Photoproject: 100 visits to Seri Huamark Market (days 91-100)

The last stretch of my project was, at last, upon me. 90 visits after my first encounter with the market, so many things have changed, yet so many others have remained stable. On the gear side of things, I have used 2 cameras and 3 lenses so far so, to wrap up the project, and for these final 10 days, I decided to use my last lens, probably the less suited to this kind of photography: a portrait lens with a fixed field of view, in this case the Nocticron 42.5mm, the last lens in my arsenal, so I wanted to give it a try before closing this project.

Day 91, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91e, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91f, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 91g, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

My visits to the market, as it already happened the last few weeks, have increasingly become very spread out and carefully selected, I went there just in sunny days and I stayed at the place only until I got one shot, then I left and returned home rather than lingered around trying to get more captures as I did before. These last days I left the market as soon as I had one interesting picture, for I feel bored to stay any longer after all this time.

Day 92, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 92b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 92c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Connections and bonds with the vendors continued to deepen, however, and some of them asked me daily about my progress and even started to countdown with me the last week: 6 days to go! 4 days to go!, they would say when they saw me passing by, smiling.

Day 93, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 93b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 93c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 93d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

One interesting development is that I have seen and discovered things from the market while reviewing my pictures in the computer, things that I did not notice while being at the market itself, so, when I went back there, I tried to look for those specific scenes or details and I focused on them  to create new images, which brings up the idea of reciprocity between capture and review as a twofold process that influences each other.

Day 94, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94e, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94f, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 94g, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

I shot fully manual often with this short telephoto lens to have more success, for the depth of field was too thin at times due to the wide aperture and being in manual control of the settings granted me a higher percentage of success.

Day 95, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 95b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 95c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 95d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Since the end was inevitably approaching, I tried to come back to some things that I had tried in the past but failed to get, giving them a second and final chance to become reality; it's interesting how, many times, the images that stick the longest in a photographer's mind are the one he failed to get, not the ones he succeeded in grabbing, maybe because frustration plays an important role magnifying them.

Day 96, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 96b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 96c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

I have captured a total of 5859 pictures these past 100 days of which I have published in this blog 418 as my favorites in the 10 posts devoted to the project; besides, I have chosen and posted as pics of the day in my Instagram account 162 of those selected images. It's interesting to see that, as days pass, my preferences vary, and I not always agree with my own former choices, but I guess this is absolutely normal and it means that photography, memories and preferences are living, evolving things, and nothing can change that fact.

Day 97, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 97b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 97c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 97d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 97e, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 97f, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

When I was about to visit the market for the 98th time and there were only 2 days more to conclude the project, I suddenly felt a rush to finish it, as if I could see the finish line ahead of me and my legs where trying to sprint to reach it as fast as they could after the long race.

Day 98, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

For several reasons, it took me a shocking amount of almost 50 days to complete my last 10 visits, and I took 900 pictures in these last ten days, between 31 and 272, the latter being the highest number of images captured so far in a single day because I was trying to get the perfect splash of water and that took me many attempts with different settings.

Day 99, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 99b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 99c, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 99d, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 99e, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 99f, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

The 100th and final day brought with it a twofold feeling: on the one hand, there was no sadness, excitement or special feeling whatsoever, but on the other hand I had no feeling of closure, either, I just felt as if that was just another day and there would be more to come in the future. So now that everything was said and done, what lied ahead? Only time will tell, but for now I now I'm going to take a break to distance myself from the images and memories and maybe, at a later date, I will come back to them to work on them and give them a proper meaning (if there is one), frame or closure. To conclude, I would like to say thanks to all the people (at the market and through the net) that has showed me his or her support during this long journey, it's always been encouraging and motivating to have you and your fruitful comments there. Thank you and see you again!

Day 100, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Day 100b, GX80 + Panasonic Leica 42.5mm

Photoproject: 100 visits to Seri Huamark Market (days 81-90)

After returning to the Lumix 12-35mm the last 10 days, I wanted to keep using that same lens for a while longer so I kept it attached to my camera for another 10 days, which will make it the most used lens in this project alongside the prime PanaLeica 15mm (40 days each), both covering a wide/normal field of view, which I guess is totally natural in a project of this matter, as street photography (specially in tight spaces such as this market) has traditionally favored this perspective the most.

Day 81, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 81b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

We are in the last stretches of the project, yet there are still things that have just happened to me for the first time since embarking on it. One such thing was me chasing people rather than waiting for them: one day I saw someone with a lot of potential for a very interesting image and, instead of waiting for that person to come into "my zone" (as that might never happen), I went discreetly after her trying to get lucky and get a chance, but in the end that did not happen and no interesting image was captured of her, but there were other scenes that grabbed my attention along the way, so all was not lost.

Day 82, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82e, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82f, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82g, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 82h, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

I mentioned in the last post that my motivation had been fading in the last weeks, and that I was fighting to bring back and renew my compromise and joy to finish the project on a high note; those things have, luckily, come back slowly for I have been fighting with my own dissatisfaction to keep myself engaged and happy, so I consider that as a victory, all consequence of perseverance.

Day 83, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 83b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 83c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 83d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 83e, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

I have been shooting more at full manual settings (including manual ISO), and that has been a very interesting experience to say the least, for my images have turned out sometimes less technically proficient but, on the other hand, they might have gained a bit of character in return. However it is, it's important to be able to control all tools manually and understand a camera inside out to be able to use it to its full potential and not miss any shots due to lack of knowledge or experience.

Day 84, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84e, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84f, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84g, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84h, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 84i, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Something that started a few weeks ago has continued and has probably intensified as days passed: I have become very picky about the days and specially the weather when I go to the market; furthermore I'm now much faster while at the market, since I know the place so well that searching time has decreased significantly and I can work around it more diligently.

Day 85, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 85b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 85c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Many sellers know about my project and have started asking me every time the see me around: "how many days today?" They have also been asking me where I have been whenever I have been absent for a few days (such as during my holidays or in long weekends outside of the city), and that has become a new bond between me, them, and the place itself.

Day 86, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86e, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86f, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 86g, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

It has become a habit to pre-visualise and create mental images in advance, waiting for the scene to complete itself in front of me, but many times it does not happen or it develops in unexpected ways, which is always surprising and brings a bit of necessary unpredictability and discovery to the game. Street photography is all about studying the spontaneous flows of places and people, and grabbing your best chances out of them, not about taming subjects to fit pre-established criteria, so it's always exciting to walk this narrow line between pre-visualisation and unpredictability.

Day 87, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 87b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 87c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Surprisingly, the scenes that I have tried to create but that, for one reason or another, haven't worked out, stay with me the longest and never let me go; for that reason, every time I go back to the market I check those corners out instinctively to see if I find a difference that can make it work this time. Unfortunately, and talking from my own personal experience, the world travels faster that one's thoughts so, in most occasions, if something doesn't work the first time, it won't ever do (although that might not be the same for others, I'm just saying what has and has not worked for me).

Day 88, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 88b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 88c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 88d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

In my last visits, whenever I found one scene, I worked it and, once satisfied with the results, left the market altogether to go back home rather than staying there longer to find other things to shoot, which has reduced the average length of my visits.

Day 89, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 89b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 89c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 89d, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 89e, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The number of shots I grabbed the last 10 days was 979 (ranging between 22 and 233), among the highest, proving that the more I have been at the market, the more I have shot (and not the other way around). In total, I skipped 18 days, which means it took me almost a month to complete just 10 days, proof enough that I have become too picky with the conditions I want in each of my visits, for better or worse. There is only one more chapter to be written, and I'm not really sure how I feel about it (if happy, sad or perhaps relieved), but there is no denying that, at least, I'm about to accomplish the main goal that I set at the beginning of the project: being perseverant and being committed enough to bring it to an end, and that alone makes me very proud.

Day 90, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 90b, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Day 90c, GX80 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm