LBZF Featured Zinester: Erwin Recinos

Name: Erwin Recinos
Zines: Photography / Graphic Design
Website: losojos.photos
Instagram: @losojosdemuerte

1. What kind of zines do you make?

I create photography zines. All photographs are taken by me either by digital, mobile or film.

2. What do you like about making zines?

Zines can take many forms and with DIY publishing it is exciting to what people create and see their ideas on paper instead of being locked up inside their heads with no way of reading or viewing it.

3. What are your zines about?

My zines are centered around my photographic journeys in & around Los Angeles. Either by car, public transit, or foot. I am also the events photographer for LATACO.com, a Los Angeles based website dedicated to the “taco lifestyle”.

4. How did you get started making zines?

After going to zine events, I saw the possibilities on what a zine could be. So, I made one titled “Metro Anonymous” all centered around my love of transit and commuting from home to work. Riding the Blue line and observing all the interesting visuals on that 45 minute ride from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles. My commute varied in the last three years from train rides in the mornings, mid-day and evenings, so my visual perspective always varied and I believed it to be zine worthy.

5. Besides zines, what else are you passionate about?

Family, photography, tacos and art. Exactly in that order.

6. What advice would you give a new zinester?

Just try it. I fell into doing zines by chance and it seems like I can’t stop thinking making them. Write your ideas down on paper or put them in a random picker app on your phone. Do a drawing every month. Make that idea into a zine. See where it takes you.

7. Where do you look for your inspiration?

I use to find inspiration through photographers that I admired such as Jae Bueno, Eriberto Oriol and Tony Stamolis, to name a few. My inspiration now is drawn from within my thoughts and perspectives of photography. Examining my work and drawing better conclusions and ideas.

8. Any funny/interesting zine-related moments or stories you care to share?

As I was preparing my last zine, my daughter, Rosie, was interested in what I was doing. She asked so many questions that I asked her if she would like to make her own zine. She answered yes and began to gather some drawings together. I xeroxed copies of those drawings. Bought some pink & purple paper and proceeded to print her first zine. Two color way zine, 12-14 pages with a cover, all of her original artwork.

Scratch Zine Fair opened on August 30 at ESMOA (El Segundo Museum of Art) and decided to bring her along for the experience of selling her zine. My recollection is that she sold about 20 to 25 zines. Rosie made conversation about her zine and was the only youngest zinester at this event. With her earnings she bought more art supplies and crafts to feed her creative passions. That was a great day, won’t forget it.