Chris, normally I abhor street photography but these I like...I think that it's because the people aren't the subject, it's the milieu that I like.
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Using the gels was a nice touch.
Exactly that was my situation.
Though there are some portrait/street-like images, the series is about the surrealism, the disavowal and the bit of perversion of fun fairs.
Though I do not generally condemn them, I see something behind which is problematic.
Many helpers working for the carnies are extremely poor people, hanging on the drip of the social system.
One of these guys approached me asking for a little change.
I had no change with me and apologized for not being able to help him.
He thanked me for listening to him and not casting him away immediately.
Sort of a masochistic interaction that was, still shocked me.
When I talked to some people, asking if I could take a picture of them (like the silhouette man and the lady cleaning the beaverage suppliers) most of them were friendly, some even shy and unsecure.
I had the impression many of them were aware of their problematic social situation and they seemed to feel ashamed because of that.
Others, I think, denied a picture being taken, because of that - just my subjective impression, of course.
These people work on an event where people often get drunk, behave very lowly and primitive and spend money for basically nothing.
This tension was very strong during the whole shooting.
The weather sort of supported this rather depressing notion and the flash gels and the processing were used to express that in my personal way.
I just had a phone call with my brother and he found the images were sad, not like what one would expect from a fun fair.
And that was my point - the backside of the coin.
And though this is not meant as a social reportage or something it is my subjective view which came up these last two days.
Cheers
~Chris
