protect the family

Part 1 of an ongoing video and photo project titled “FACES” that documents individuals from all walks of life in their rawest form. I photographed JJ, better known as Mestizo, in the backyard of his home. Chickens running around, his kids playing with their toys and a shotgun on his lap.

His life now revolves around his children, though it was much different when growing up in California. Gang culture was prominent and always surrounding him. There, he found the importance of protecting the family at all costs.

These intimate portraits allowed me to show him in his current light and not one based around the past.