GAZELLE MAGAZINE Luxury Holiday Issue 2015 | Page 91

Among the highlights of her career, Cristina, who is only one of two female photojournalists on the St. Louis PostDispatch staff, was a part of the Pulitzeraward-winning photojournalism team that captured the desolation within Ferguson, Missouri during the Michael Brown tragedy. She often found herself in the middle of many chaotic moments - wearing the smallest bulletproof vest available to protect herself. “My cameras weigh about seven pounds each. If you carry that around long enough, it’s exhausting,” she said. “I get so frustrated when people say, ‘Oh is that all you do all day- take pictures?’ With every shot I am trying to compose something new and different. So it might seem ordinary, but it is mentally taxing. I have to think about how to make something look better, how to get the light to work, how to compose all the elements that I have no control of and get it to be art.’” Jamyang Jinpa, a Buddhist monk from the Drepung Gomang Monastery prepares dinner on Friday, Aug. 22, 2014. The monks were in St. Louis for the Festival of Nations and were being hosted by Patty Maher in her Tower Grove home. Photo by Cristina M. Fletes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch Her work has captured everything from art festivals to sporting events, street photography and state government. “My greatest asset is being extra sensitive and quiet. Exactly opposite of what I thought a photojournalist had to be,” she said. “The ability to be quiet, really listen, the ability to really care...people will let me into their homes into their emotional lives, their physical space. They might have just lost a family member, and I’m right there with them. “What keeps me inspired are the people. It’s mostly about storytelling and being a witness,” the 29-year-old Cristina said. “I feel so fortunate that I’ve been there for so many historical events. I get to be in places and with people I would never had the courage to talk to, or the opportunity, and that’s awesome.” 91 The arch lit gold for its 50th anniversary on Wednesday, Oct, 28. Photo by Cristina M. Fletes/St. Louis Post-Dispatch SAVVY I SOPHISTICATED I SASSY