Este viernes falleció Marco Antonio Cruz López (1957-2021) MAC, acrónimo con el que firmaba su obra fotográfica, de un infarto a bordo de su amada bicicleta, informó la revista Proceso, en la cual era coordinador de fotografía. El gremio de periodistas y fotorreporteros lamentaron esta gran pérdida.

His photographic work, permeated in the formation of plastic arts (painting) and consolidated in the social aspect for his work for the communist party press in 1978, had both national and international recognition.

In the late 70s he met the renowned photographer Héctor García, who seeing his work invited him to work with him.His photographic influences have many names: Nacho López, Henry Cartier-Bresson, Eugene Smith, Mariana Yampolsky, says they are as many as the history of photography.Some of the most important was Nacho López, which he became friends and taught him how to work photographic projects.

Founder of La Jornada, founder of the Imagen Agency with Pedro Valtierra, Luis Humberto González and Jesús Carlos, given the need for photoperiodists to have their own means of dissemination.

Politicians have moved us away, there is the corral of ignominy (a place designated for the press in the Chamber of Deputies) we can no longer portray them closely, we can no longer be side of the president.What do you think?Are we losing a photojournalism that was very close to the characters in politics?

Breathe deeply and start speaking profuse, as a teacher who explains a whole phenomenon, just like his work:

"Photography has always been uncomfortable for politicians.Politicians always try to handle a face and image that is not their own and just photographers are responsible for otherwise ".

“The care in the image of power is due to control over the media, because the thing does not come alone, there was a very dark time, which comes from the 50s, 60s, 70 where there was a very strong repression in Mexico and aVery strong media control.Political photography was lost because it was a matter of media self -censorship ".

"Because there are very strong economic interests.Information management is a management in a certain way of money.For many of the editors of large media it has always represented corruption.The management of information in exchange for favors, which can reach the granting of advertising ".

"The photograph has always been uncomfortable, all these years there has been a very strong control towards the press, especially towards photography, where the press leaders of the agency want the graduate 'to always look good".

“We did several things: we did everyday photography, we began to see the workers' movements, to document the city and a country in a different way, because we started traveling and seeing what happens in the countryside, with social movements and really doing a job committed.Even in political photography we made specials that were called political profile where we showed as we saw, both in the chamber of senators, deputies, presidency, in short ".

“It is unfortunate that there have been spaces of photography in the media, gradually they have lost spaces.And again the picture of illustration begins to occupy before the journalistic exercise.It is unfortunate".

"So that means that now it is necessary to adapt to the times.Things are changing, the fact of exercising what was called a new photojournalism that is no longer new.Finally it is exceeded by history, by technology for thought, for a thousand things ".

“A photojournalist must always maintain the critical part, always try to say and do jobs that say something that have a content and especially a social content."

Is a constant tragedy in Mexico?

“Mexico is a country that historically has great shortcomings and needs where there are very vulnerable group where terrible things are happening, just with the question of drug trafficking is a. En los medios no se ve reflejado lo que está sucediendo y ni lo van a reflejar, entonces ahora, es el compromiso de asumirte como periodista y mostrarlo".

“In that sense, there are photographers who are starting to make new forms of expression, they are exploring in the video, interviews, with various topics such as those disappeared by the narco and that is fine but it is not enough, it requires that it be more a matter ofgeneration. Una generación que se comprometa, no unos cuantos".

“For a journalist, Mexico represents a lot, things are happening here and not only now but historically.If you see it throughout history, it is a country of tragedy. Desde la conquista es un país de tragedias donde suceden cosas muy fuertes".

From your historical perspective, what is the importance of photojournalism?

“I think that one of the great changes that have happened in the world, of a popular origin, was in the Mexican revolution, where an unimaginable amount of people died. Y es México es un país que siempre ha vivido en la tragedia, donde la fotografía ha contribuido de una manera enorme a registrar su historia".

“I am impressed to see what was done in the tragic dozen, what was done during the Mexican revolution.The photograph reached impressive levels, above all, titanic if you see what the technology of those times was like. No había ni el 35 mm, ni flash, ni películas de alta sensibilidad, trabajaban de una manera totalmente rústica pero estaban ahí cubriendo los hechos y la acción".

“Therefore, Imagen Delatina was vetoed for a long time to enter the presidency, because it is finally that: image control.They want to control everything. A partir de esa foto se prohibió retratar al presidente de espaldas".

“On the day when we did the political profile, many times politicians came to tell the director to download. Carlos Payan les decía: pues vaya y hable con ellos".

“Once Jesús Silva Herzog arrived directly to talk to us: hear boys and do him with me. Obviamente no lo hicimos, tuvimos el apoyo de Payan".

“I remember a series of photo that Gustavo Camacho took in the 80s about portraits of policy characters, for example, secretaries of state, making grimaces, hunted them with a 300 mm lens is an impressive series, splendid with that he won the National Prizeof journalism. Ahora yo no veo ese tipo de fotos publicadas en ningún lado".

“La fotografía de prensa depende de una persona que está detrás de una cámara, que tiene un pensamiento, una mirada crítica, el que cuestiona".

“In the CROM event, an organization of the PRI, is Ángel Olivo Solís, the leader was with Miguel de la Madrid, behind the stand they made a giant blankets where the painted president is fighting against the clouds of unemployment, the economic crisis, theinflation and were rays. Yo lo que hice cuando vi eso fue acomodar al presidente de tal manera diera la impresión que una nube, la nube del desempleo el rayo le cayera exactamente en la cabeza".

"History is always renewed.We now have to live and understand a very important moment that is the digital issue, how far will all this go?The future of all means will be the Internet, written press, radio, television and if the photographer is not prepared to be in this new media out. Esto requiere tener gente muy bien preparada y con mucho compromiso".

“When the photograph began, it was very elitist, now with all this technological revolution, everyone has the possibility of taking a photo, through the cell phone, the camera has dropped in price, it is more accessible to having a camera that before, of course they are now disposableBecause you never finish spending money, everything expires in four years and flying, but it is incredible that everyone can take picture. Eso esta padre".

“I think there is a lot of selfishness in current photography generations. En la década de los 80, cuando se cubrían los conflictos en Centroamérica, siempre andábamos juntos, todavía en el 94, era nunca andar solos, siempre andar juntos y entre todos nos defendíamos".

“Había mucha disposición de organizarse, de estar juntos, de proponer cosas, incluso nosotros fuimos los primeros grupos de fotógrafos de prensa que no solamente publicamos en los medios, empezamos a mostrar nuestro trabajo en galerías, en museos, pero fue también por una actitud de grupo".

“I was part of a group that proposed, that did things and especially fed by Nacho López who was a guide, just like Héctor García. Tuvimos varios maestros, mi generación fue muy importante en el sentido de los maestros que nos tocó: Enrique Bordes Mangel, Nacho López, Héctor García, conocer a Mariana Yampolsky, no era periodista, pero era una fotógrafa extraordinaria que nos ayudaba mucho sobre todo a la hora de elegir fotos".

“For me, journalism is not to cover information but to have a commitment to society. Por eso he desarrollado paralelamente hacer las cosas una como periodista cubriendo información durante tantos años y la otra realizando proyectos fotográficos, donde los trabajos han ido creciendo y ahora la gente ya me conoce y eso ha ganado reconocimiento".

“I already edit books and win competitions.Okay, but it was something that I started doing nothing as part of a commitment as a person, as a journalist.Tratar de no quedarme callado ante la sociedad".

“Porque si te esperas a cubrir información por información, el periodismo, de cierta manera, si no tienes cierta actitud propositiva y creativa y sobre todo crítica ante lo que está viviendo todos los días, se vuelve tedioso".

Mac was a teacher of several generations of photojournalists.The photoreporter and documentary filmmaker Javier García tells one of the teachings received by the photographers who worked with Marco Antonio in Imagen Delatina in one of his master classes said: “No day is equal to the previous one, none of your photos will be equal to the previous one, byTherefore, the spaces, thus sleep in the same place and get up at the same time, the light will always be different.Even if you think it is the same photo, it is different.You have to learn to look at the slightest detail.The same sun is never, the same wall, is never the same moon, is never the same tree.So if you stop, you stop hurrying, and you look and start looking and analyzing you will know when to shoot your camera." Eso fue lo que se quedó grabado en mi corazón, concluye García.

Marco Antonio Cruz published a year ago on his social networks:

“On life at this moment, I do not think of falling into the anguish derived from the coronavirus, I will not use masks, total when it touches you, it touches you, even if you do aside, it touches you (I have not had a long time I had pneumonia derived from H1N1And I was about ...), so my life continues to turn with a lot of cycling, photography, drawing and love of my family and life itself.What distress me and takes away my dream is daily violence without solution.Health for all, hugs !!Mac."

You can also read: Iván Macías, the only Mexican photographer nominated for World Press Photo Award 2021