After scanning and posting these 2 portraits yesterday and today, I decided I need to make more portraits along this same line.
In the past I have wanted to do the work with view cameras in this way but it is a bit of a slow awkward process (your standing in garbage while photographing) . Also these people are working to survive asking them to POSE for a portrait is a bit much. I need to simplify and to speed things along. So I think I will try using the 6x6 Rolleiflex as in these 2 portraits or the 67 Plaubel Makina. I can make the pics on a larger pieces of film (compared to 35mm) and yet still be mobile, moving through the garbage without a tripod and work fastt. Doing photo making things quicker will allow the dump worker to keep working with only a momentary delay for my silly needs.
I will study Sebastiao Salgado's book "Workers" again which follows a similar theme. Salgado is the greatest teacher alive, I can learn so much from yet.
I want to pay tribute to the underlying goodness and hard work of most of those living at the dump. This last trip I focused more on the children because of my "Forgotten Laughter" project. Next trip I will continue work on "Forgotten Laughter" but also need to tell the story of the older workers, both the women and men.
I do not know if I photographed many woman at all last trip, mothers working the garbage are just as good, maybe better than the men in the field. There were several women over coming injury last trip, they were still working and trying to provide for their families, I need to photograph them as well. The stories of these older men and women are both very important to tell.
This next trip to Asia and to the dump will be my last for a while. When I return to Canada I will need to work my security night shifts for a least 1 year maybe longer. I cannot get any more holidays until 2017. I need to make the work on this next trip, in these coming 7 weeks strong! That is all there will be for quite a while.
The workers of the dump are allowing me into their lives, I have to do them right, I have to honor who they are, I owe them!
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| Father dump worker #1 |
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| Father dump worker #2 |
In the past I have wanted to do the work with view cameras in this way but it is a bit of a slow awkward process (your standing in garbage while photographing) . Also these people are working to survive asking them to POSE for a portrait is a bit much. I need to simplify and to speed things along. So I think I will try using the 6x6 Rolleiflex as in these 2 portraits or the 67 Plaubel Makina. I can make the pics on a larger pieces of film (compared to 35mm) and yet still be mobile, moving through the garbage without a tripod and work fastt. Doing photo making things quicker will allow the dump worker to keep working with only a momentary delay for my silly needs.
I will study Sebastiao Salgado's book "Workers" again which follows a similar theme. Salgado is the greatest teacher alive, I can learn so much from yet.
I want to pay tribute to the underlying goodness and hard work of most of those living at the dump. This last trip I focused more on the children because of my "Forgotten Laughter" project. Next trip I will continue work on "Forgotten Laughter" but also need to tell the story of the older workers, both the women and men.
I do not know if I photographed many woman at all last trip, mothers working the garbage are just as good, maybe better than the men in the field. There were several women over coming injury last trip, they were still working and trying to provide for their families, I need to photograph them as well. The stories of these older men and women are both very important to tell.
This next trip to Asia and to the dump will be my last for a while. When I return to Canada I will need to work my security night shifts for a least 1 year maybe longer. I cannot get any more holidays until 2017. I need to make the work on this next trip, in these coming 7 weeks strong! That is all there will be for quite a while.
The workers of the dump are allowing me into their lives, I have to do them right, I have to honor who they are, I owe them!
