How Ethan James Green and a Santería Ritual Sparked Photographer Jan Anthonio Diaz’s Career

AGE: 26
BASED IN: New York
NOMINATED BY: Ethan James Green

My first camera was a Contax T3 point-and-shoot that I borrowed from my friend Ethan James Green. I came to him with this idea to document my grandmother at home where she does card readings. She has such a beautiful altar and wears these bright silk gowns for each saint she works with during her Santería rituals. The images that came back were so beautiful it sparked a passion for portraiture and storytelling.

Through my lens, I connect with and understand the human spirit by focusing on genuine emotions and moments that reveal true character. My personal relationship to my subjects is apparent in the way they look into my lens. I feel their spirit is at ease purely out of the trust and comfort we share with each other as a community.

I look for inspiration on the streets. Everything on the streets is a work of art. The best part of my awakening as a photographer was seeing the world through a different lens and becoming more observant everywhere I go. I would walk around the buildings in our neighborhood to find spots with good light and fall in love with the details in the architecture. We live amongst extreme material decadence and breathtaking neglect.