These tourists are enjoying Hawaii Volcanoes, National Park. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 160, ƒ/5.6, 1/1000]
What a year it has been. I have had a great year of moments and feel incredibly blessed.
Lili’uokalani Park, Hilo, Hawaii. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 250, ƒ/7.1, 1/60]
Each year starts with me in the Georgia Dome covering the Chick-fil-A Bowl. This year will be no different. In addition, my wife Dorie will be celebrating her 20th year working the press box.
Tom Butler, Kona Coffee Grower [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 2000, ƒ/10, 1/200]
I am returning to Kona, Hawaii, to teach lighting and business practices to Youth With A Mission Photography School 1. I love meeting these students every year that are from all over the world. I learn from them, if not more than I probably teach them.
Anacleto Rapping is on the far left, and Joanna Pinneo is on the far right and is reviewing a student’s portfolio at the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/30]
This year I am also working with the Southwestern Photojournalism Conference in Fort Worth, TX. Southwestern Photojournalism Conference takes place the first weekend in March.
Bill Bangham, Eugene Richards, and Stanley Leary at the SWPJC. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/60]
Dave Black looks at a person’s portfolio at the SWPJC. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ2.8, 1/50]
We took our daughter Chelle to Los Angeles during Spring break for her first visit. We visited all of her uncle’s friends.
Pam Goldsmith is a world-renowned violist who was Richard Zvonar’s partner for more than 20 years. Richard is our daughter’s uncle. Pam took time to help Chelle, who had also taken up the viola. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/9, 1/60]
Chelle visits Richard Bugg, who works with Meyer Sound. Their sound system is what was in the Beijing Olympics and other major productions throughout the world. Richard Bug is another one of Richard Zvonar’s business associates. Together, they built this sound design system. [Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 400, ƒ2.8, 1/6]
Dorie and Chelle are standing in front of Chick-fil-A in Hollywood, CA. We stopped here for lunch while seeing the sights of Hollywood one day. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/3.5, 1/800]
Dorie, Stanley, and Chelle Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/8, 1/200]
Another friend of Richard Zvonar is Ronan Chris Murphy, who has a recording studio in Santa Monica, where we visited him. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/6.3, 1/25]
Chelle and Dorie are standing in front of the Hollywood sign. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 280, ƒ/29, 1/60]
Now you don’t have to go to Hollywood to meet the stars. Many live near us in Roswell, GA.
Chelle met Pip, an American singer who participated in season 2 of The Voice as part of Team Adam Levine while she was a model in the show with Pure Fashion. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 1600, ƒ/5.6, 1/125]
I get to live out much of my life through my kids. So her school had Mark Wood come and do a workshop with the orchestra Wood was one of the violinists and an original member of the symphonic rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which he left in 2009. He has also played with Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Steve Vai, Westworld, and Lenny Kravitz. As a solo performer, he has released seven CDs featuring his versions of popular rock songs. On these CDs, he is accompanied by “The Mark Wood Band,” consisting of one member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, several other musicians, and his wife, Laura Kaye.
Chelle even got to sing with him on stage.
Mark Wood is leading the workshop. [Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100]
Chelle is performing on her Viola with Mark Wood. [Nikon D4, 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sigma, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/320]
Chelle is singing with Mark Wood. [Nikon D4, 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 Sigma, ISO 12800, ƒ/4, 1/320]
As you can see, photography is helping me remember and share my moments with you and the world.
1st Lt. Nelson Lalli returned this past summer after serving our country in Afghanistan for nine months. We were so thankful he returned home. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/8, 1/60]
While many other moments were unique, I will close out this past year with my coverage in Mexico. I was thrilled to cover a coffee cooperative that is turning not just the farmer’s lives around but their communities.
David Cifuentes Velazquez, the coffee grower and member of the Just Coffee Cooperative enjoys sharing with a visiting group how coffee has grown. The joy on his face and family captured the restoration of their family because of the coffee cooperative. [Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/5, 1/80]
Remember, everyone has a story, and I would love to help tell your account. So give me a call if you need any help.
Check out my latest package I translated into English from my coverage of coffee cooperative in Mexico below.
Can the Fuji X E-2 16M sensor do the job for a working pro?
As you can see in the photo above, the quality is there for available light shooting full frame, but when people ask if the 16M sensor is good enough, they want to see the photo at 100%.
100% view of the image above
Here is a low light situation: how many street photographers and photojournalists would capture their images? Of course, if you are shooting a commercial job, you would likely be shooting with a low ISO.
Fuji X E-2, ISO 200, ƒ/18, 1/180
Here is a portrait of my daughter shot with the Fuji X E-2. Again the question is, what about at 100%?
100% view of the photo above.
From my perspective, it would be a rare moment that any of my clients would ever need anything with more megapixels than this camera gives me.
Now, my lab is telling me that if your camera is a 6M size sensor and they can make any size print from this file size, then it would appear that 16M is more than sufficient.
So I wasn’t surprised to hear that Hiroshi Kawahara, Fujifilm’s Operations Manager, also said that 16M was enough.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gGsoBUIFrM]
If the other camera manufacturers do not learn from what Fuji is doing, Fuji will crush them. What is essential to listen to in the interview is how even while they think 16M is enough, they still listen to the customer and are researching to improve the megapixels.
One coolest thing about Fujifilm is its firmware upgrades for all its cameras. They continue to upgrade their cameras because they are listening to the customer. The firmware upgrades for the cameras make them even better. For the most part, if you want the latest camera design from other manufacturers, you must buy the latest one. While you might think this could hurt sales, it is doing just the opposite for Fuji.
Conclusion: The Fuji X E-2 exceeds the needs of my clients right now. It is a camera I am shooting now for corporate jobs.
Most of us think you will succeed when you do everything right. The problem is the best companies make mistakes and are not perfect, so how do they rise from the ashes?
Take a moment and see what you can learn from a coffee cooperative in Mexico. See if there is something for you to take away from their story that can make your business brand more robust and more profitable.
Last month I traveled to Mexico and Guatemala, covering Coffee Farmers of the coffee cooperative Just Coffee. You may not realize it, but coffee is the number 2 commodity traded globally, right behind oil.
Commodity
The problem the farmers were having problems before they formed in 2000 was the price of the coffee. So you see, the buyers were exploiting the small farmer. Most coffee farmers around the world have a two-acre farm.
What had happened in Mexico and much of the world was the exploitation of the farmers was putting them out of business—avoiding exploitation why some of the coffee growers like Edmundo Ballinas Domínguez crossed the US border illegally. He worked on the golf courses here where I live in Atlanta.
As you hear in the video, due to the cooperative’s changes, he is sending his two daughters to nursing school to get healthcare for his family. Before the cooperative, his daughters would not have gone off to school, and he would be in debt to save his family due to a lack of healthcare insurance.
Migrant Workers
A migrant worker is someone who pursues work. They are not people that look for entitlements without work.
Many people around the world migrate to survive. But unfortunately, many people are forced from their land due to their race, becoming illegal immigrants.
Fair Wage
What I realize more and more is that many people who buy services do not care about the people they are purchasing. Instead, they want the lowest price. As a result, people were missing honor, dignity, and respect.
I also have discovered treating people fairly; I will work harder and even go that second mile.
Listen to Carmina Sanchez talk about how not just being paid a fair wage but being flexible so she can be a good mother is important to her.
Everyone has a story.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HHFAHnJkBc]
Listen to how Adrián González talks about not just how Just Coffee is blessing him but he is excited to be a part of something that cares for others.
The Key Ingredient
Robert McKee, the world’s best-known and most respected screenwriting lecturer, believes that executives can engage listeners on a whole new level if they toss their PowerPoint slides and learn to tell good stories instead.
What is a story? It tells why and how a person’s life has been changed. Here are some key things you must have in a report for it to grasp the audience.
First, you need to have a crisis of some sort. Blake SnydeSnyder’s Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’lYou’ll Need talks about how you need something to overcome in the story. Then you help your subject overcome the crisis.
What makes you like your protagonist is how believable they are. I often see how screenwriters will have a crisis that the actors are to overcome, and then they have thrown into the mix a flaw in their character. To overcome their problem, they must also overcome their weakness.
Some of the best storytelling I have read is in the Bible. King David is an excellent example of a lovable character with many flaws.
What is critical to the great Bible stories is GRACE. Grace is where a character gets a second chance. This second chance is crucial because they genuinely don’t deserve it.
What is THE essential ingredient to a successful business–GRACE. When you are known as being gracious, you know that you are working from being humble and appreciative. You don’t take people for granted.
Listen to what touched Joshua Ediger in the stories of the coffee growers that he is now telling their story. His comments are what they call word-of-mouth advertising.
Regularly I am asked for advice on how to become a photographer. I average doing this about three to four times a month. So I decided I needed to write a blog to help people with some advice I provide everyone. Much of my comments come from my Christian perspective.
First, I need to try and talk you out of being a photographer, but I wrote on this earlier HERE. So be sure and read it as well.
What do you like to photograph?
I am surprised how often, when I ask this question, people pause and have to think about this question. If you are unsure, this is a great indication you love the process of photography and have no clue that photography is about a subject, not the gear.
Subjects people like to photograph [there are more than here] • People • Animals • Still life • Nature • Sports
Who buys these kinds of photographs?
Again I am surprised that many folks do not know who buys photos. Photography is a business, and it provides a service to some markets. How will your photographs help this marketplace? Why do people need your photos?
What kind of lifestyle do you want?
You would be surprised how many people want to be a war photographer and have a family. I think of my friend Tom Kennedy, former director of National Geographic’s photography, who constantly talked with his photographers as they went through divorces.
Even the Apostle Paul talked about lifestyle choices.
1 Corinthians 7:8 (NIV) Now to the unmarried and the widows, I say: It is suitable for them to stay unmarried, as I do.
Match your subject to your lifestyle choice
Take the time to explore all the kinds of photography you could do, and then look for ways this can dovetail with your lifestyle desires. It is easier to have narrowed this to something realistic than to continue to dream without some reality.
Not always logical
2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
One would be surprised to hear that I have Asperger’s Syndrome. The characteristics of Asperger’s are significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication. I bring this up because spending a lifetime struggling with Asperger’s syndrome has sensitized me and made me a better communicator. I had to think about situations and try and understand them more than most to communicate what I needed.
This weakness became my strength. People with Asperger syndrome often display intense interests, as I have in photography.
I played to my strengths to help overcome many of my weaknesses. I was learning that I did something better than many others because of my wiring.
I believe every person has strengths and weaknesses. How this applies to your profession, like photography, is to look at what it takes to be successful in that profession.
Like most folks, you will notice you have some weaknesses required to succeed. However, you will also discover you have some natural talents that help you excel. Learn to play to your strengths. Please don’t ignore your weaknesses; acknowledge them and find people to help you.
Maybe you will outsource marketing to someone, so you can concentrate on what you do best. However, to be successful, you still must market yourself. You don’t have to do all this yourself. That is the key to success. Know your weaknesses and strengths. Know what you need to do in your chosen field to succeed, and be sure you excel, even if that means getting help.
Dr Linda Henkel, conducted a study at Fairfield University in Connecticut where they led a group of students around a museum and asked them to either photograph or try to remember certain works of art and historical exhibits. She said: “People so often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly.”
What many writers are taking away from this is “photographs STOPS our brains remembering what happened.” Just Google “photography doesn’t help you remember” and you will see the articles all quoting research.
I think the research got it right and even Dr. Henkel clarified her comments, but what do writers want you to hear? I think they are tired of hearing “a photograph is worth 1,000 words.”
Photos that are worth the category of a 1,000 word story are not where the photographer just pulls out their camera and snaps a quick photo. I think if we look at how Norman Rockwell used photography to come up with a great illustrations. Rockwell would have many different photos for him to pull from to create his masterpiece.
When a photo is going to not just help you remember, but tell a story to those who were not there with the photographers then the perspective the photographer chooses and the moment can help capture a story.
Too many people just pull out their phones today and because it is with them they are even more careless than when they had to think to remember to bring a camera. Since it is with them all the time and they are not having to buy film and pay for each shot–they cheapen the moment by mindlessly just clicking the photo.
“Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and reminiscing about them,” said Dr. Henkel.
Photographs that tell stories require the photographer to think before pressing the shutter release. What should they be thinking about to have photos that will later tell the story?
Why am I taking this photo?
What is the story?
What do I want those who see the photo to do after they see it?
How do I feel about this story?
What can I do to help convey my emotions about the story in the photograph?
What must be “Within The Frame” of the photograph?
What will be left out of the frame of the photograph?
Where do I want everyone to look first?
How can I compose this photo so that the secondary is secondary, but still relevant.
In the photo above of the gift of a viola to a young man you can see the lady, who is his mother, looking on and conveying pleasure. The son is thrilled not just for himself, but for his mother.
The story is that this single mother works several jobs to put food on the table and roof over her family. They do not really have the money for her son to be playing a viola, but the viola may just be his ticket to college and a career.
I wanted to capture this moment of telling the story of why this gift was such a big deal. I don’t think you will think I just pulled out my phone and took this photo. You can tell it is more than a memory jogger. Because I thought about it not only will I remember the moment–my photo will help others who were not there to know the story.
My stepson went to The Citadel in Charleston, SC. We were very proud of him for making the elite Summerall Guards rifle team. Here is a description from The Citadel:
The Summerall Guards, a silent precision drill platoon from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, demonstrate The Citadel ideals of honor, integrity, loyalty, leadership, self-discipline and patriotism.
Consisting of 61 members, the Summerall Guards are first-class (senior) cadets who go through a rigorous physical training and initiation process and are chosen for their physical stamina and drill proficiency.
Membership is considered a high honor at the military college.
The team’s precision is fantastic; if just one person is slightly different, the unit looks terrible.
This understanding of the standards makes it difficult for parents to find their son or daughter.
The rear Guide helps to lead the movements.
The leaders stand out at The Citadel. They have mastered the role all must play, but then have something special that separates them from leadership.
We enjoyed watching the Front Guide and Rear Guide for the Summerall Guards. You see what appears to be a solo dance, but the two are acting just like drum majors helping the unit keep time and step.
The same type of standards exists in photography. When you are not up to par, you stand out from the crowd as one making the mistakes. However, when you master the standards, you may be the one that is leading the field.
How to Charge the Best Rates
It comes down to how well you know your client. The better you know them, the chances are you have a good idea of what they really can afford. Unfortunately, today it is tough to obtain this information because vendors realize they are often a commodity and cannot afford to level the playing field.
Your work must be pretty high caliber to compete, but today you can be pretty awesome and still compete with many other vendors. Like the Summerall Guards are a group of elite students at The Citadel, there are still 61 of them. But, in that group, there are leaders.
Anytime you get a job based on your price, it is almost impossible to raise that rate. You also may get a job based on some pretty incredible work, but if the job you do for them doesn’t come up to the same standard as what your promotional material displayed, then you will not only lose future work, they will talk about you not in a good way. These comments will hurt your reputation with other clients.
The Summerall Guard not only will let themselves down by someone being out of step, but they also let down the whole school. The consistency of the performance has fans staying during halftime to see them perform.
The second thing you want to address is the overall experience with you. The experience includes your personality, your service, and those things that are hard to put into words but impact the client. Either you were disappointed, came in as professional, or exceeded expectations. Naturally, when you exceed expectations, they desire to have that experience again.
The third thing that will help you is your ability to be strategic. Strategic thinking is where you are thinking ahead of the client and able to anticipate their needs. You become like Steve Jobs. People don’t even know they need a tablet, but Steve Jobs saw how this could improve their lives.
If you can deliver on being strategic, and if you do it often enough, you too will have people lined up at your door whenever you come out with something new, like Apple.
As you can see, having pretty pictures will not cut it today without some business acumen.
You must know your market, your clients, and your client’s needs to command high or even reasonable rates today. If you see this content and understand photography, you will have confidence that customers will respond by treating you as the expert to help them.
The cadets at The Citadel learn to stand out for the right reasons. The top cadets are not the ones with the brass shined, just perfect and spit-shined shoes. They are well groomed, but when you encounter the leaders, how they carry themselves separates them from the others.
Can you look to your left and right and know you are in line with the profession? Do you know how to stand out that have your peers admiring you?
Remember, the Summerall Guard is 61 of the 2,250 cadets at The Citadel. They are only 2.7% of the student body. I would say that among professional photographers, 2.7% get reasonable rates.
Nelson Lalli, my stepson, is in the middle with his other friends from the Summerall Guards. On the left is Matt Spyzinsky and on the right is James Harrell.
If you create a new package using Final Cut Pro X, you can have your files all over the place. I have done this more than once due to being under a deadline to get the work out the door.
Here is a little tip that can help you find the files in one place later.
In the Project Library view mode, just put your mouse over the project you want to consolidate. Then, right-click, and you will get a similar screen that I have up above.
Select “Consolidate Project Media” as your choice.
If they are already in the same place, you will not be able to go further. Still, it is possible to have your media imported into another events folder and your project in a different project folder.
The advantage of consolidating is saving the file for you to return later and make edits.
Final Cut Pro X will run better when one project and event are open simultaneously. The event Manager will give you the best speed and performance out of the program.
Event Manager X will see all the events and projects you have in the file folders of Final Cut Pro X. By checking and unchecking your “Events” and “Projects” within Event Manager X, it will then move all those files unchecked into “Hidden Folders” that you can see easily through the program.
All you do is check on the “Events” and “Projects” that you want to open and then click on “Move Events and Projects,” and it will move everything for you. For example, I keep the “Re-open Final Cut Pro X” always checked so that when I click, it opens Final Cut Pro X, with just what I need open.
Bonus Tip
Keep all your Events and Projects on an external hard drive. Your computer needs extra space on the hard drive to run Final Cut Pro X. Keep at least 20% free space on your system drive.
Those tips save me loads of time and help keep my projects all organized.
This post has only photos from just me having my camera with me. Not my phone, but a camera with high ISO capabilities and flash if I needed it.
None of the photos are from a single assignment.
My point is that you will see some extraordinary moments if you don’t have your camera.
Nikon Coolpix P7000, 28mm, ISO 949, ƒ/4, 1/280
“Always carry a camera; it’s tough to shoot a picture without one.” – Jay Maisel.
Nikon D4, 14mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60, Off camera flash using SB900 and SB800 triggered with Pocketwizard FlexTT5 Transceiver with the MiniTT1 and AC3 to control the output power.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”— Dorothea Lange.
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm and 1.4 converter, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like; it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro.
Nikon D4, 14mm, ISO 10000, ƒ/5.6, 1/60, Off camera flash using SB900 and SB800 triggered with Pocketwizard FlexTT5 Transceiver with the MiniTT1 and AC3 to control the output power.
“If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.” — Eve Arnold.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/13, Off camera flash using Alienbees B1600 and one with a blue gel.
Here is my Lighting Diagram for the Late Nite Reading shoot.
I had my gear with me when I took my daughter to the concert. So I just offered to get some fantastic shots for nothing more than just my daughter and me.
Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ/2.8, 1/140
“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.” — Elliott Erwitt.
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/8, 1/160
“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.” — Steve McCurry
Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ/2.8, 1/55
“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” — Alfred Eisenstaedt
Nikon Coolpix P7000, ISO 1600, ƒ/2.8, ƒ1/180
“It’s a process of getting to know people. That’s what photography is to me. It’s about paying attention, not screwing up and blowing a great opportunity.” – Eugene Richards
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm and 1.4 converter, ISO 900, ƒ/5.6, 1/2000
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 280, ƒ/4, 1/100
Nikon D4, 28-300mm, ISO 450, ƒ/5.6, 1/100
Remember to take your camera with you where ever you go.
Gregory Heisler is a professional photographer known for his portraits. Long before 2007, when David Hobby started his blog “The Strobist,” Heisler was already doing some incredible work with strobes.
Heisler is most known for his 50 Time Magazine covers.
Today many photographers will quickly pull out their large softboxes for portraits. While even Greg Heisler will use this on occasion, he prefers to light things so that they look natural.
Heisler introduced a new lighting term used in theater and movie sets lacking in still photography.
Heisler heard while on a movie set the director said, “Motivate the Practical.” Of course, the practical is the light fixtures within the frame.
Heisler pointed out to those in attendance that when you go onto a movie set, you rarely see a giant softbox. The reason you don’t is the same reason when you go outside. You do not see light boxes all around us. So while the lightbox is wonderful light that looks like an ample window light, it isn’t the norm for most places we see people.
Heisler prefers light scenes to look like they would in a natural setting. He even goes so far as to make his studio at night look like a poolside photo during the day for a picture he did of Julia Roberts.
I was pleased to not only hear Greg Heisler speak I also was able to get him to sign a book for me.
This photo is an example of where I worked to create what would appear to be window light from the sun coming in the window. I put a strobe outside the window to generate sunlight on this rainy day.
I would have taken off the umbrella if I wanted a more complex light.
While in theater and movies, they would call this “motivating the practical.” I am creating a light that looks natural rather than just making great light.
I, too, prefer using “Motivating the Practical” over most any other type of light. It looks the most natural, and the more realistic the morning, the better the chance of it helping to create a “real moment.”
“What could be so bad as to try crossing the border?” was asked over and over by our group. We only spent three hours walking some of the paths that illegal immigrants use, and we were doing this in daylight, yet we were tired.
In the top photo, you can see some of the terrains our group had to help each other over in sunlight, and many who cross will do so at night. Many will break ankles just on the landscape alone.
The fence slows down someone for about fifteen seconds if they make it. Sometimes many fall and break legs and arms trying to go over it.
Imagine fathers and mothers often will leave their children behind and families to take this horrible trip that will most likely be around six days in the desert. Then the rest of their time in the US, they will constantly be navigating ways not to get caught and sent back.
Agua Prieta, Mexico, and Douglas, Arizona, are towns divided by a fence. Agua Prieta is the most crossed area of the Mexican border.
Drug cartels hire young people who are US citizens but of Mexican heritage to carry drugs over illegally and then just come back through the checkpoint to do this over and over.
People come on this trip to understand the root causes of this problem. We listed to learn about how NAFTA had its flaws. For example, the Mexican government stopped subsidizing crops, yet the US continues to support major corporate farms.
What took our country a hundred years to change from an agricultural society to an industrial one, Mexico did in less than ten years. The farmers could not compete and had to leave what they knew to do something else, which they had no skills in.
We are seeing one small success through a cooperative formed of coffee growers in Mexico. The nonprofit Frontera de Cristo helped raise the money for a roaster. 100% of the money is staying in Mexico with the farmers.
Those families are no longer looking north and are now helping save their communities.
Here we are touring the roasting facilities in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Later we will fly to the Chiapas area of Southern Mexico to visit the farmers and their families. We will see coffee being grown and how this transforms their lives and communities.
Here is Robusto Coffee which is higher in caffeine.
The lower photo is Arabica coffee which is common in caffeine and smooth to drink. However, how you roast it can change the levels and taste.
Here Adrian Gonzalez, manager of customer relations, talks to us about how they not only sell whole beans but also grind the coffee by request of some customers.
They put the farmer’s names on the bags of coffee, helping to create a relationship between the customer and the farmer.
Stay tuned for photos of the growing process in Salvador Urbina and El Aguila, located in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
People go to convenience stores like this one and buy a cup of coffee every day. However, this coffee here is “More Than Just Coffee.”
Raul is the owner of this convenience store in Douglas, AZ. This town is the largest area on the Mexican border, where illegal immigration is a problem with drugs and people. Raul is pleased that this local coffee company Just Coffee is helping address some of the concerns, and everyone like the taste better than we had before.
This week I am following a group of Americans from all over the country as they explore, from the Mexico-USA border to the Guatemala-Mexico border, the immigration issues. They are walking along the wall from the people’s fence to see the vehicle fence.
The tour group is diverse in age, political, and ethnic backgrounds. They are here to see firsthand the issues around immigration.
They are also here to see how one solution is helping restore a coffee-growing community in Chiapas and Agua Prieta, where they roast the coffee. Like many others, just Coffee is a coffee cooperative because 100% of the profits stay in Mexico.
From a little over ten years ago till now, the families are no longer looking to the North to solve their economic problems; they found it through building a cooperative.
