Lectures and Videos
Over the course of my career I’ve been invited to present hundreds of lectures about photography in general and most significantly about how I photographed every conceivable dynamic about immigration across our southern border. Below are 2 public lectures and 2 shorter videos showing how I used still images, motion and sound to report assignment stories for the Los Angeles Times. For my complete CV please see the about page on this website. To discuss or schedule a Lecture, please contact me
Lectures
The Roads Most Traveled – Causes and Consequences of Illegal Immigration (Lecture 2017)
Los Angeles Center for Photography public lecture. Don Bartletti discusses 40 years of photojournalism along the U.S./Mexico border and 1000s of miles beyond. The most controversial issue in America today – revealed like you’ve never seen it.
The Roads Most Traveled – The Annenberg Space for Photography lecture and audience questions
Public lecture at The Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles’s first solely photographic cultural destination. Audience interaction at the end may answer your questions too.
Assignments Videos
Hotel of the Deported Migrant (Migrant Hotel 2012)
Immigrants deported from the U.S. are often left homeless in a strange country. In Mexicali, Mexico, just 3 blocks from the border is a refuge like no other on the international frontier. There are blanket mattresses, hot meals and jobs for the willing - but the floors are carpeted with broken hearts.
Looking for a Way Home (Deportee Returns LA 2012)
Luis Luna was born in Mexico. At age 3 his mother brought him to Los Angeles. At age 19, a traffic stop revealed that he was undocumented. He was deported and spent 1½ years homeless in Mexico. The way home nearly killed him.
The Fire Within
Much of California’s history is defined by two seemingly disconnected realities – immigration and wildfires. Migrants and fire may never have crossed paths quite like they did in the Harris Ranch blaze of 2007. This is the story of five mortals, consumed by a Southern California wildfire and Mexico’s relentless expulsion of its citizens.