Street Photographer Orange Juice
My favorite drink lately is 100% orange juice with no added sugar or preservatives.
And like that juice I am like this too, continuing to preserve a certain identity. I read of photographers making no more street photography. I read photographers having fun or continually scorning those defining themselves street photographers. And sometimesm I react:
Those who say they don't do street photography anymore think that evolution passes from breaking away from this definition. "I don't do street photography anymore" so I've evolved. But does this idea really make sense? What makes you think that achieving personal photography status comes with taking off a label? And…are we sure Street Photography is a label? The problem is thinking of attributing the idea of street photography to a limited genre. When I photograph naked girls I don't think I'm breaking away from who I am, which is a street photographer. I am a street photographer because on the street I think about my photography most of the time, but this does not deny me the possibility of doing something else and being a more complex photographer. I always have been. Street photographer but also complex photographer.
But the street is a great opportunity. To tell the world, others and myself.
As I said: Jamel Shabazz is a street photographer. Ricky Powell was a street photographer. Both making a great work of documentation of the society changes. Both making, mostly but not only, staged portraits. Boogie is a street photographer. That's why and I say: get rid of the snobbishness and snobbery. Being a street photographer, defining oneself as such, is not something disqualifying, but rather, it is something extremely noble in photography and art. I'm interested in the city, the metropolis, the urban…I'm interested in life in public places, I'm interested in architecture, places, cars, garbage, a dead rat in the middle of the street, skaters, whores, crystal smokers, policemen, anything of the streets.
In Tlatelolco for the first time. We filmed for this video. I share some thoughts that present changes and I don't know, maybe even evolution. A symbolic place, so important since pre-Hispanic times, framed a new video for the channel in which I am investing time and dedication. Tlatelolco is a place where I will back. In the meantimes these are the photos made. As you can see my way to understand and making street photography is not the one many think.
I make my personal photography. And yes, I am a street photographer.
For those interested in some technical details: all the photos you see here were made with the Canon EOS Rebel T7. I worked in shutter priority mode. I kept the ISO at 1600 which allowed me to feel comfortable even in shaded areas. Tlatelolco looks like a labyrinth of buildings where when you are inside there are areas of high contrast between light and shadow. I was in the instantaneous approach so I didn't pay much attention to the aspect of the architectural lines. Certainly a more dedicated work requires greater attention to the many structures present and therefore a greater precision in the frame to offer a documentation of the present architecture which seems to me extremely interesting and worthy of an in-depth photographic study
The neighborhood is extremely popular and this fascinates me a lot. Furthermore, here my respect is, if possible, even higher because, as mentioned, Tlatelolco has practically always been very important. I feel I have to go back to devote myself to an in-depth visual documentation. In the meantime I can only say: thank you Tlatelolco!
