A street photographer develops a sense about the moments
when a facial expression alone would tell the story of the surroundings. Fear,
surprise and pleasure are among the most common expressions I see in the viewfinder
when I point my camera to describe the moment.
Facial expressions, in addition to body postures, are
especially important to detect or anticipate how the moment will shape up since
I use 50mm and 105mm lenses in most situations, which means that only a small portion
of the environment’s “canvas” will be framed and thus the story of the scene
has to be extrapolated by the viewer of the picture. Compared to wide angle lens photography,
shorter lenses present special challenges to the photojournalistic photographer.
Over the years I have also realized that a “facial”
expression is not limited to humans. Of course animals, especially dogs most
commonly encountered in the streets, have wonderful attitudes that we humans
seem to understand and react to. But we also seem to find “facial” expressions
on non-living things, in an anthropomorphic way…
So, here are a few pictures where facial expressions
uniquely tell a story.
I took these two pictures in Morocco. The spice vendor is
photogenic enough to make this low-light, medium format film picture, but a
closer look at the two customers adds quite a bit to the scene. Each has a
distinct expression describing their interests in the spices or even their
likes and dislikes.
The second picture, from the desert of Morocco, is that of a
road side vendor who could not convince us that the bracelets were made of pure
silver. One can see his strategizing, as he followed us, on what to say to make
us believe in the quality of the bracelets!
This one is the expressions of two Australian Collies I saw
outside of Phoenix, Arizona. They were watching the crowd in the street and I
almost thought they were planning on how to herd the crowd! After all, herding
sheep is what is programmed in their genes and I wondered if every group they
meet looks like sheep to them…
But I am perhaps not alone in seeing things in a familiar
way. While hiking the Granite Mountain near Prescott, Arizona, I saw these
forms on the branch of a tree recently burned by forest fire. Somehow the fire
had drawn the faces of a boy and a Teddy bear. See them? Or am I the only one
letting my fantasies and imagination run freely?
Finally, could not resist posting this snapshot I took in a
hotel in Zimbabwe. As I was walking to my room, this ironing board seemed to be
the welcoming hotel staff! Again, am I the only one who saw the facial
expression on this ironing board?
Perhaps we all get affected by our profession (“professional
deformation” as say the French) and see the world through a particular optic.
Indeed, I often see a framed picture when I look at scenery, a portrait photo
waiting to be taken when I look at a person, and a story unfolding when I walk
among a crowd.
Who knows, maybe one day I will find that person and facial
expression that will tell all about why I take street photos. Till then, it
will be a collage of people and places, and I will continue to enjoy every
click and rewinding sound on my mechanical film cameras!
January 26, 2015
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2015
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