Guatemala
A personal study of place, culture, and the moments in between.
I came to Guatemala without a shot list or assignment. The goal was simply to experience the country with a camera in hand, following curiosity rather than trying to manufacture a story.
What emerged was something between travel photography, documentary work, and a visual journal.
Antigua
The city that refuses to crumble.
The Volcano
13,045 feet up on Acatenango.
Recovery
Took place on a working avocado Farm. Enter the Earth Lodge.
Temazcal:
A traditional Mesoamerican steam bath, used for centuries for cleansing, recovery and ritual.
Lake Atitlan
Boat Taxi is the only way to get around.
San Juan La Laguna
The most artistic place on earth.
Takeaways
Curiosity is a better shot list.
The strongest images weren't always the ones I went looking for. They came from wandering, waiting, asking questions and being open to whatever happened next.
Perfection isn't the same as presence.
A little motion, imperfect light, someone unexpectedly entering the frame. Sometimes the things I would have once tried to correct are exactly what make an image feel real.
A place is more than its landmarks.
Fuego was impossible to ignore, but Guatemala revealed itself just as much in the spaces between the obvious photographs. Breakfasts, boats, markets, rituals, conversations and ordinary moments became as important to the story as the extraordinary ones.
The Maya didn't disappear.
Millions of Maya people live throughout Guatemala and Central America today. Their languages, textiles, food, agriculture, art and traditions aren't remnants of an ancient culture. They're expressions of living cultures that continue to change and evolve.
Slow down enough to notice.
The longer I stayed somewhere, the more it revealed itself. Sometimes the photograph only appeared after I stopped looking for one.
The goal wasn’t to make this place look extraordinary. It's to notice what already makes it extraordinary.
Guatemala, 2026
A personal photography and film project exploring place, culture and the moments in between.
Photography + Film
Kyle Ledeboer / KPL Studios
Travel · Tourism · Hospitality