This is a series of twelve color images made over the twelve weeks that I spent volunteering as a teacher in El Salvador. As a photographer, I mainly focused on creating a sense of place through my images. Arriving in El Salvador, I was not certain what best defined the country. Some places are best represented by their unique geography; other places are better shown through their architecture or food. For me, the people of El Salvador created the biggest impression of their country. Overall, I found them to be a proud, generous and friendly people, who work hard to make a good life for themselves and their families.

Most of these images were made in Santa Tecla, where I was teaching. A few of the images are of friends or acquaintances, but most are of people I met on the street. One artistic constraint was that due to travel constraints I opted to use a small Lumix LX7 camera, which gives the images a softer, grainier feel.

My thanks to the many people who allowed me to make their image.