Appetite by Penny De Los Santos

What I love about what I do as a photographer is that I get to enter people’s lives on a regular basis, in a real way. I spend many, many hours with them – sometimes even days – making their picture and visually trying to tell their story. This process and this connection is one of the great privileges of my work and something that I never take lightly.

Perhaps one of the sweetest moments was on a shoot recently in Los Angeles. Everything felt magnified, guided… you know, like I was there to be seeing things a certain way, almost a déjà vu.

I was doing a story on ethnic BBQ for Saveur Magazine and my subject was a woman who lived in east LA.

The idea of a writer from the East Coast and a photographer from Texas flying into Los Angeles, renting cars and spending a few days with Flor, our subject, for a national story on BBQ was especially daunting for her. I’m not sure she understood why we were so interested in her barbecue and more specifically her.

Flor is a Mexican immigrant and a single mother in her mid-50s who works hard to support her family by practicing the art of making a type of Mexican BBQ called barbacoa. It’s this labor intensive process, where a pit is dug several feet deep and a fire is built in it. When the fire burns down to hot coals the meat is placed in the pit and covered for 8 hours.

She makes a lamb barbacoa and it’s slow smoked in maguey leaves which impart a smoky, earthy herbal flavor to the meat resulting in perhaps the most succulent flavorful meat I have ever tasted. Wrap that fall-off-the-bone lamb into a fresh handmade corn tortilla with salsa verde and unpack your bags because you will never want to leave.

My day with Flor started at 5am and ended sometime after 8pm. By the time the sun went down Flor and I had bonded. She shared so much of her life with me. I learned about her history in LA, how she started making barbacoa, and who taught her. I even met her children and grandchildren. It was pretty special.

When it came time for me to leave, we hugged goodbye and I could feel her hugging me a little longer. Her eyes filling with tears as we she told me in Spanish, “vaya con dios”. As I walked to my car feeling the weight of her goodbye, I realized something…she had never had anyone ever spend an entire day with her just celebrating what she does.

Marking someone’s life with a photograph has the potential to be a sensitive and caring moment. It can be profound, even momentous. Sometimes I forget that. I forget how vulnerable and raw it can feel being in front of the camera. How much of a gift it is when someone allows you to make their picture and how it makes them feel when they are on the other side of the lens. It can be a powerful, intimate moment for both the photographed and the photographer. Flor reminded me of that.

When I was in LA last month I knew going back to visit Flor would be a priority. This On-Assignment video for me felt like an opportunity to share with you all my experience with her and have a more in-depth look into how I try and connect with a subject and what that feels like in the field.

Todd, Diane and I felt especially overwhelmed with pride in the making of this video. As we drove away that morning after filming it was this poignant reminder of what this On-Assignment video series is all about: human connection and hopefully at it’s best… inspiration. How sweet it is to share a meal with someone and make their picture.

Thank you all so much for watching and for reading. I hope you enjoy it.

We will be On-Assignment in Seattle next week. If there is something you think we should consider, tweet it to us, @whiteonrice, @pennydelosantos or leave a comment here.