you, he is easy to make friends with and he’s completely transparent.
A few months ago he had some health problems and was close to losing his foot. He managed to get almost 60 photographers to help out, from taking care of him at the hospital, to helping out financially and covering for work he had booked. We all gave a hand without even thinking about it. A shitty situation that brought us together to help one of our own.
Marcelo is OK now, he saved his foot and is in recovery, ready to get back in the game in a few weeks. Strong as an ox. A great guy.”
The Cousin
Day 333. Portrait of Marcelo
“Today was a great day. I’ve started training with my cousin Marcelo for some time now, and now we discovered the beauty of mountain trekking. We’ve been exploring new spots for about two months.
This time we wanted to reach at least 3500 meters, since we are hoping to climb up Aconcagua next year. We went to Vallecitos, and to our surprise it snowed all morning. We didn’t know the place and we made friends with some people who gave us directions. Mountain people are always willing to help.
We wanted to reach Piedra Grande at 3500 Mt. but we kept going until we passed the funnel and the beginning of the Infiernillo (I think). There we reached 4000 Mt. It was six hours of walking and effort, very little visibility but happy to have outdone ourselves.
Here Marcelo is jumping over a stream. Photo taken with the Samsung S7 Edge. I carried the camera and took a lot of photos, but I loved this one, it reflects how great today was perfectly.”
The Actor
Day 300. Portrait of John.
“Today I was having coffee with Mr Day 277 and told him “I must get John Malkovich’s portrait”, to which he answered “My brother is acting with him tonight”. I called him and he said they were rehearsing at the theater until noon so I rushed to the studio, got two cameras and two lenses, told Facundo and off to Independencia theater.
I got in as if it were my home, I know the theater well. Went through the dressing rooms onto the stage. I saw him, and went to say hi, introduced myself and asked if I could do his portrait. He asked what was it for, I showed him my instagram and told him about the project. He looked at my work, said he liked it. Then he asked me what to do, I positioned him and took 5 quick photos. I said goodbye and left.
Blockbuster actor, two Oscar nominations, director, musician and so much more. His simplicity and transparent look were amazing. Strong handshake, soft voice and looks you in the eye.”
The Entrepreneur
Day 225. Portrait of Rosario.
“I have known Rosario since high school. Another one of those people I wanted in this project. I think that if you look up “independent entrepreneurial woman” in the dictionary, her photo appears. Aside from writing and cooking, she’s an entrepreneur machine. Creator of the mythical bar Barlatina, followed by Mendoza Green Market, she writes for a newspaper, has her own segment on a TV show where she reinvents herself as “La Gondolera” (the supermarket aisle walker). And now she told me she’s planning her own TV show, as I said, a machine. One of the nicest and coolest women I know. To see her is to start laughing. I always say this project is about merry people whom I admire, well, Rosario is a perfect example.”
Check out more of Martin’s portraits on instagram and his website.
