DOCUMENTINGWORLDS.COM – ANNIE APPEL’S WORK
THE MEXICO JOURNEYS
The Mexico Journeys is a roadmap of what it takes to connect with others over time, space and cultures – and the rewards of a long-term, unhurried connection. The photo essay utilizes long-form photojournalism and journal entries to amplify the voices of the global south via the documentation of Maria, her family, and their journey.
The story that unfolds over the 24 visits and over 20 years is a simple, yet universal story about friendship, trust, and how strangers can become family. But somewhere along the journey, the work shifted to include the coming-of-age story of a young photographer who keeps her promise to show up, through the death of her own father, the heartbreak of lost relationships, and the age-old struggle of an artist to pay rent, with enough left over for film, paper, and darkroom chemicals. Simultaneously poetic and journalistic, the traditional documentary steadily transformed itself into creative nonfiction. The result is an unexpected story.
