I’ve been absent from this sphere a while, tinkering away at some longer term school projects. But over the holidays, I managed to parachute into the Dominican Republic for a little solo adventure. The first two rolls of film landed in my palms this afternoon. Here are a few shots from my first glance. 

(Above) I found this man and another skulking around a rock shelf off of a secluded beach 20 kilometers south of Sosua, a one-time bustling tourism destination built up by European Jews post-WW2. Before the pair wandered off to find more fruitful waters, one dropped a seashell into my shoe. 

(Above) A man carries jewelry made from shells and beads along the beaches frequented by tour groups, trying to sell whatever he can before being shooed away by guides with their own network of concessions conveniently staked along the way. 

(Above) Outside of a hillside matadero near Munoz, a side of beef sits in the back of a pickup under the mid-day sun. Killed and slaughtered an hour earlier, the meat is destined for a Puerto Plata market 9 km south. Eating meat is once again a challenge for me.