Marisol Lopez Prieto // Buenos Aires, Argentina
In another round about way, but a bit more directly, this project has its roots with Marisol in Buenos Aires, perhaps my favorite city in the world. So when the opportunity arose to fly from San Antonio to Buenos Aires (via Lima, Peru, and Santiago, Chile) for less than $350 round trip, I jumped at the opportunity.
My friend Michael texted me one morning, telling me of a round trip flight he found from San Antonio to Lima for only $213, so that was my first purchase. Being so far south already, I opened a map and looked to see what other countries I could visit for the fun of it - but really, to eat different foods.
Just south of Peru is Chile, and I inquired with Google to see if they had a professional ballet company. Check. Where else could I go? Just a bit farther southeast of Chile is Buenos Aires, who I already knew had a company - and they also happen to have the best pizza in the world, in my personal and humble opinion. So for $60 I had a round trip ticket from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile, and for $70 - and sandwiched in between the aforementioned trip - I purchased another RT ticket from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I didn’t realize it then, and I should have known better, but the Southern Hemisphere has the exact opposite weather of the Northern Hemisphere. Whilst June is summertime for me in Texas, it’s smack in the middle of winter for the Southern Hemisphere, and also their rainy season. No wonder flights were so inexpensive. The last time I was in Buenos Aires with Marisol, it was March 2018, sunny, and quite beautiful weather; I would not have the same luck with weather time.
This project has been entirely self-funded, and as such, means that I have to take what I can get in terms of travel times. Travel is considerably less expensive in the off peak tourist season. It’s why I photograph so often in the cold, having to subject ballerinas to uncomfortable temperatures.
Albeit a short shoot - a result of scheduled rain towards the end of the shoot, as well as a fast approaching dusk - my time with Marisol was well spent. Over coffee and alfajores (traditional Argentine pastries made with two delicate, melt-in-your-mouth cookies embracing a luscious dollop of creamy dulce de leche caramel), I shared with Marisol how she was such a large reason why this project exists. Her direct and specific encouragement to continue photographing ballerinas beyond my initial shoot with her, combined with my love of food in foreign places, has taken me to over 40 cities, and 13 different countries so far.
June 23, 2019
