NOTES
The Old Things of the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum in St. Augustine, FL
Photos from the old things of this museum in St. Augustine, Florida.
About a week before Hurricane Matthew brought it's climatological terror up through the eastern seaboard of Florida, I was in St. Augustine, visiting my family. My mom had recently begun working at the Ximenez-Fatio House Museum in the old part of town. It was a side of the city that I had rarely gone into. I fell in love with its old homes, buildings and super narrow streets.
My mom gave me a tour of the building where these very old things were placed throughout representing different eras of the building's history. Some of it was original to the previous occupants while others were brought in later.
At the time I photographed in this building, I thought, "I don't need a photo of the exterior." I kinda regret that now.
Email: info@carlosdetres.com
Florida Obscura
An exercise in reflection on the roots of where I come from.
Whenever I'm back home in Florida,
I return to places that I'd visited in the past
and photograph them,
mostly alone,
to further understand the person I've become.
It's personal anthropology. The cloud of my thirteen years in New York City has cleared. Here in New Orleans, Louisiana, I almost feel retired, not from work but from a lifestyle that dictated the choices I made and the directions I've gone. It's suffice to say that I'm at a reflective point in my life and that the specter of my home state of Florida looms silently over my work as I continue identifying my personal style and future creative goals.
The photographs below are part of an exercise to isolate the common threads of my work. It happens easily because there are always subconscious elements that are introduced into my portraiture and topics of interest. Enjoy.
Florida -- It's Where I Grew Up
We're #1 at pina coladas and crazy.
Anna Maria Island, Florida
Florida has, rightly so, been the butt of many jokes (kinda like Jersey but without that awful smell when you cross under the tunnel from Manhattan). The state is a complex one. Much of the central part of the state, where I grew up, is as conservative Southern as it gets. South Florida is one of the most ethnically diverse and vibrant regions of the country. There’s THIS parody Twitter account accurately correctly curates many of us Floridians’ head shakes. It’s also home to the most serial murders in the country and a governor who has had “climate change” removed from all official documentation and Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and the theme park Holy Land.
Florida is also home of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Key Lime pie, legendary death metal bands, great natural vistas, the oldest city in the country, and a history that’s tied into the colonial era of the United Kingdom and Spain.
I’ve been wanting to begin a project based on my home state of Florida. Just a loose collection of photos that reflect the memories of my childhood as well as my many return visits to see friends and family. As I continue going back, I’ll add more to this collection.
