Whether living or cast in stone, the act remains the same. To offer something without knowing if it will be received. - Upward and Unseen - Veiled Offering #blackandwhitephotography #photography #photographer #artist #contemporaryart

- Toward What Is Hidden - “Nothing stays hidden. Secrets are always found out, and the world is unforgiving.” — H.G. Parry Took this image at the Salton Sea. Another one of those places I can’t wait to get back to. #blackandwhitephotography #artist #photography #moody #darkart

- Where the Light Finds Me - This was taken at a small abandoned building in Borrego Springs. The people on this trip made it an amazing experience. So many memories! #blackandwhitephotography #photography #borregosprings #artist #fineartphotography

- Under Pressure of Self - All pressure is self inflicted. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #artist #photographer

-Returning Inward- From my series Room 13 A quiet shift inward. A withdrawal from everything external. #blackandwhitephotography #nudephotography #nudemodel #photography #nudeart

East Jesus, Untitled. A body remains, but the face is gone. What remains feels strangely permanent. #eastjesus #slabcity #blackandwhitephotography #artist #photographer

-Buried In Light- Not all light offers understanding. Sometimes it overwhelms. #blackandwhitephotography #nudephotography #artist #fineartphotography #photography

-Rising Without Answer- From the series Eden Lost While working on this series, I kept thinking about what it means to reach for something that never responds. An upward movement. A gesture toward something unseen. And nothing answers. #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #artist #bwphoto

-Refusal to Be Seen- There’s a difference between being visible and being understood. I think a lot of my work sits somewhere in that space. Present. But still holding something back. #fineartphotography #contemporaryphotography #blackandwhitephotography #photographer #artist

In the desert, nothing announces itself. It stands. It erodes. It endures. Here’s a few of my favorite images taken down in the CA desert. One of my favorite places to be. Part of a larger series I’m calling - Edge of Stillness. #CADesert #joshuatree #blackandwhitephotography #landscapephotography

The ground is cracked, resistant, unmoved. Eden remains, but it no longer nourishes. -Forsaken in the Garden- From my series Eden Lost. #blackandwhitephotography #nudephotography #bwphotography #photographer #artist

A Miss Kim mannequin transformed into something amazing. I captured this image on one of my many trips to East Jesus. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #eastjesus #slabcity #artist

Unseen Witness | Room 13 Even in solitude, something watches. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphoto #photography #photographer #artist

Why is God silent? 🤫 Where are you? 🤔 The void remains. #blackandwhitephotography #thevoidremains #artist #photographer #bwphotography

Here is a small grouping of images from my series Eden Lost. 1. Falling Prayer 2. The Knowledge Entered 3. The Cry Continues I’m working on putting together a zine for this project. I’ll be including some never before seen images. Keep an eye out for that. #blackandwhitephotography

-Between Icon and Flesh- Taken at a small church in Borrego Springs. “If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #fineartphotography #contemporaryphotography

I meet my own gaze and flinch. The confession begins without words. Pressed to Myself | Room 13 #blackandwhitephotography #photography #artist #photographer #bwphotography

One of my favorite shots from my first trip to East Jesus over 10 years ago. Some installations come and go. Others change. I’m glad I was able to capture this one. Love this place. #photography #artist #eastjesus #slabcity #blackandwhitephotography

The resurrection of the dead passes through a woman. Taken at an abandoned house in Borrego Springs, CA. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #artist

- BEHOLD - Her arms are open and welcoming. Where is this love in the world? It withers by the day. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #artist #contemporaryart #contemporaryphotography

In the desert, nothing announces itself. It stands. It erodes. It endures. Here’s a few of my favorite images taken in the CA desert. One of my favorite places to be. Part of a larger series I’m calling - Edge of Stillness. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphoto #highcontrast #artist #photographer

I’m a sucker for dolls, mannequins, and masks. You ever look at them and feel like they’re looking back? Just me huh? Weirdo! East Jesus, April 2024. #blackandwhitephotography #eastjesus #slabcity #contemporaryphotography #artist

Here is a small grouping of images from my series Eden Lost. 1. Blind Devotion 2. Looking for Eden 3. Confession Without Absolution #blackandwhitephotography #nudephotography #contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #photography

- Form Without Witness - The human form reduced to surface. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #bwphoto #contemporaryphotograpy #contemporaryart

Room 13 is a chamber of temptation and witness. Inside it, the body answers to two callings. One moves toward pleasure, toward touch, toward exposure. The other lingers in the room, unseen but felt. It watches. It measures. It remembers. #photography #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #art

Divided by Light | Eden Lost While working on Eden Lost, I kept returning to the feeling of distance. Moments where faith once felt close, but now seems separated by something I can’t quite name. Sometimes it feels like light itself creates the boundary. And on the other side, God remains silent.

East Jesus, Untitled. November 2024. In places like East Jesus, objects slowly shed their original purpose. What remains is something quieter. A monument to time, weather, and whatever the desert decides to keep. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphoto #bwphotography #artist #contemporaryphotography

East Jesus, Untitled. November 2025. I always enjoy wandering through East Jesus. Some objects outlast the stories that created them. Left long enough in the desert, they begin to feel like something else entirely. This one was staring back. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphoto #bwphotography

Cleansing is promised; relief is not guaranteed. Baptism of the Lost | Eden Lost #EdenLost #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryphotography #contemporaryart #photographer

To be seen and unseen at once is its own form of solitude. Alone Before God | Eden Lost #solitude #angst #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryart #artist

UNANSWERED From my series Room 13 Suspended between belief and doubt. In the quiet moment when you realize no one is coming to explain what happens next. Where faith falters. Where certainty disappears. Where the only thing left is waiting. #blackandwhitephotography #bwphotography #bwphoto #bw

Under the Light | Room 13 #room13 #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryphotography #bwphoto #InTheShadows

She carries the weight of knowing and the earth rises to meet her. After the Gate Closed | Eden Lost

In the desert, nothing announces itself. It stands. It erodes. It endures. Here’s a few of my favorite images taken down in the CA desert. One of my favorite places to be. Part of a larger series I’m calling - Edge of Stillness.

I carry the lesson in my body. It does not loosen. The Weight Within | Room 13 #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryphotography #fineartphotography #bwphoto #bwphotography

The garden speaks only in patterns of light and dark. Entwined in Silence | Eden Lost

Light does not absolve. It lingers, exposing what was never confessed. Penitent Light, 2018 | Room 13 #Room13 #PhotoSeries #FaithAndDoubt #HumanFragility #ContemporaryPhotography

We often drift away. Some return. Some stay away. Drift Away, 2026. Collage on hard book-cover. 11.5 x 8.25 inches. ✅ Available. DM to purchase. #analogcollage #artcollector #artforsale #contemporaryart #cutandpaste

A stack of old magazines is like paper gold. It’s a treasure hunt every time you flip through the pages. Analog collage on hard book-cover. #analogcollage #cutandpaste #collageart #collageartist #contemporaryart

Took this at an eerie abandoned house in Borrego Springs, CA. No Escape, 2020. Taken on Polaroid 600 film. #polaroid #polaroidphotography #polaroid600 #contemporaryphotography #fineart

Will I make it back to East Jesus in 2026? I hope so. Who’s down for a road trip to the desert? Untitled, East Jesus, 2022 #eastjesus #slabcity #contemporaryphotography #colorphotography #keepitweird

“When one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” Confession, 2023. @leatherfacesmom.bsky.social #polaroid #polaroid600 #polaroid600film #polaroidsx70 #brooklynfilmcamera

Check out these images from my series “East Jesus” that I’ve taken over the years. You can see the complete series on my website. Link in bio. (DaleMateo.com) #EastJesus #contemporaryphotography #colorphotography #slabcity #moodyphotography

No voice. No sign. Only the weight of being there. A selection of images from my series - Valley of Shadows. 1. The Prophet Fell, 2024 2. Fragment of Sanctuary, 2015 3. The River Did Not Carry Them, 2023 #ValleyOfShadows #FaithInAbsence #HumanFragility #ContemporaryPhotography #SpiritualAbsence

A Polaroid of Megan taken at a small church in Borrego Springs. #polaroid #polaroidbw #polaroidsx70 #polaroid600 #polaroidphotography

Reflected in Silence, 2023 | Valley of Shadows Nothing speaks. Silence becomes a mirror. #ValleyOfShadows #MinimalPoetry #ContemporaryPhotography #ArtPhotography #SpiritualVoid

The Howl is Silent, 2025 | Valley of Shadows No answers. No witness. #ValleyofShadows #SpiritualDesolation #ContemporaryPhotography #SilentLament #HumanFragility

Dissolving Faith, 2018 | Room 13 A quiet moment where belief quietly recedes. #Room13 #DissolvingFaith #Isolation #HumanFragility #ContemporaryArt

A couple Polaroids from my 2023 shoot with Claire. #Polaroid #polaroid600film #blackandwhitephotography #contemporaryphotography #polaroidphotography

Which one is your favorite: 1, 2, 3, or 4? 🖤 These are from a shoot from a few years ago with Melanie. I’m working on my next zine and want to include one of these. Let me know which one you like. #contemporaryphotography #blackandwhitephotography #room13 #darkart #moodyart