A year after appearing on the front cover of Houston Press Magazine for winning the Masterminds Award, photography teacher Chuy Benitez was profiled in another publication, this one nationally known: The New York Times. Benitez was featured in the LENS blog for his panoramic photos.

“The interesting thing with a body of artwork is that it takes time to end up reaching different communities,” Benitez said. “I’m happy as long as it gets published, and for it to be recognized now is a hugely legitimizing experience.”

Benitez’s personal influences on the work run deep, as his photographs reflect his own background.

“Coming from El Paso, I grew up with many murals always around,” Benitez said. “Murals are a Mexican and Latino heritage. I wanted to see if photographs could echo that same style as murals.”

The documentary style of the panoramas makes Benitez’s publication in the world-renowned publication all the more impressive, as it is a somewhat under appreciated form in the art world.

“Documentary photography had been put to the side in the world of photography in favor of more photoshopped, artistic stuff,” Benitez said. “For example, Time Magazine dismissed my work because it didn’t fit their formula for their publication. Not all people like work that challenges them, and for the New York Times to say that they like my work was a huge honor.”