Eco Photographer An interview of ethically focussed photographer, Alicia Fox in Muse Magazine Australia’s newest magazine for inspiration, self-help and culture, featured an interview about my work as an eco photographer.  The article explores my journey from being a teenager driven to fulfil my dreams of travel and photography, to the journey that entailed, learning about what is really important to me and utilising my profession to work towards a better world.   As you can read below, photography has taken me around the globe, discovering incredible cultures and learning from some of the most ancient and untouched peoples in the world today.  These lessons are priceless and I am extremely grateful for the journey thus far.   Being an eco photographer and living a sustainable lifestyle in both my professional and personal life is something extremely important to me, and something that I’ve written about in previous blog posts.  My work with indigenous groups and NGOs around the world has contributed to this greatly.  Once visiting these places and sitting to talk with the people effected by climate change, corporate greed, environmental destruction and so on, it’s impossible to turn a blind eye and un-care.   Everyone can make […] Read More
Junkies magazine is a fantastic new Australian publication celebrating the concept of rethink, reuse, reduce and recycle.  It’s jam-packed full of articles and photos of creative ways to help the planet, your own way.   I’m thrilled to have this wonderful write up about my photography included in the Spring issue of Junkies magazine.  These images are from my project Portraits of The Disappearing Amazon, for which I had the privilege of visiting and photographing tribes in the Amazon jungle over a 3 month period.  It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  Please enjoy the images. Read More
Travel is like an intensified version of normal life.  We take ourselves out of our comfort zone to situations where the ups are higher and the downs take us deeper than we have ever been.  This is why we often return from travelling feeling like a new person:  so much more experienced, wiser and even enlightened.   After a year or so travelling through South America, I’d been confronted by many lows (and many more highs, thankfully).  One thing that irritated me was how long things took.  I’m pretty chilled out and enjoy taking my time, but on Latin American time things can be excruciatingly slow.  The border crossing from Colombia to Panama is one example of this.  The whole process of travelling by boat from port towns to port towns took days.  I understand that authorities in this Darien Gap region are wise to watch their ports for drug smugglers, but anyone who has spoken to locals knows that the authorities are aware of the traffickers and allow certain offenders to slip through the cracks.   On arriving to Panama, at the tiny village of Puerto Obaldia, the immigration officer sitting inside his sweltering hot cement block informed us […] Read More
My photos and I are being featured on fivepointfive.org and I think you should check it out, here.  You’ll gain an insight into my project Portraits of The Disappearing Amazon, a 3 month journey which will changed my life.  You can also get the background story on some of my favourite portraits from the project, and the beautiful people within them.   Five Point Five is about inspiring you to do those things that you will remember with satisfaction for the rest of your life.  They are all about travel, lifestyle and making a positive difference in the world – 3 things that are really important to me too.  The website offers information and mini documentaries on volunteering overseas, as well as travel resources and inspiration.  So go get inspired…   Portraits of the Disappearing Amazon by Alicia Fox Read More
I am six weeks into my trip to Peru, that’s about half way if James and I follow our loose schedule. I am so excited about the images I have been capturing here in this vibrant country.  Here is a sample of what I have been up to over the last month. (Above)  This is an image I shot on a floating reed island of Lake Titicaca, Peru.  The young boy was playing on the other side of the tiny island.  I knew this line of  reeds would make a beautiful background for a shot and I wanted the little boy to run towards me, so I got into position and set up my camera with a fairly shallow depth of field (f/6.3) and fast shutter speed (1/640sec) to freeze him in motion.  I waited a few minutes till he came my way then I made eye contact and got his attention, making him smile.  I shot three frames and this is my favourite of the three. (Above)  Visiting Machu Picchu was an INCREDIBLE experience. Even as I was ascending the harsh mountainside to the entrance I could feel that I was arriving to a special place in the world. […] Read More
 A photo essay of women weavers in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, shot for Vision Guatemala.   Lake Atitlan is a magical part of Guatemala that draws many tourists who want to experience its reputed energy.  But for many women and families living in this area, life is tough and money is very scarce.  I shot this photo essay for Vision Guatemala, a small non-profit organisation that is working to help women find a source of income, offering micro-finance, training and community development.  In doing so, their tradition of weaving beautiful textiles can be kept alive.   Being fortunate to enter their homes and witness this amazing art gave me a deep appreciation for their skill in weaving.  The women I met have amazing talent and beautiful spirits.                   If you would like to see more photos that I have taken for non-profit organisations in South and Central America, please see my website at www.aliciafox.net/humanitarian-photography/ Read More
Comalapa, Guatemala “You have to ask before you take a photo of anyone here. A Japanese woman didn’t ask and she got stoned to death.” That was my introduction to Comalapa, a small town, unmarked on the Guatemalan tourist map. I usually ask before I take someones photo, but sometimes that ruins the moment and I (respectfully) want to get a shot before they are aware that I even exist. After the above advice though, I got the feeling that the locals here aren’t really into being the subjects of documentary photography, so I’m going to ask everybodies permission before I take photos of them. This morning my friend Loren needed to do some washing and asked me if I wanted to go to the public laundry with him. A lot of people around here don’t have the water or facilities to wash clothes in their own home so the women come together and wash communally. It’s such a wonderful and unique cultural experience and I’d been attracted to Guatemala’s outdoor laundries since I first saw them. ……… I got chatting to this beautiful lady, Chejina (above), while Loren was washing his clothes. Chejina told me she goes there most […] Read More
When I first read about the Kuna Yala indigenous people in the San Blas Islands, I knew I had to visit the islands to photograph them. In all descripitions, the people and the landscape sounded visually stunning. The Kuna women hand-sew their vibrant outfits with tropical patterns and elaborate designs. Their arms and legs are adorned with colourful beads in traditional patterns that imitate designs that used to be painted on their skin before missionaries taught them to wear clothes. The location they call home is over 300 idyllic islands in the Caribbean Sea of Panama, the most picture perfect place I have visited in my life. Many of the inhabitants are nomadic and move from island to island collecting coconuts and selling their clothing, designs and beaded jewelry to tourists. I shot a series of photos for Atmosphere magazine, an in-flight publication for Canada’s Air Transat. The photos are in the current (July-August) edition. Read More
I wrote the article “30 Days in Chugchilan” for Shutterbug magazine in The USA. This article is about my personal project to document the village I was living in, Chugchilan in Ecuador, in 2010. A full set of the photos and the story behind them can be found on the “30 Days in Chugchilan” tab at the top of this page. Read More