Larry Hallegua photographs in the series Chinese society in this changing environment whilst capturing these moments with a subtle sense of humour. After living abroad during different periods of his life, Larry has become accustomed to shooting as a ‘foreigner’. From Peru, Tokyo, Thailand and China, what catches Larry’s eye is the diversity of life abroad. Enticed by its variety of colours, scenery and their own characters, in comparison to his home town. ‘London doesn’t have much variety of colour in the buildings/ backdrops compared to some of the places I’ve visited’. The photographer’s interest for photography goes back to 2012. This was when Larry fell upon a photography book of Herni Cartier Bresson. With this discovery he soon swapped his Canon digital SLR for a smaller Fuji X 100 rangefinder. Inspired by the prior photographers shots, Larry Hellegua nonetheless swiftly moved to colour photography. This choice would soon expand from one extreme to the other with the use of bright and bold nuances. It was then Larry’s appeal for ‘quirky scenes or gestures’ which allowed this interest to take to street photography.
Professional holiday snaps
Shooting abroad has its benefits and downfalls but it is above all a way to get closer to his subjects. When he comes out with his camera ‘I may appear to be just a tourist taking holiday snaps’. In chengdu in particular this had its advantages. Being on the outskirts of a city where there weren’t many foreigners, Larry used his camera to his advantage and captured anything that caught his eyes, receiving only ‘curious stares and bewildered looks unlike the occasional confrontation of hysteria and paranoia in London’. Made in Chengdu assimilates a crossover between reality and humour. This photographer concentrates on capturing candid coincidences and unexpected incidents while still keeping a documentary style of street photography. His style gives a new outlook on visioning world photography, showing how each individual has similar attributes.
Photo by © Larry Hellegua
