THE OTHER CHRISTMAS - MONOMAD - Street photography from Montalbán, Carabobo, Venezuela || ENG-ESP || (11 Pics)

in Black And White2 days ago

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Being a street photographer in a town like mine, is something that gives me the opportunity to know and experience first-hand the ability of ordinary people to overcome everyday problems... This publication is based on photographs of Christmas decorations that I have found on the streets of some of the most disadvantaged neighborhoods in my town... Inside many of these houses are people who in many cases have to walk miles to get a little drinking water, are forced to cook with firewood in the absence of domestic gas, some are elderly whose sons and grandsons have left town in search of a better life, others find it difficult to get enough money for a day's food, and so on... However, I have wandered these streets this December and I have not ceased to be amazed when looking at the streets decorated with Christmas motifs made mostly with recycled objects, some even have some lights on them... For me, this is difficult to look at, because I know how difficult is the life of many people here... So, it is impossible for me not to admire all this and want to take some pictures that I share with you today...

Ser un fotógrafo callejero en un pueblo como el mío, es algo que e brinda la oportunidad de conocer y experimentar en primera persona la capacidad de las personas comunes y corrientes para sobreponerse a los problemas cotidianos... Esta publicación está basada en fotografías de adornos con motivos navideños que he encontrado en las calles de algunos de los vecindarios más desfavorecidos de mi pueblo... Dentro de muchas de estas casas habitan personas que en muchos casos tienen que andar kilómetros para conseguir un poco de agua potable, se ven obligadas a cocinar con leña ante la ausencia de gas doméstico, algunos son ancianos cuyos hijos y nietos se han ido del pueblo en busca de una mejor vida, a otros se les hace difícil obtener el suficiente dinero para la comida de un día y así sucesivamente... Sin embargo, he deambulado por estas calles en este Diciembre y no he dejado de asombrarme al mirar las calles adornadas con motivos navideños hechos en su mayoría con objetos reciclados, algunas tienen colocadas algunas luces inclusive... Para mi, esto es difícil de mirar, pues conozco lo difícil que es la vida de muchas personas aquí... Entonces, me es imposible no admirar todo esto y querer hacer algunas fotos que hoy comparto con ustedes...

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Beyond admiring the undoubted spiritual force and resilience of the people in this place, looking at these improvised Christmas decorations in the impoverished streets also brings to my mind uncomfortable thoughts that speak about the “resignation” of our people in the face of crises caused by minorities who hold power and use it for their own benefit without contributing to the general wellbeing, as it should be the right thing to do. So I run the risk of looking at the negative side of something as innocent as a group of neighbors wanting to brighten up their streets with the little they can destine to that... But I suppose that this kind of dilemma is also part of someone who, like me, dedicates part of his life to record what happens in the streets on a regular basis...

Más allá de admirar la indudable fuerza de espíritu y la resiliencia de las personas de este lugar, mirar estos improvisados adornos navideños en las calles empobrecidas, también hace que a mi mente lleguen incómodos pensamientos que hablan de la "resignación" de nuestros pueblos ante las crisis causadas por minorías que detentan el poder y lo usan para beneficio propio sin contribuir al bienestar general, como debería se lo correcto. Entonces corro el riesgo de mirar el lado negativo de algo tan inocente como un grupo de vecinos queriendo alegrar sus calles con lo poco que pueden destinar a eso... Pero supongo que este tipo de dilemas es también parte de alguien quien, como yo, dedica parte de su vida a registrar lo que sucede en las calles regularmente...

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It's weird, but I took these photos while the streets were totally deserted. I didn't feel able to photograph these Christmas ornaments when any of the neighbors were watching. I know many of them and I know that upon seeing me photographing this, they would surely greet me, invite me for coffee and want to know my thoughts on how they decorated their streets. Then, perhaps my incorrigible habit of saying what I think without nuances, would have made me say something inappropriate related to that “dilemma” I described in the previous paragraph. I think that is what I feared and wanted to avoid. Deep down I feel that I am being a bit silly and hard on myself and I should see these ornate streets as the result of the innocent and at the same time unbeatable happiness of the people who live in these houses and who are used to coping with their problems in a very stoic way....

Es curioso, pero hice estas fotos mientras las calles estaban totalmente solitarias. No me sentí capaz de fotografiar estos ornamentos navideños cuando alguno de los vecinos mientras algún vecino estaba mirando. Conozco a muchos de ellos y sé que al verme fotografiando esto, seguramente me saludarían, me invitarían a tomar un café y querrían conocer mi parecer sobre la manera en la que decoraron sus calles. Entonces, quizás mi incorregible costumbre de decir lo que pienso sin matices, me hubiese hecho decir algo inadecuado relacionado con ese "dilema" que describí en el párrafo previo. Creo que eso fue lo que temí y quise evitar. En el fondo siento que estoy siendo un poco tonto y duro conmigo mismo y debería ver estas calles adornadas como el resultado de la felicidad inocente y al mismo tiempo imbatible de las personas que viven en estas casas y que están acostumbradas a sobrellevar sus problemas de una manera sumamente estoica...

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This post is my entry to today's #monomad challenge!... Thank you very much for your visit and appreciation!

¡Esta publicación es mi entrada al reto #monomad de hoy!... ¡Muchas gracias por pasar y apreciar!

ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL NOTE: Photographs captured with my Nikon D7000 DSLR camera in RAW format, then processed in Adobe Camera RAW for adjustments regarding light, sharpening, contrast and depth... They were then exported to JGP format on which minor modifications such as straightening and adding watermarks were carried out using PhotoScape 3.6.3.

NOTA TÉCNICA ADICIONAL: Fotografias capturadas con mi cámara DSLR Nikon D7000 en formato RAW, procesadas posteriormente en Adobe Camera RAW para ajustes relativos a luz, afilado, contraste y profundidad... Luego fueron exportadas a formato JGP sobre el cual se llevaron a cabo modificaciones menores como enderezado y agregado de marcas de agua usando PhotoScape 3.6.3.


"We make photographs to understand what our lives mean to ourselves." - Ralph Hattersley.

"Hacemos fotografías para comprender lo que nuestras vidas significan para nosotros mismos." - Ralph Hattersley.

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Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM
Lens: Tokina ATX-PRO 100mm f/2.8 d MACRO
Lens: AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Lens: AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Lens: Nikon AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8d FX
Lens:AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

Cámara: Nikon D7000
Lente: Sigma 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM
Lente: Tokina ATX-PRO 100mm f/2.8 d MACRO
Lente: AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR
Lente: AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
Lente: Nikon AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8d FX
Lente: AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G


Montalbán, Carabobo, Venezuela.

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Manually curated by brumest from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

Thanks a lot @qurator team and @brumest friend!!!!!

Excellent photographic record my friend. Regards

Hello @muhammadhalim friend!!!... Thanks a lot!!!... Have great week!

!PIZZA

As always amazing street photography. Also don't be hard on yourself, I find people appreciate authenticity in another character so even if sometimes you think you maybe came across blunt or spoke out of turn, I think they would understand you are being real and being yourself and are not intending to be rude. You are authentically you

Thank you for this motivating comment @scubahead friend and thank you for stopping by and appreciating my work!... I send for you and for all your close people, my best wishes for these days!!!... HUGS!!!

!PIZZA

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😄How nice of them that they'd invite you for a coffee. Do they always/often do that?

:) Hello @macchiata friend, yes, it's quite common, I grew up in this town and everyone knows me... Sometimes they give me something to eat, they have even made me carry plants, fruits or vegetables as a gift :)... It happens especially if I stop to talk to people... It's a town with a lot of nice people here... Thank you very much for stopping by and appreciating my work!... Happy week!

!PIZZA

PIZZA!

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