FFO: CREATING AND MAKING- IMAGERY AND FANZINES THAT ARE KEEPING THE MENDOZA ARTS ALIVE N KICKIN’!
Who are you and where are you currently based?
I’m Laureano and I live in Mendoza, a little city to the west of Argentina.
What is your current photographic work about?
I like to take pictures of daily life in the cities, like buildings, houses or streets that we see almost every day but we don’t observe them carefully. I also like to make portraits of my friends, but what I like the most is taking pictures at punk shows. I always carry a camera in my tote bag.
I’m a bit shy to take pictures so the buildings are something perfect for me, they are not going to look at me weird or move, I can go back any day and they will be there. I like to observe structures carefully to take photos.
Does being shy stop you from taking certain photographs (e.g. portraits of people)? Do you ever intend to combat this fear?
I love to take portraits but I always find it difficult to ask my friends, “hey can I take your picture?”. I always lose good pictures as I get embarrassed, especially when I want to shoot on the street but I feel uncomfortable to take pictures surrounded by strangers. I always try to combat this fear. Every time I go out to take photos I try not to think about the people or portraits I take of my friends, so I often photograph them when they are distracted.
Specifically, why do you especially like to photograph punk shows? Is there a big punk scene in Mendoza?
The punk scene is very small. There are almost no punk shows that occur. Sometimes bands from other cities come to play, but there are periods of months where no shows interest me. The gigs are in small houses, which makes it more friendly and intimate. The reason why I enjoy it so much is that I’m surrounded by my friends, watching bands that I like, which is very special.
What’s your standard camera set up? Or does anything go? Do you ever feel restricted by only using automatic cameras, in oppose to manual?
I only have automatic cameras, I just have to worry about setting the scene and taking the picture. I always feel a bit limited to taking pictures with an automatic camera, but I like it because I can take pictures quickly.
What got you interested in photography and taking images?
Last year my grandfather gave me a camera that he used in the 70’s but unfortunately it did not work. A few weeks later I bought a very basic and really cheap camera, a Canon Sure Shot Telemax that I like a lot.
Who are you inspired by?
I don’t feel like anyone inspires me, but seeing photos of other people or the fanzines they make motivates me a lot. I feel that nobody inspires me directly. I get motivated when I do the things that I like.
What are your future aspirations?
I’m about to release a fanzine called “desavenencia” that I’ve made with the first photos I took. I’m also making another fanzine with several people who have a lot of ideas that I hope to make in the future.
What is your fanzine ‘Desavencia’ about?
A few months ago I wanted to make a fanzine, collect photos of the first 5 or 6 rolls I shot; mainly using photos of shows, buildings and landscapes that I took between Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and Chilean.
What ‘Fanzines’ interest or inspire you?
I really love Contrafotografia Fanzine. I also really like Nibiru Zine from the Czech Republic.
Would you ever consider pursuing a formal career in Photography? or do you just see photography as a hobby/passion?
In the future, I would like to acquire better cameras and dedicate my time to photography, but at the moment photography is a just a hobby/passion.
Got any exciting photography projects lined up for this year?
I have many ideas; I want to make another zine about buildings and cities. I’ve also just recently started a fanzine/collective called “hateful youth fanzine” about punk around the world.
The ‘hateful youth fanzine’ is an attempt to see the punk scene around the world through different perspectives, we receive all kinds of collaborations, portraits, shows, or any related. We are currently working on the first issue now.
diyyouth.com 