Travel portraits often become clichés – we can see the same happily smiling faces looking into our cameras all over the world. You can’t very well tell people not to smile, right? So you take the shot and move on. While looking for pictures in Tecate with fellow pbase artist Wendy Owens, we came upon a taco stand and struck up a conversation with the staff. We asked if we might take their pictures, and they said they would be honored. As we showed them the digital images on our viewing screens, they became more and more involved in the photographic process. At one point, I asked all three of them to gather behind the food they are preparing and pose for me. I wanted more than just smiles. I wanted context for those smiles. When the chef spontaneously grabbed his cleaver and threw back his shoulders I knew I had made an effective group portrait. The gesture and expressions are honest, not faked for the camera. The food and cleaver add context for meaning. This image is more than just a picture of three people having their picture taken. It is about the bonds that unite them as a group – pride in their work, a friendship, and perhaps even familial relationship. It is a portrait rich in human values – we care about these people because they seem to care so much about what they do, and who they are.