In 1987 I was not conversant with the terminology of street photography. Yet before I knew the language I was beginning to practice the form. Thinking about this lately led me back into my files for street type pictures that I took on a three week trip to Argentina in 1987. This was in the early phases of the rise of democracy in that country, and a substantial religious revival that spread throughout the land. Much of what I took (hundreds of color slides only a few of which have been scanned to digital) involved following these religious meetings through seven cities beginning in Buenos Aires.
Santa Fe was also on my agenda.
The meetings were often in the open air attracting dense crowds and included all ages even late into the night.
Some meetings were indoors, often at facilities generally used for athletic events. Emotions and personal engagement were often intense.
When possible I focused on individuals and I was interested to see how the children participated and observed these meetings.
Some of the action was on construction sites as efforts were made to build new facilities sufficient to house the new religious communities.
As I look back it now seems to me that this was my first significant introduction to street photography before I was aware of the vocabulary, or had even begun to reflect on the subject. It was an intense experience that helped to shape both my photography and my views of human life.
“The eye is not filled with seeing, neither is the ear filled with hearing.” — Ecclesiastes
