A Polaroid View of Colombia

When the American photographer Matthew O’Brien first traveled to Colombia in 2003, he knew that the country had a reputation for violence. Stories of war, kidnappings, and drug trafficking flooded the media. O’Brien arrived in Colombia to document something quite different: its national beauty contests. He also found unexpected moments of peace and stillness throughout its cities and landscapes.

Much of Colombian photography by foreigners, O’Brien says, focuses on the tragic. “It is so common that in Colombia there is a term for that kind of photography: pornomiseria,” he adds. “But as a human being and as a photographer, I am not drawn to violence and misery,” O’Brien says. “I am drawn to beauty, and I find beauty in all kinds of situations.”