Photographer and Youtuber, Henry Craver, got the rare (and hair raising) opportunity to be a guest at a Mexican Cartel wedding, and got some pretty amazing scenes. Check out his instax shots and his video, this is worth a watch.
Through the Glass
I’m a photojournalist and I run a YouTube channel, Through the Glass, where I photograph interesting places around the world on different film stocks.
Recently, I traveled to Michoacán, Mexico, to photograph life in a region completely controlled by organized crime. It wasn’t my first time in Michoacan—I’d made multiple visits several years before for a bigger project about migration in North America. The plan this time was to hangout with a family I know for a few days on the coast before heading deep into the hills for a big wedding where I expected there to be a considerable mafia presence.
Problem
There was a problem, though. I’d burned through almost all my normal 35mm film making a prior video and by the time I got to Michoacán, all I had left was half a roll of Kentmere 400 and a Fuji Instax Mini 12 that I’d picked up in Mexico City as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend. I had no intention of using this Instax camera myself. In fact, I’d never even shot any kind of instant film camera before.
Within hours of arriving, I finished off the Kentmere 400 during a family outing at the beach.
I finished off the last of my Kentmere Pan 400 during a quick trip to the beach.
Fuji Instax
Over the next couple days, I used the Fuji Instax sporadically—I wanted to figure out how to work the camera before the big event, but didn’t want to waste too much film. My limited early tests revealed some challenges. First, the camera doesn’t let much light in, which would be a problem at the nighttime wedding. With so little ambient light let in, anything not illuminated by the flash comes out black. Second, the lens’ 35mm-like equivalent focal length is tighter than the 24mm-28mm I’m most comfortable shooting.
Kids at my host house collect piñata candy.
Party time
On the night of the big party, we all crammed into two old pickup trucks and headed off into the hills. The road was long and rough. We climbed for about three hours. The swampy coastal air turned nippy and pine-scented. There was almost no sign of life along the dirt road. It was pitch dark by the time we arrived.
We climbed up a dirt road for three hours to get to the wedding.
We pulled into a clearing in the woods full of pickup trucks and dirtbikes. Off in the distance, there was music and what looked like a rodeo ring without the ring—a dusty circular space lit up by bright overhead lights.
We walked toward the party. On the right hand side, there was this long line of newish Tacomas and F-150s—highly coveted vehicles in rural Mexico. Outside the trucks were lots of young men. They were suited up with tactical gear, walkie talkies, and big assault rifles.
My hosts, who were normally so carefree, exchanged nervous looks:
“We need to get permission for you to take photos. There are some important people here.”
I turned off my action cam and followed them to a big table. Seated around the table were about a dozen middle-aged men. They wore cowboy hats and drank foreign whiskey—unlike everyone else at the party who drank Modelo and Corona Light. I was very nervous. Luckily, my hosts did the talking.
The bride and groom make a toast.
The men were surprisingly unconcerned.
“Of course. Just avoid photographing this table. There are people here who don’t want to be seen…you know what I mean.”
Relief
I was relieved to have their permission, but didn’t really know how to go about shooting this thing. Staying away from that table was easy enough, but this was a party and everyone, including men from that table, was getting up and moving around. It wasn’t as simple as just avoiding the guys with guns either. Guns are a huge part of the culture in this part of Mexico, and almost all the men at the wedding were strapped—mafiosos and law-abiding farmers alike.
I was also worried about the camera. Rural, gun-carrying Michoacanos are by and large quite macho. The Fuji Instax Mini line is definitely not macho. In fact, the camera’s success is usually attributed to the camera’s popularity among Gen Z women and Gen A girls. I was worried the men there would think the camera was ‘girly’ and laugh at me, or worse.
Eventually, I decided just to go for it. I walked to the middle of the dance with my toy camera and started playing wedding photographer. It didn’t take long, however, for my worst fear to come true.
“Hey! No photos! Don’t take photos!”
Check out the YouTube video, it is a great watch and deserves far more views than it has. Thank you to Henry for sharing this piece of work with us.
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