Frome photographer captures 1970s Latin America in new book

A Photographer from Frome has published a book of photographs from when he travelled and worked in Latin America in the mid-1970s.

John Beeching’s book, Pasos Perdidos, features a selection of personal photographs from Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama.

After working on building sites, John left Britain with a one-way ticket to Bogota in the 1970s, £300 in his pocket, a little camera and a bag of film.

When his money was running out, he looked for work in Mexico City. While it was hand-to-mouth initially, he managed to get by through a variety of jobs, including teaching photography and working for a model agency and magazines.

Over the past year, John has revisited hundreds of negatives from this period and made a selection of his photographs for the book.

He said, “Most of these photos are of poor working people: mainly indigenous or descendants of enslaved people. I always tried to photograph them in a way that respected their dignity and way of life – if I was observed, an exchange of smiles or a few words created a sort of bridge.

“However, I recognise that as a young white man with an expensive camera I could be seen as exploiting my position of privilege; that was not my intention and I hope these photos speak for themselves.”

Pasos Perdidos, along with John’s previous books, can be ordered through links on his website, johnbeeching.com.