Martin Rojas: Encounters that transform

Argentine photographer Martin Rojas builds a nomadic trajectory that turns chance encounters into profound visual narratives. Currently in Buenos Aires after years living in Central America, he is dedicating this moment to organizing pending projects and expanding his photography, seeking greater consistency in a practice that began at 17 but has alternated between intense periods and long pauses. His passion for images was born in childhood, observing pictures of remote places in encyclopedias and National Geographic, later evolving into photojournalism and documentary as ways to express his point of view and create a visual language universally understandable.

His image “Sebastian“, a finalist in the Single Image category of the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025, documents a transformative encounter during a hitchhiking trip through Ecuador in 2019. After mentioning his interest in indigenous communities, a driver diverted his route to take him to Sebastian, who opened the doors of his guadua (bamboo) home for ten days, introducing him to his family and a community of approximately 100 people who keep their traditions alive in intimate contact with nature. The photograph, taken during a horseback ride through the primary forest that Sebastian and his community have protected for decades, highlights the importance of respecting indigenous territories and their cultures, often threatened by external economic interests. More than a portrait, the image synthesizes an immersive cultural experience that included harvesting potatoes, searching for protein-rich larvae, and discovering untouched waterfalls – a visual testimony to what happens when cultural boundaries are crossed by genuine curiosity.

Learn more about this journey and the projects exploring mass tourism and human connections in the following interview.

How old are you? Where do you currently live and work?

I’m Martin Rojas, 31 years old. I’m currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a few years living in Central America. I’m taking a break from work to organize and plan some pending projects, my portfolio, and focusing on expanding my photography.

Tell us about your journey in photography. When did you start photographing and why? What role does photography play in your life?

I started at 17 when I got my first camera and have been shooting since then, slow and steady, alternating periods of taking lots of photos and long months or even years of almost not photographing at all – a situation I’m changing and trying to be as constant as possible. I guess it all started when I was a kid, watching travel photos of unknown remote places in encyclopedias, NatGeo, wildlife magazines and later in life with photojournalism and documentary photo. For me, photography is a way of seeing, expressing, having the option to show and share my points of view, the things I stand for, and most importantly, the opportunity to create in a visual language, one that people from everywhere, no matter what or who, can enjoy, appreciate and understand.

Tell us about your finalist work for the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025. When and where was it created? What is its concept? How does it fit into your photographic practice?

About the finalist photo, it was part of a life-changing experience. I met Sebastian in 2019, while hitchhiking through Ecuador. One of the many people who picked me up on the road offered to take me to the area where Sebastian lived, changing the direction of his original destination after I mentioned my interest in connecting with indigenous communities in the region.

Seba opened the doors of his home to me for ten days; a simple structure made of guadua cane, logs, and wooden planks. He introduced me to his wife and his community – around 100 people, if I remember correctly – who lived in close contact with nature, keeping their customs and traditions alive.

During my stay, we harvested potatoes, cooked grilled meat, cleared sections of trail, searched for chontaduros (super-protein-rich grubs found beneath tree bark). One of the last days, we rode horses through the primary rainforest – that is, untouched by human intervention – which Sebastián and his community have been protecting for decades, finally getting to this amazing waterfall surrounded by absolute nature.

This photo highlights the importance of respect for indigenous communities, their culture, territory and nature, which are often threatened by external economic interests of multinational enterprises that are far from caring for the consequences of their intervention.

What projects are you currently working on? What are your near-future plans for photographic production?

I’m currently planning two projects. One is about the impact of massive tourism in natural paradisiac places in different parts of the world. The second one explores the connection between people from all over the world, based on the six degrees of separation theory, which after years of meeting persons that knew each other no matter where they were originally from, I’m beginning to think there might be even fewer degrees in between.