I am doing another series on issues in the upcoming presidential elections. This time, the issues are people with disabilities(Nacho’s killer photo from yesterday,) living conditions, and transportation. Today I went to a bus depot at the far end of town. With a colleague, Nicolás Alcalde, I interviewed a bus driver. Then we rode with him on part of his route.
In Santiago, I’ve had to rethink the gear I bring with me or how I bring it. I am in the safest city in South America. Yet, I hear stories, constantly of theft. People walking down the street in central have gold chains ripped off their necks. A colleague’s brother had his headphones stolen on a bus while they were on his head. I don’t bring Nacho’s 5D MarkII with me if we are not together, going to a known location. I carry only one body. It’s heaps harder to grab something when it’s in one’s hands. I only bring my 70-200 if I’m certain I’ll be in a situation where I can use it. I’ve ripped the Canon logo off my backpack and taped over the brand and spec markings on my video camera. A piece of advice I got from a photojournalist with La Tercera was stick with the crowd of photojournalists when you’re shooting. But the things I am covering don’t have crowds of photojournalists covering them.
I honestly don’t know how dangerous it is. But, I’m not at a point where I can afford to lose any of my gear and I’m not going to take unnecessary risks. Today, I traveled light. I brought the Canon 5D with a 16-35, my Sony Handicam (HDR-SR11), a gorilla pod, a set of headphones, and a stick mic, in an old blue, Iberian Airlines small messenger size bag. I didn’t even bring my phone. I didn’t know where I was going to be. In fact, the bus was traveling through one of the more dangerous neighborhoods in the city. When I would focus on stills, Nicolas would kindly offer to stash the other camera. When we departed with crowds all around, he said that I should put the cameras away. But, I needed some images of the crowds at the bus stop. So I took it the footage I needed and then stashed the goods.
I don’t shoot with a 16-35 often. I worry that this makes me a bad photographer. It does have to be admitted that the 16-35 on a 5D is full frame wide. I began shooting in Patagonia with Nacho’s 24-70, and I find this more comfortable. I have greater reach and I’m able to give my subjects more personal space. Knowing that I’d be on the bus, I decided to use the 16-35. It was 100% the right choice, as most of the time, the people were packed in and I was standing on assorted bus ledges. I also really enjoyed the look. I think I’ll be revisiting it in the future soon.
