Dave Takes Photos

If you’d like to purchase prints or license my work, please reach out. I am also available for contract work, & am happy to discuss everything from headshots & portraits to full media packages including on-location camera operation & cinematography. Please inquire… I’d love to see if I’m the right photographer for the job!

— Dave Holton

Travel, Street, Nature, & Life Photography

A sample of my latest posts from my Instagram (@writtenbydave). If you would like to enjoy my travel series from Guatemala, just scroll down…

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟗 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟐) || [Swipe for Series ->] || Posting photos of street art feels like cheating... but I'm not above it. Great work should be shared! There were so many fantastic murals in Mexico it felt like we were living in a free gallery open 24/7.

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟗 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟏) || The morning of our last full day in Oaxaca we decided to head south out of the tourist zone to the Mercado de Abastos, a huge general market that had everything the locals could ever need in one place. We had heard about it on Netflix's Street Foods Latin America, which featured Oaxaca & a particular Street Food Artist by the name of Doña Vale. We had no idea if she would still be there post-pandemic, but not only was she still there, her stand was thriving. It took us a while to find her, the market is enormous, & eventually we had to rely on another vendor who saw a couple of Gringos looking very lost & asked if we were looking for Doña Vale. We laughed & nodded, realizing we weren't the first to seek her out. She grinned & pointed over our heads to a sign that said, "Doña Vale This Way." Mission finally accomplished, we enjoyed her famous memelas & spicy tomatillo sauce. Check out the Netflix series on Oaxaca & if you ever go there, stop by her stand! The food is great & she is a real character: we enjoyed our conversation as much as her food! (Bonus photo... a couple of "meat-musicians" we saw in the market.)

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟖 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟑) || [Swipe for Series ->] || Another afternoon, another photo walk around Oaxaca! It's a photogenic city.

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟖 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟐) || [Swipe for Series ->] || Street markets are a favorite daily activity when I travel... I love the clash of necessities & oddities thrown together in a glorious chaos of sensory overload... here are a few shots from our stroll through the stands: Chapulines (dried grasshoppers); People Waiting for the Best Cuts of Meat; Bees Love Markets, too; Lego Army...

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟖 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟏) || [The Ethnobotanical Gardens of Oaxaca - Swipe for Series ->] || Our third day in Oaxaca began with a bit of zen in the form of the Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca... a botanical garden on 2.32 acres of land adjacent to the Church of Santo Domingo. It is administered by the state government of Oaxaca & was created in the late 1990s in an old Dominican Monastery that had been used as a Mexican Calvary Training Ground for more than a century. We were guided through towering cactus tree forests & meditative spaces by an enthusiastic expat who told us more than your average botanist might know about the flora that lived within the walls... It was truly a fantastic experience & highly recommend to anyone who visits Oaxaca!

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟕 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟕) || A country's greatest works of art are its people...

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟕 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟔) || [Swipe for Series ->] || As we walked around Oaxaca, I was struck by the artistic aspects of the architecture... like walking through a gallery with various sections dedicated to eras past, others to more contemporary ideas...

| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟕 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟓) || "Colores y Líneas" [Swipe for Set ->] || On our second afternoon in Oaxaca, we were blessed with beautiful blue skies that contrasted nicely with the wires & banners crisscrossing the streets... & provided my hungry little point-&-shoot Nikon a visual smorgasbord... whatever direction I turned it found another eye-catching composition just waiting to be gobbled up!

|| ¡𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐚! - 𝐀 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 & 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐌é𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐨 || 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟕 (𝐩𝐭. 𝟒) || After exploring the ruins all morning, Emily & I were starving... after the colectivo dropped us off in the centro we decided to check out Mercado 20 de Noviembre, which is an entire market dedicated to eateries, located in the southern part of the tourist zone in Oaxaca. It was a busy place full of choices... as we walked around trying to decide I was bombarded by little old ladies waving menus & shouting their wares (Emily laughed as she trailed behind & let me be the menu magnet). Eventually we surrendered & sat down to enjoy a Tlayuda (basically a pizza-style open-faced fried tortilla that is very popular in Oaxaca)... it was delicious & worth braving the chaos!

Experiencia Guatemalteca
A Point & Shoot Adventure in Guatemala

Each photograph below represents a subpart of my Guatemala travel series from 2019, so please click on the links for more. For more, check out my Behance Profile or Instagram (@writtenbydave).

Note: All rights reserved. Please contact me to discuss the use of these or other photos or possible contract work involving photography.

Part 1: “La Camioneta de Pollos” (The Chicken Bus) | Locations: Guatemala City, El Remate

"Empieza" - Río de la Pasión y Crater Azul - March 26, 2019 - March 26, 2019

Part 2: “Los Lagos y Ríos” (The Lakes & Rivers) | Locations: El Remate, Río de la Pasión, Crater Azul, Flores

Tikal - March 28, 2019

Part 3: “Vida y Muerte en la Selva” (Life & Death in the Jungle) | Locations: Tikal, Yaxha

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala - April 2, 2019

Part 4: “La Casa de los Espíritus” (The House of the Spirits) | Locations: Laguna Chicabal, Quetzaltenango

Part 5: “La Ciudad en las Montañas” (The City in the Mountains) | Locations: Quetzaltenango

Volcán Acatenango - April 13, 2019

Part 6: “El Fuego en el Cielo” (The Fire in the Sky) | Locations: Volcán de Acatenango & Volcán de Agua, Antigua

Antigua - April 18, 2019

Part 7: “Las Sombras del Pasado” (The Shadows of the Past) | Locations: Antigua

Semana Santa en Antigua - April 14, 2019

Part 8: “Las Alfombras de la Semana Santa” (The Easter Carpets) | Locations: Antigua

Semana Santa en Antigua - April 19, 2019

Part 9: “Esperando la Procesión” (Waiting for the Procession) | Locations: Antigua

Semana Santa en Antigua - April 14, 2019

Part 10: “Crucifixión en la Epoca de Smartphones” (Crucifixion in the Age of Smartphones) | Locations: Antigua

Semana Santa en Antigua - April 20, 2019

Part 11: “Las Lágrimas de la Virgen” (The Tears of the Virgin) | Locations: Antigua

Semana Santa en Antigua - April 21, 2019

Part 12: “Después de la Resurrección” (After the Resurrection) | Locations: Antigua

Solola - April 23, 2019

Part 13: “Tradiciones en Venta, Algunas Usadas, Algunas Nuevas” (Traditions for Sale, Some Used, Some New) | Locations: Sololá, Lake Atitlán

Panajachel - April 24, 2019

Part 14: “Los Habitantes del Lago” (The Lake Dwellers) | Locations: Lake Atitlán

Jaibalito - April 24, 2019

Part 15: “Colores del Alma” (Colors of the Soul) | Locations: Lake Atitlán

Santa Cruz La Laguna - April 24, 2019

Part 16: “Animales, Tuk-Tuks, y Café” (Animals, Tuk-Tuks, & Coffee) | Locations: Lake Atitlán

San Pedro La Laguna - April 27, 2019

Part 17: “Número Treinta y Tres” (Number Thirty-Three) | Locations: Lake Atitlán

Photographer: Dave Holton

Part 18: “La Final: El Viaje del Autor” (The Finale: The Author’s Journey)

To enjoy the entire adventure…
please click on the big Behance button below!

Dave’s Behance Profile