The New Documentary Wave: Mark J. Davis

The Martin Parr article made me think of young photojournalists who are out on their own gathering stories that interest them first, and pitching t...

The Martin Parr article made me think of young photojournalists who are out on their own gathering stories that interest them first, and pitching them second. I’ve covered a few of these folks, including bright young thangs Matt Lutton and M. Scott Brauer.

I thought this would be a good time to highlight some of the work of 25-year-old Mark J. Davis; I love it when you can get story ideas by looking at someone’s pictures– Here are two groups of photos, one from Chile, one from Romania (and a single from Bolivia), that tell quite a narrative.

Warning: castration is involved.

Call Mr. Davis, picture editors! He’s a bright star!

Ok. Chile:

Master ship builder Joel Esparza nails down a cross section support in the interior of a ship with the help of his assistants, Caleta Tumbes, Chile. The ship is in repairs and will be amplified, a process that will take many months. The cross sections are boiled in sea water for three hours in order to make them pliable.

Fishermen set out from the bay of Caleta El Soldado, Chile. Seaweed washes ashore together with garbage, such as this lounge chair.

Luis Espinoza carries in nets of shellfish after a morning of work, Caleta El Soldado, Chile. The fishermen set out in groups of three to the open sea in small motor boats to gather the shellfish from the sea floor. Typically two divers collect the shellfish while an assistant mans the boat, regulating the air compressor and sorting the product before it is taken to the streets to be sold hours later.

Evelyn Montecino, left, works with JosÈ Aravena and Angelica Parraguez near their house in Caleta El Soldado. They are part of an eight member group contracted by the Chilean government to beautify their community. The initiative is an attempt to keep unemployment down. They are paid minimum wage, which is slightly above a dollar an hour.

A captain sits asleep at the local sports club in Tumbes, Chile after a night of heavy drinking. Alcoholism has been a consistent and nagging problem among the fishermen.

A young man hangs Merlusa on wires to dry on the streets of Caleta Lo Rojo, Chile. Though the fishermen once caught the fish themselves, they are now forced to buy it in small quantities from larger factories who have been given priority by the Chilean government. As a result the Merlusa is increasingly smaller and practically uncatchable by February 22nd, the first day the artisan fishermen are allowed out to sea to fish.

Click on that link below to see images from Romania! And a toucan eating from a plate.

Preparation for gelding in Lunca Ilvei, Romania. The process of gelding, which normally takes place one day each year in the town, is performed to calm the typically aggressive behavior of the stallions.

A horse lies motionless, temporarily sedated, after being gelded by the town veterinarian and his helpers in Lunca Ilvei, Romania. In the foreground are the instruments used in the procedure.