Hell Yeahh!!!

is that that creepy ass island with all the dolls everywhere hangin from trees and shit? I saw it on one of those ghost shows.

Someone mentioned seeing this on a "ghost show" before. Yes this is Isla de las Munecas The Island of Dolls.

Hey Zapato, that place is a bit creepy, but I think it's actually your photos doing the magic!!

Did you actually visit the island?

Did any dolls wink at you, or move?

^^thats what happened on the show, the one doll inside the house opened its eye.

Yeah, I saw that episode, what was it? Destination Truth I think.

^^ not sure theres so many damn ghost shows anymore. I mainly watch paranormal state even though its pretty cheesy sometimes. But i don't think it was that.

Ha ! Thanks Axo...so you've been there eh ? El Chope and his friends were super friendly and made the place much less spooky than it would have been otherwise.

Still...we got here about an hour before dusk as dark clouds were rolling in, a strong cold wind was starting to build, we were alone with our hired boatman. Exactly how i had imagined a best case scenario visit.

For some reason i had imagined my whole visit in black & white, so i took all my pictures that way...came out nice, i was happy...glad you liked 'em.



No moving or winking dolls, although a few of the dolls are terribly creepy ...we spent an hour there until night fell.

Theres a special atmosphere throughout the canals and islands which make up the old aztec farmlands known as Xochimilco. But the whole story behind this extarordinary collection of dolls gives the place a special charge. I recommend visiting late in the day for the best experience.



I have to track down that show.

Yes, I have been there many times, but oddly never at dusk. Always in the morning or during nights. People go there more to party than to look at the historical, ecological, biological and social aspects of the place. It is a shame I think and this is the reason why I don't like going there. It's full of obnoxious drinkers and loud music. Anyways, it's the birthplace to axolotls and they're almost gone because of the increase in population and pollution. I remember once they tried to populate the canals with manatees and people ate all of them or killed them accidentally because the water is not really deep enough!!
I guess going there on a weekday just before the sun sets down should be perfect!
Next time you're in Mexico you should gimme a call, although I believe this was some years ago, right?

Were you shooting film or digital? I really like the fourth exposure, it has a real B&W Agfa 400 pushed to the limit, feel to it. Plus it's creepy as crap!

Creepy crap All the photos were taken with my little old Lumix TZ3 digital camera. The effect in the exposure you mentioned was done in Flickr's Picnik by simply using the "local contrast" modifier. Pretty neat for such a basic photo manipulation program.

More oddness...

These pics are gorgeous but the whole thing just keeps screaming at me "look out leatherface is wearing a cabbage patch kid face and hiding around the corner". Not gonna lie that feeling only makes it even better lol.

^^ Ha ! The real menace on the Island of Dolls is the angry ghost of a little girl who drowned by Don Julians Dock, he put up all those dolls either to placate or to scare her away...he died of a sudden heart attack by the dock many years later, on the anniversary of the little girls drowning...some say she finally got him...

I imagine her looking sort of like this...