La Gente Común / Everyday People

La Gente Común / Everyday People is about just that. These are images from inside the Comedor Los Pibes located in La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 120 families or so that are helped by the comedor (akin to a soup kitchen) provide time and work hours for the comedor. Some sew, others cook, there is an administration group, a political group and a public affairs group.

For too long I could not title this project. Probably because I didn’t really know what I was photographing or why. When I finally sat down to write the original blog post the title flowed without effort. I knew after months of editing I was looking at everyday people.

But why care about everyday people? As a journalist that question continued to haunt me: the purpose, the news catch, the heart-jerker, the reason why you should look, but more personally, the reason why I photographed these people?

I went back to one of my idols for inspiration:

"It’s about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy."
~Elliott Erwitt / Magnum

That quote answers my questions above. Why I photographed these people and why should you look? First, I delight in noticing simple things, in discovering the world through different eyes, different views, political or otherwise. The subtle message of a dirty screen used to make T-shirts for the Ministry of Health, the scribbling of a name on a table in ink, the concentration of people at work, the laughter and reaction when standing in front of my camera for a portrait.

Look around long enough and there are plenty of things to notice.

Secondly, I think we could all benefit from a little more concern for humanity and the human comedy. Whether they are like you, like us, like them, not like us, the same, different, politically opposite, rich like you, poor like you, on the same side, same team, same religion, a resident, or foreigner.

But you get my point.

Maybe.

“It’s simply a matter of noticing things,” and it’s not the extraordinary we fail to notice.

~Caitlin Margaret Kelly
August 2009

(I am giving a copy of this book to the Comedor. I'd like to give more, but it is not in my budget. If you'd like to donate one, please let me know.)