Cristina Ruiz Cortina Photography

Yours is an incredible and uplifting portfolio that presents the soul of a great artist and human being. You have managed, in your modest images, to portray so much life, so much joy, sorrow, pain, and ultimately, hope, hope in a better tomorrow and sadness in the reality of today. For not blinking in the face of injustice, you follow an honorable tradition that goes back centuries, and embody a spirit that will never die.

Cristina - I looked at your entire portfolio tonight via slideshow. It captures the humanity of Gaza and the Palestinians in a way that the evening news does not. I hope more people take the time to look at your images. I also hope the Palestinians and Israelis can find a way to stop hating and killing each other and live together in peace. There are precious angels on both sides that deserve the chance to live in safety and peace. Best wishes. Jerry

itz simply great portfolio

I just wanted to reiterate my support for you and the courage it takes to do the very valuable work you do. It was Mark Twain who said that the lie is usually halfway around the world before the truth is done putting its boots on. The simple truths you tell with your images, despite the fact you are going against a well oiled lie machine is a testament to the best humanity has to offer, and a great responsibility all of us artists bear to listen to the voices of our conscience. I will try to add more of your images to my portfolio, to shed light on that which is done under cover of darkness. From the bottom of my heart, good luck.

Gaza and the west bank thank you Cristina....

I remenber last May I was in Jerusalem, trying to enter in Gaza again, where I have a lot of friends. I was very upset because I tried, but the soldiers didn't aloud me to enter. I always make oficial coordination with the Spanish Consulate, so I was feeling so bad, so worry... and in the hotel I saw the first comment of Emmanuel. My mother suffered a long illness and just died a month before, I needed badly to enter and hug my friends. And there I was in Jerusalem, alone, with no permission to enter in Gaza. When I read the comment of Emmanuel Enyinwa I felt like fresh air in my soul, suddenly I felt strong and I knew I had to try again and again to enter and see my friends. I made it just one day latter, and I will never forget how words can change your spirit and help you in the right moment you need them. I love photos but I'm quite far from all you. Thanks a lot Emmanuel, Jerry, Sesham and Nidal

I was actually intrigued by Meir's picture. My first question was when was it taken? It would help if we have a little context to the news images we see everyday. If in fact Gaza City CURRENTLY looks like Meir's picture, then, obviously, it does call into question much of what one reads about concerning the blockade.

However, I went to the wikipedia page from where Meir got the picture http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gaza_City.JPG and it says it was taken on December 23, 2007. This, obviously was before the December, 2008 bombing campaign. Does anybody have any similar aerial pictures of Gaza post the attack? I tried Google Earth, but their pictures are too blurred to be useful at street level.

I am trained to apply logic to facts that are readily available. I would like to believe I can be objective if the facts are available on which to base my decision. Since both Meir and Cristina are there locally, it shouldn't be hard to come by physical evidence.

Wonderful original portfolio! Great photos! Congratulations for your work !

This smal cemetery is in a village 20km north of Malaga, Spain called Casabermeja. Far for being a sad place, the people of the village called it "pueblecito" (small village) and everybody is in charge of cleaning and taking care of it. Since 1980 is a monument. The style is similar to the Andalusian traditional style of bulding. At the begining was a place for only poor people (the rich ones of the villages had a place in the main church). But in the XVIII century they decided to move all to this place. It was built following the same street plan of the village and the tombs were given to the villagers following also the same plan, so the neighbors in life were the same in death.

I don't like at all cementers but I think this one, so clean, white and full of flowers deserves a visit, and a picture!!