December equipment delivery and microgrant recipient updates

December brought a quick trip to Florida to visit family allowing for a December equipment delivery. In addition to microgrants, fototazo organizes the delivery of equipment from the US to photographers in Colombia to give them access to US market prices as well as to equipment hard to obtain in Colombia. Under this program, photographers pay the full amount, but save on average 25-30% in comparison to Colombian prices. This trip a Western Digital 500GB My Passport portable external drive was purchased for Ana García, a student at Medellín's Fundación Universitaria Bellas Artes and a book entitled Contemporary Photography From the Far East: Asian Dub Photography was purchased for Juan Pablo Chavarría Vásquez, also a student at Bellas Artes.

There are a few updates on recent microgrant award winners to pass along as well. Zhuyi Palacio Gallego is featured in this month's F-Stop Magazine on Landscape (above). Mónica Lorenza Taborda Gutiérrez had an image included in the SALÓ INTERNACIONAL DE FOTOGRAFIA DIGITAL ANDORRA 2012 as part of the 3rd SPANISH ANDORRAN IBEROAMERICAN DIGITAL CIRCUIT 2012 (below). Additionally, both Oscar Ulloa and Daniela Serna completed their university studies this semester and their work was exhibited in the Museo Universitario of the La Universidad de Antioquia as part of the completion of their degrees. Congratulations to all four!

© Mónica Lorenza Taborda

April Equipment Delivery and Microgrant Distributions

Santiago Rúa Henao and Juliana Henao Alcaraz

The moment of handing over the equipment brought through the equipment delivery program and the equipment purchased through the microgrant program is the highlight of running this site. Yesterday I had the chance to do so three times.

First Santiago Rúa Henao and Juliana Henao Alcaraz came by to pick up their equipment. Santiago purchased a Nikon d5100 and a Nikkor 55-200 lens through the equipment delivery program and Juliana received a Canon Rebel EOS T3 through the microgrant program. Late in the afternoon, Zhuyi Palacio Gallego, also a microgrant recipient, came by to pick up her Nikkor DX 18-105mm lens.

fototazo launched its equipment delivery program in June 2011 to complement its microgrant program. Santiago saved $502 by being given access to US market prices.

Juliana received a microgrant of $280 and Zhuyi received a microgrant of $300.

In total, these three photographers saved $1080 that they can reinvest in more equipment or that they can use for tuition fees to continue their photographic educations.

Zhuyi Palacio Gallego

Microgrant Photographer 5: Zhuyi Palacio Gallego

Zhuyi Palacio Gallego
Age: 25
Location: Bello, Antioquia, Colombia
Request: Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm lens
Grant Status: $300 of $300 (100%)
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Statement: I am passionate about the visual arts, especially photography. I am currently enrolled in the sixth semester in the Fine Arts department at the University of Antioquia in Medellín.

In addition to my personal creative production, I am also doing social work with the organization Ilduartes in Bello, the city neighboring Medellín to the north where I now live. I share my knowledge with children and young people in vulnerable situations, facilitating their exploration of creative fields which helps to distance them from the conflicts that are part of their daily reality.

What I enjoy most is documentary work, as well as photographing nature and abandoned architecture. I love animals as much as traveling. My dream is to eventually travel the world, documenting it and to live in order to show it!

Thank you for helping me to have the equipment necessary to achieving this dream!

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