Working for the Company
Two weeks ago, I worked for the Company of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits, in documenting the flash visit of the Superior General Adolfo Nicolas to Santiago, Chile. It felt similar to photographing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit in 2006, though this time I was the official photographer and had special access as opposed to being just a member of the press.
Though his visit in Chile lasted only one full day and two half-days, the organizers of his visit jam-packed his schedule to take advantage of the presence of this global leader of the Society of Jesus. This meant visits to all the organizations founded and run by Jesuits, such as Un Techo Para Chile (a Habitat for Humanity-style NGO), Infocap (a community college for workers), and Hogar de Cristo (a shelter for various marginalized groups), all of which are pretty well-known institutions in their own right in Chile.
He gave various lectures throughout his visit and being originally from Spain, the public was able to relate to him on an intimate level without the need of a translator as often happens with most other global leaders. Interesting for me, however, was his experience of having spent over 40 years of his life in Asia, mostly living in Japan. Living among East Asian cultures left such an influence on the Superior General that he quoted Buddhist and even Sufi texts and poems in his talks.
Photographing the Superior General was interesting because I’d been told specifically to not be aggressive and paparazzi-like in creating the images. I was to give him a good amount of breathing space and be as respectful as possible, for the older guard of Jesuit priests might not like the official photographer firing off flash as if he were a rock star. In any case, I stayed at a good distance and used available light almost all the time that I spent photographing him.
Below, I’ve posted a brief selection of images, many of which will be appearing in the internal Chilean Jesuit magazine as well as jesuitas.cl.
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http://twitter.com/marcialbarria Marcial Barría
G. Morty Ortega is a photographer based in Denton, Texas. He specializes in news, humanitarian, travel and editorial photography. Morty shoots both still photography and video for international and national clients. He is available world wide for assignments and stock sales.
