The long winter is over. The desolate scenes of empty
streets, white of snow, frozen in sub-zero temperatures were not for a street
photographer who often, like a treasure hunter, went from street to street
looking for people! And when I found them, they all looked the same, bundled up
in heavy coats and walking fast looking at their own feet, the shoulders caved
in.
It is spring again, and I put a few drops of oil on the springs
of my old cameras, took a few medium format film rolls out of the freezer, and
I am getting the “street fever” again! Oh, for those of you who have never seen
a roll of film, imagine that film is like fresh food—it has an expiration date!
So, I keep my films in the freezer and they can last more than 10 years in cryo-existance.
Then, I take them out, let them get used to the world again for about 6 hours,
and they are ready to capture whatever my eyes are willing to notice.
So, as an initiation to spring and film photography, I wanted
to organise a few unpublished shots. The theme of this series is “daily life, nothing extravagant”. Sure, I always look for a special event, an
unusual behavior, a story that stands out. But it is as interesting, and
probably more challenging, to capture the daily routine and still find an angle
making the picture worth keeping and sharing.
But you decide.
…. It was early morning in Leuven, Flanders when I took my
1969 Nikon F for a walk before my meetings at the university. The café trottoirs
were just opening for coffee and yes, chocolate! I wanted to capture the slow
pace of a city waking up. The stacked-up chairs were just right to describe the
early morning.
I have written about Ferrara, Italy already. It is one of my favorite cities as it seems
to have just the right tempo for my character. And the untouched medieval city
around which the more modern Ferrara is built is a time capsule and a respite
from all rush and eagerness to compete.
Again, I was enjoying a morning espresso when I saw this man
arrive on his bicycle across the street. I could see his dog in the basket and
by the time I focused, he was taking the dog out. I wanted to capture the mannequin looking at them...
Then he went for a walk with
his dog. A daily routine, I assumed.
This one is from outside Kennebunkport, Maine. I was in the
car behind this trolley and I could see young people all dressed up going to a
party. Then, the woman near the rear window took out a make-up mirror and
touched up her lips. I had to take a picture, even if from behind the front windshield.
It was such a nonchalant and charming
scene.
The surprise was when I looked at the picture—there was a
motorcyclist, perfectly framed in the shot, who was also looking at her!
I am always amazed how people pretzel themselves while
taking a photo to be at the right level regarding their subject. This picture
is from Baltimore, as I saw this mom trying to take a picture of her daughter.
As I looked down onto the waist-level finder of my Mamiya 645, she had decided
to hide between the legs of this man to frame the perfect shot! I assumed it
was her husband….
No matter what, I was pleased with the grainy print and the
little girl’s seemingly effortless stroll.
Finally, I cannot think about daily routine without
remembering this moment in Kruger National Park, South Africa. We had seen
elephants, but all from a distance. They seemed to ignore humans and safari
trucks. Then, less than 50 meters away, I heard the breaking of branches and I
could see movement in the trees. I pointed my Mamiya 645 toward the trees and
waited. The elephant came out, but it had it head down, ears floppy, and looked
just like others we had seen.
Then, as if it was surprised to see someone still using a
film camera, looked straight at me and gave me the lovely pose of an elephant
we see in paintings. It lasted just two seconds, and I clicked once. This
picture always reminds me of the “decisive moment” every street photographer
hopes to master.
There you have it—daily life in the jungle of cities of
concrete and steel, or in the paths of natural trails and virgin forests. All
it takes is to not look for the exceptional but celebrate the glorious daily
life!
April 16, 2014
© Vahé Kazandjian, 2014
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