A unique set of vibrant photos that candidly capture Australia’s many characters is currently on show at Melbourne’s Federation Square to celebrate the city’s 2015 Mexican Festival.
Now based in Melbourne, Mexican photographer Jose Sanchez has walked the streets of Melbourne and Sydney to capture candid situations with eccentric characters and personalities that contribute to these cities’ authenticity. Jose believes you need to be dedicated to your art and spends a lot of time in the field to be around genuine and beautiful moments, and recognise them as they happen.
“For me it is essential to bring a camera anywhere so I don’t miss a chance to capture a unique moment,” said Jose. “Even though most of my work is based on candid shots where the subjects look more spontaneous and less posed; there are times when I ask people directly to take their photograph because I find something beautiful and unique in those situations.”
“People feel very happy about being photographed and I almost always find myself having long conversations with them after and find out we share similar thoughts on life and photography. These interactions delight me as I get to know more about the culture of a particular city through their people.”
His photos provide viewers with a visual opportunity to reflect on their living environments by seeing familiar surroundings presented in an unfamiliar and unusual ways.
“I want people to emotionally connect when they look at my photos and to see the whole imagery with a clear mind and sense of humour,” said Jose. “I aim to achieve this through my use of colour, composition, light, subject, expression and emotion in my photos. That said, the most memorable photographs for people-oriented photographers are the ones that target emotion more than anything else.”
One of the themes explored by Jose at the 2015 Mexican Festival is the unbreakable relationship between animals and human beings through his series of photos called ‘dependencies’.
“We rely on animals to make us feel better emotionally and physically. We use them as icons and abstractions to represent our own emotions and feelings. I found this relationship to be particularly strong and unique in Australia, compared to the rest of the world and that fascinates me,” said Jose.
Jose’s photos are currently on display in The Atrium, Federation Square until 14 September 2015. For more information, visit: www.fedsquare.com or www.jose.sanchez.photos for details.
Image: Jose Sanchez, Dependencies series – courtesy of the artist