El Otro Lado Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is the other side (el otro lado) of my photo Fixing the broken border, after the border fence has been repaired. So, this is the Mexican side of the border between San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico), more precisely Playas de Tijuana, by the Pacific Ocean. This border wall, built by the US authorities, is a shocking sight, as the metallic fence runs through the beach into the ocean.
These Mexican young men, if they manage to cross the border somewhere, may be found beyond the wall, further north, rushing over the highways, or working the strawberry fields. They are brave enough to jump the fence right here, but in this area they’d be easily spotted by the Border Patrol or control cameras (like those seen at right of the men). Each time I was here (on both sides) there were vehicles (kind of jeeps) of the US Border Patrol.
The Workshop is another view of this subject. I couldn't decide which to post as main photo. Tell me which do you prefer.
. . .
See also my other photos of this theme:
USA-Mexico: Border & Immigrants.
Location: 32.5343996, -117.1235812.

manub, beijokense, plimrn, lcarolan, rushandy, calimex, riclopes, manatee, Docarmo, Amaz, lucasgalodoido has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pau (792) 2006-04-08 11:41

Hola Francisco!

Una foto muy interesante! Me parece impresionante que en el siglo XXI aun hayan muros que separen dos territorios o paises. Muchas veces para parar la imigración...la desigualdad entre territorios...
De todos modos me parece una foto muy ilustrativa.
Bien hecho!
Saludos!
Pau

[2] +

beijokense (498) 2006-04-09 11:18

Hi Francisco,
another interesting subject you bring us.
I think the pic on the WS is more expressive.
Regarding this one, I guess you could have approached the men and, there, turning your POV slightly right, giving a nice perspective of the fence.
Abraço,
Beijo

[3] +

askiblair (116) 2006-04-09 16:24

This is a very moving photo. Your light and composition is great!! Hope to see more of your photos!

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plimrn (19694) 2006-04-10 12:27

Ola' Francisco,
I can see that this was a hard choice and I'm not sure which I would have chosen, This one shows the horrible fence more, the other shows the people better. Not only does your compo have an important message but the artistic merit of the compo is outstanding with the strong grahpic elements in front of the rolling sand and soft clouds.
amanhã :)

lcarolan (948) 2006-04-11 4:21

Hi Francisco,
The fences are a waste of money. here's a quote from my me immigration post, "The walls & fences are a sham token that is used by our government to cast before those who object to immigration in order to appease them, to make them think action is being taken to stop it. Our "unelected" but siting President referrs to "guest worker programs to fill the jobs that Americans no longer want to do." They are both ridiculously out of contact with reality. The problem is that American workers cannot afford to work for the wages being offered, and those who think they oppose immigrants taking their jobs should be opposing the hiring practices that undercut a living wage. Wire fences have been cut, more substantial ones have been tunneled beneath. The U.S. has laws that make it illegal to hire undocumented workers, however they are seldom enforced. Employers argue that they cannot tell the difference between the two classes of immigrants, but that seems an unlikey excuse. If employers were fined large amounts for hiring illegal workers, that would dry up the jobs and the 'illegals' would stop coming."
Larry

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vincent24 (9038) 2006-04-13 16:18

Ola Francisco,
Two interesting pictures,personnaly i prefer the other with the fence in full frame it's more impressive,on the other hand this one help to understand and show how tall it is,
good job,
vincent

rushandy (206) 2006-04-14 6:56

Hi Francisco,

I've really enjoyed this series on mexican immigrants crossing the US border. I like both of the versions of this shot, and I think posting them both was a good idea. You feel for the guys here.

MIG13 (0) 2006-04-14 11:44

Pois é, Francisco... Um olhar para a terra que um dia lhes foi roubada! Sua foto é um documento forte sobre injustiça e desigualdade, coisa que não falta neste nosso mundo. E, esteticamente, as grades construídas pelo homem, definitivamente, não combinam com a beleza produzida por Deus. Parabéns por mais este bom trabalho e felicidades na Páscoa! Um abraço! Miguel.

twjthornton (1888) 2006-04-16 21:31

Very interesting shot. As a traveller and someone who has worked all over the world, i also see this as very distrubing. Good job on seeking this out

nika (0) 2006-05-20 17:39

shaming situation you captured for us , here in spain we have a similar debate with the Ceuta and Melilla border fences to prevent africans from crossing towards Spain ....money can travel easily and humans can not move as easily ...while there is people who starves elsewhere we will have this problem(they run away from apocalypsis , war , disasters , famine ...) . I met a Cameroon girl (whose children were temporally cared by my uncles , while she was arranging papers in Douala) , and told me that, just for the health care spanish system and education was worth risking lifes to cross the sea and tempt the luck in the dreamt Europe ...so unfortunately many of them don't know where they are coming and just in a day from Mauritania to fuerteventura in canary islands an amount of 580 inmigrants were intercepted by coastguard spanish police(new record in a day) ...Europe and the rich world exploited and exploits those impoverish countries resources and in exercise of hypocresy raise shame walls ...a complicated and arduous debate ...Anyway both artistically and documentarily , the pictures(both versions are equally valuable and interesting) transmit sensations , it is a good work Francisco , take care and see you

Varela (144) 2006-05-30 18:37

Uma foto com muita força! A intransponivel barreira que se interpõe entre dois mundos deixa-me a pensar!
Por outro lado em termos estéticos: O conjunto ritmado das linhas verticais das grades ganham dimensao com a presença das dua pessoas!
Obrigado!

ebolanos (229) 2007-02-28 12:40

I use to live in Playas de Tijuana and it actually is a real nice place to live, inmigration has been a part of the border for many years and now it´s become a security issue for the USA, just compare what you went trougth at the USA Airport to get into the country and now compare it to how easy it´s to get across from Mexico, in order for the USA to be coherent it has to build big fences.

calimex (1029) 2007-05-04 2:11

Olá Francisco,
As you've captured so well here, the wall is a graphic reminder of the divide that one nation has sought to create with its neighoring nation, an illusory (some would say "who's fooling who?") effect so long as employers in the U.S. desire labor from outside its borders.
Saludos,
José

P.D. I prefer your original shot over the Workshop because it shows a fuller range of this wall.

riclopes (33131) 2007-05-11 2:24

Isto é mesmo estranho. Quase chocante, mesmo. Que raio de ser vivo somos nós que temos de criar este tipo de barreiras. Esta imagem tem muita força, como se eles estivessem enjaulados. Apetece passar para o lado de lá, só pela existência da fronteira.
ric

manatee (4295) 2007-05-14 16:26

Interesting picture I think so you are a good photograper and I like the series of the pictures, you following very well this history.

I love it and
I hope we can share more pictues, I have more of this pic of this wall in Otay, but.... oye te estoy escribiendo en Inlges y tu hablas espanol verdad? lo siento. Pues solo para decirte que no se como poner los links que tu haciciste en las notas,pero si no te las pondria para que vieras, las fotos que tengo del muro.
Bueno seguimos en ocnatcato y gracias por tus fotos

Elias

Docarmo (8844) 2007-11-17 4:12

Olá Francisco,
Prefiro esta como principal mesmo - dá uma idéia melhor, com excelente composição.
Que tristeza constatar, mais uma vez, que nós, seres humanos, ainda estamos num estágio tão primitivo, tão rudimentar. Esta cerca é uma evidência disso.
Obrigada por partilhar,
MC
P.S.: Aqui no Canadá, os mexicanos têm entrada livre e oficial, todo verão, para virem trabalhar nos campos, nas fazendas. Quando o inverno se aproxima, eles vão embora, levando suas economias para o sustento de suas famílias que ficaram no México.
Faz-me pensar nas aves migratórias.
Quando os vejo, às vezes, caminhando aos bandos, na beira da estrada, me dá um aperto no coração.
Mas eles são alegres e a gente sente a fortaleza que eles possuem interiormente.
Mas que estas situações todas no planeta são estranhas, lá isso são.

ckuhn55 (2270) 2008-05-25 11:00

I like 2, because I can see the expression on the first fellow's face. Excellent my friend. I was in Rosarito over the Xmas holidays. Drove to San Felipe and other places. TFS

Amaz (7406) 2009-05-14 15:08

Impressionate captura, Francisco!!!
Agora construimos muros em toda parte: Coreia do Norte, Melilla, Rio de Janeiro, California...

Excelente composição!!

Parabéns

lucasgalodoido (16789) 2009-10-29 19:13

Olá Francisco,
bem interessante mesmo essa foto, chega a ser engraçado os mexicanos pensando lá ser a terra dos sonhos, o que é compreensível num país de políticos corruptos como o México, bem parecido com o Brasil também, onde a desigualdade reina.
Parabéns e Abraço