Shoot like a local¶
One of the things I promised myself (and Jorge from therawsociety) was that, instead of (or in addition to) looking for frames during exotic workshops far away, I would photograph locally. It took me a while to align free time with good light (which is very unusual in the Netherlands), but finally, last Sunday, I went to Delfshaven for a photo walk.
Delfshaven, an old part of Rotterdam, is very different from the city centre, which was completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt from scratch. It is also very diverse. In a city already famous for its diversity (170+ nationalities), Delfshaven is even more so, which makes it even more interesting.
So far, so good. But the thing is, photography at home is difficult. Much more difficult. Pointing a camera at someone on the street in a city far away, when you look like just another tourist, is easier and requires less explanation. Doing the same while looking like a local (just a slightly strange one with a camera) is trickier and can easily turn into a long conversation.
And it turned out to be even more so.
My walk was basically limited to two street corners where the light was best. In an hour, I took only a few photographs. There weren’t many people on the street anyway. But in that short time, little more than one hour, I was asked twice whether I was the police.
Considering that I saw maybe ten people in total and took around thirty photographs, it almost felt like everyone thought I was an undercover police officer on a secret mission, documenting people walking in and out of a pub on the corner.
And then, as I was trying to drive off (still without any interesting pictures) a car with two guys stopped next to me. The window rolled down, and the driver asked me directly if I was the police again. He was sceptical at first, and only after I showed him my camera and my website, he realised I was simply crazy enough to chase good light in my free time. Finally, after a short, friendly conversation, we exchanged numbers.
I didn’t come away with any interesting frames, but it was worth it. Who knows, perhaps next time he could join me, walk with me, and help me shoot like a local.
