Monday, February 02, 2009

some b/w holga:
cusco

preface.  these image were scanned on a contact sheet, cropped down to individual image size, mildly contrasted, etc.  they're rough, and just to give you an idea of some of the things i shot w/ the non pocket view cameras.  i think all of the ones below are holga happiness photos!! (hehehehe)  - enjoy


above: william (or well...i don't know how to spell his "nickname", but it wasn't very nice...i think the other boys were just jealous b/c he was in school, working hard, smart, and still had a bit of an innocence to him). we were in the plaza san blas, 2nd to last day in peru...sitting in the shade of a tree, watching two kids play.

THIS RANT is in reference to the image above
i was given a hard time for the 4x5 image i was trying to take...apparently, foreigners aren't supposed to know that "real" homeless/drunk people fall asleep on benches in the plaza de armas...yeah, that happens to be the main square in cusco...

setting up my camera made me a target for the municipal.  big and bulky, easier to spot then a quick fire camera (analog/digital, didn't matter)..i was almost instantly approached, asking if i was taking pictures of the man or the church...having been in the area for almost 2 months, i was fed up w/ certain things, and replied as best i could (w/ broke spanish) that if it were a digital camera he wouldn't even notice....i was pissed...it was fun though, b/c a gentleman who spoke english tried to tell the guy what i was saying, but i'm not sure if it helped.

once i walked away from taking the man's photo (got a proof in though), the authorities questioned him.  an undercover cop and one dressed in standard attire.  he (the undercover cop) ended up returning to me (at this point, i had transitioned to a new location, but still w/in sight, maybe 50 feet away)...the man comes over and asks in choppy english, "will you be having an exhibition of your work? ... can i see what you have taken pictures of?"  

now, realize, that i could have easily said, fuck of, i'm a tourist asshole, NO! ...but i didn't, instead, i showed him 3 proofs, opting not to show him the one i had just captured (it was dark anyway).  after double checking to make sure i hadn't take anymore, he "didn't like", left me be...i might print the image out of spite, but i'm undecided right now.

i was really pissed though, especially after having learned the loop holes people have to go through just to become municipals!  here, you can be fat, skinny, black, white, whatever and become a cop...in cusco, there are steps you have to take...  #1 pay lots of money (not sure amount....possibly 500 soles [divide by 3 to get american equivalent]) to take a test;   #2 if you pass, make sure you don't have any visible scars (or you're out),   #3 make sure you have good teeth (or you're out)...oh, and having lighter skin might have been a preference too.  a very shitty thing.

above and below: images taken the day of a protest...protest = very common in cusco.  if people are unhappy about something, they share it w/ the town and the tourists!!!  the woman above, in her bag/satch, you should be able to see it, but she's carrying a baby goat/llama...perfect photo op!  many women and children will dress up, typically w/ llamas or baby goats, and if a tourist wants/takes their picture, they'll ask for money...sorry, i hope you're not offended if i stole me this one!

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