I grew up in the Peruvian Amazon. Rivers shaped the route from one place to another, and much of my childhood was spent fishing, swimming, and watching the forest change with the light. That was where I learned to look carefully and wait before deciding that nothing was happening.

Painting came first. I was not especially good when I began, but I kept working and eventually sold a few pieces. Studying painting taught me to think about edges, weight, color, and the position of a figure inside a frame. Photography gave me another way to work with the same questions.

I taught myself to use a camera by making mistakes, studying the results, and trying again. Over time I became less interested in forcing a picture and more interested in recognizing one. Sometimes that means taking the photograph. Sometimes it means leaving the camera down and paying attention.

I now work across documentary, portrait, editorial, and landscape photography, and I still paint. The subjects change, but the method is consistent: arrive prepared, observe closely, and remove anything the picture does not need.

The work began in the Amazon. I still return to what I learned there.