Editorial: Finding truth and beauty through a camera lens

Everyone sees the world through his or her own unique lens.

For the past 16 years, Green Valley has been blessed with the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Southern Arizona through Mario Aguilar’s camera.

Aguilar transcends the label of photographer. He is an artist — in the most literal definition of the word.

A photographer simply captures an existing image by pointing the camera and hitting a button. An artist goes the extra mile to interpret that image and make it as visually captivating as possible.

"When we miss Mario, we will not need to look further than our hearts, because he will always be there," said Green Valley News publisher Pam Mox. "He has left us with a phenomenal legacy and a body of work that will be in the archives forever. Leaving was a difficult choice for him, but we admire and honor his choice to spend time with his wife, Darla, and his family and friends. In the days ahead, we will still be with him in our hearts and prayers."

Mario’s approach toward his craft never ceased to amaze. It was never enough for him to get a decent shot. There was always a new angle, a better light exposure, a different shutter speed.

His relentless search for the perfect photograph inspired his fellow employees. Instead of tackling each issue in the most straightforward manner available, everyone would take a cue from Mario and ask themselves if there might be a more interesting way to look at things.

Perhaps more importantly, Mario’s artist’s mentality helped make Green Valley a more beautiful place to live.

On the surface, his trusty Nikon captured images others might not even think to look for. In a simple sense, his photos looked good.

Dig a little deeper, and Aguilar’s camera peeled back those superficial layers and shot the core of what makes this such a special community.

His ability to show the truth calls to mind a half-hour featurette called “The Cameraman” on the Showtime network, which was done by Ira Glass, host of the venerable “This American Life” program on Chicago Public Radio.

In this show, a young documentarian wanted to get to know his family better, and he figured the best way to accomplish that goal would be to film them.

He entered the project with a handful of nagative preconceptions but by the end of filming, he slowly found out how wrong he had been.

Without his camera, he likely never would’ve learned the truth.

A gifted photographer like Mario finds a way to cut through the white noise and shoot the truth. As the poet John Keats once wrote, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.”

Aguilar resigned from his post four days ago. He leaves with a body of work that could serve as a master’s course for any aspiring photographer.

For anyone looking to get a sense of the “real” Green Valley, take a page out of the Aguilar playbook. Find a new angle. Pay attention to the details.

This will hopefully be Mario’s lasting impact on the Green Valley News and the community at large.

Everyone’s lens is unique, but a little bit of extra effort can bring the truth — and the beauty — of Green Valley into sharper focus.

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