Momenta welcomes this week’s guestagrammer, Jessica Suarez!

Age: 28

Current job: I work as a freelance photographer and videographer. Most of my clients are non-profits or educational organizations.

Current location: I live and work in southeastern Peru and Atlanta, Georgia.

​Website: www.jessicasuarezphotography.com

Connection to Momenta: I became part of the amazing Momenta family as a West Award recipient for the Project New Orleans 2014 workshop. I was lucky enough to work with the Louisiana SPCA during the workshop week.

Dr. Adrian Tejedor holds up a round eared bat for U.S. study abroad students to examine during a field exercise class in the southeastern Amazon of Peru. Dr. Tejedor periodically captures bats using mist nets to determine which species are present and absent in different areas of the Amazon and how their populations are adapting due to encroaching human development.

Tell us about your journey as an image-maker and how you got to where you are today.

During a college study abroad program I found myself in the Bolivian tropics photographing a small community of nuns and their work with malnourished children. I was profoundly affected by the experience, and at that moment I fell in love with visual storytelling. Several years, countries, and a master’s degree later I have returned to South America to continue to collaborate with groups whose work I’m really inspired by and hope to share with others.

Researcher Heather Nobert displays a selection of Walking Palms seeds she has collected as part of an ongoing reforestation project in southeastern Peru. Walking Palms are named for their unusual stilt-like roots which are give the tree the ability to lean towards sunlight when needed.

What stories or issues are you most passionate about covering?

I am particularly passionate about maternal health and other projects related to women and children. Lately, because of where I live in Peru, I’ve been working a lot on conservation projects, which are also close to my heart.

An indigenous woman from the an Uros floating island community in Lake Titicaca, Peru prepares to display her homemade crafts to visiting tourists. The Uru people decided to embrace tourism, when their traditional way of life was threatened due to expanding development on Lake Titicaca. When visiting the islands, tourists are shown how the community uses totora reeds to create the islands, as well as houses and boats.

Where do you look for inspiration for your work: books, movies, authors, photographers, art, certain people?

I find a lot inspiration from some of the amazing characters I’ve met who work at non-profits. Their passion, ambition, and compassion is very moving and contagious! I love collaboration for that reason. Besides that I try to look at a lot of other photographers’ and filmmakers’ work, read ferociously, and learn from friends who are doing inspired work in healthcare, the sciences, and visual storytelling.

Sand bags have been placed around the bank of the town of Boca Manu located on Alto Madre de Dios River, a tributary to the Amazon River. During the wet season, land and plant material close to the water’s edge is washed away in great quantities. Locals have developed ways to manage life on these resource-rich, volatile banks.

What social media or news feeds do you follow regularly? 

Some of my favorite Instagram accounts at the moment are @panospictures, @runa_photos, @opensocietyfoundations, @everydayafrica, and @everydaylatinamerica.

Bee harvester and educator Josua (right) shows a friend the process of beekeeping in Chontachaca, Peru. He has developed a honey bee community in the cloud forest where bees can pollinate jungle flowers, creating a distinct tasting honey, which he can market in Cusco. Through his work he aims to reestablish honey bee communities in threatened areas of Peru.

What is one passion you have outside of photography that might come as a surprise to our readers?

I really enjoy baking, especially when I need to clear my head and take a break from editing photos or video. It’s a really fun way to express love and appreciation towards others too. This summer I’ve been trying to perfect a recipe for peach jam.

Entomologist Jose Vicens perches a juvenile chestnut-fronted macaw on his shoulder that he rescued from a group of children near Chontachaca, Peru. Adult macaws are often hunted and killed for their feathers and their babies are then often sold as pets. While this juvenile has a good chance of surviving with proper care, it will most likely never be able to fully return to the wild.

What can we expect to see next week from your “guestagramming” on our Momenta Instagram account?

I am going to be sharing an ongoing project I am creating on the topic of “adaptation.” I’m exploring how humans, plants, and animals are adapting to ever changing cultural, political and natural landscapes in Peru. Thanks for checking it out!

#seizethemomenta, and follow @momentaworkshops on Instagram September 6 – 12 to see Jess’ colorful work!