. . . . . about the teacher.

Cisco's work spans many facets of the photography world, from art to commercial. After earning his BA from the UCLA School of Motion Picture & TV, he opened his Los Angeles studio and quickly gained an excellent reputation for celebrity portraits and album covers.

He began focusing on art photography in 1978 when, one late and hazy night in his studio, he accidentally discovered the technique now known as Polaroid Transfer. Cisco subsequently explored this new realm with grants from The Polaroid Corporation. His work from this period now hangs in The San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art, The New Orleans Museum of Art, The Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne, Switzerland and the Polaroid National and International Collections.

Cisco's return to commercial photography coincided with a move from Los Angeles to New Orleans in 1984. Clients, including Freeport MacMoRan, Tulane University and various local and national clients

His love of teaching dates from 1978, when he began instructing at UCLA. In 1985, he started the photo department at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Cisco's teaching method, in his own words, "centers on finding out where the student's skills are most fragile, and gently but firmly exploring those areas until, with practice and support, those weaknesses transform into strengths."

Of course, a great part of the Aper tour experience comes from spending a week in the gracious house on Calle Tonala with Cisco. A Chiapaneco for 13 years, Cisco's depth of knowledge and love of San Cristóbal and its surroundings are an enormous benefit to students. The home reflects Cisco's fun, relaxed and eclectic personality. The courtyards are filled with rare wild orchids from the Jardin de Orquideas Moxviquil (Cisco's second passion), herb gardens and fruit trees. Most of all, students are made warmly welcome, with many lessons ending in good conversation around the fireplace in the evening. Cisco is proud to say that, "The best thing about running this school is that the great majority who come here as students leave as friends."

Cisco’s work has received special awards for the year 2006. His black and white work was publish in Spain in a book entitled “Dos Miradas de Chiapas”. He won second place in the BIENAL DE FOTOGRAFIA in Chiapas Mexico. He was also award a grant, PECDA, to complete his newest series of B/W photography, “ GENTE DE CHIAPAS: Close Up” which will be completed in 2007. There will be four shows during the year, three in small Chiapas communities and a forth in the state capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Cisco also had a major exhibition, “AB OVO” in the prestigious Ex-convento STO Domingo in Chiapas de Corzo, Chiapas.

Cisco gallery, Galeria Studio Cerrillo celebrated it 5th year in 2007. The gallery continues to be a vital force in the emerging art community of San Cristobal. The gallery has had over 40 shows of all form of the plastic arts. Please visit our web page at galeria stuidio cerrillo.

His work is also on of the feature artist in the highly acclaimed magazine, B&W in March 2007. All in all a very good 2007 and a fabulous beginning for 2008 which looks to be one of the best years ever with advance booking and many art events planned.

. . . . . about the school.

Classes run from Saturday to Sunday. We specialize in small class sizes to provide the student with the intimacy of personal instruction and supervision, thus we limit class sizes to no more than 8 students. Courses are held out of doors and feature field trips to suit the needs of each group. The program is open to all forms of cameras, from traditional film cameras to digital. We feel that the issue of film verses digital is not what is important, it is the results. Digital is simply the new film, a new method to capture an image. IT truly is no different from when photography went from Daguerreotypes to paper negative to gelatin, all these changes made it easier for photographers to capture their vision. Digital is very easy for students and Cisco to viewing see immediate results of changes and for further editing. If one chooses to use B&W film it can will be developed in the on site darkroom for discussion with the teacher and class. You will have access to the darkroom (black and white only; up to 8" x 10" negs.) 24 hours a day. Chemicals are free. Film and paper are not and must be brought with you. We recommend those who shoot digital to bring a laptop, although there is one available for students to work with, or an external hard drive/viewer to allow for saving of the many images that we be captured during the course. For your camera, a 35mm film or digital with interchangeable lenses affords you the best opportunity to learn. We also enjoy very much working with medium format, Holga or alternative cameras that allow one to explore the many possibilities of these excellent courses. Please feel free to bring previous materials for critique. Keeping a journal is highly recommended. Use it for notes, feelings, snapshots, memorabilia and to illustrate and expand on a photographic idea.

Aper Tours offers the unique opportunity to explore the most beautiful state in Mexico. One will be exploring the unparalleled beauty of Chiapas, and improving ones skills as a photographer at the same time. Each weeklong class covers subjects from composition and shooting to developing and printing, working with Photoshop or other digital manipulations. Rather than stay in one place, classes happen anywhere within a hundred mile radius of the home base in San Cristóbal. Mountains, lakes, lowlands and coastal regions, small villages to roadside surprises are all within reach of day or overnight trips. "I can honestly say my students don't walk away disappointed with the experience. It is my intention to provide something that exceeds anyone's expectations."

In Mexico:
APER TOURS DIGITAL AND FILM PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
Cisco Dietz
Calle Tonala #27
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
MEXICO 29220
52 967 6785727

. . . . . contact information.

Contact Info: Via E-mail: Via Mail: Via Tel:

Cisco Craig Dietz apertoursfoto@apertours.com C/O Dietz Productions, Inc. PMB 525 220 N. Zapata Hwy #11 Laredo, TX 78043-4464 (011-52) 967 6785727 cell (011-52) 967 106 3430