PHOTO LONDON: Aránzazu González URBAN STORIES
© Aránzazu gonzález, 2024
It’s understood that each of the participants was assigned a photographic project during the trip to Photo London. Do you think you were able to apply a personal vision to the assigned project?
In my case, there was no specific assignment, and I appreciated the freedom and privilege of contributing my photographic vision of that cosmopolitan city steeped in years of history.
The photobook “URBAN STORIES” is the result of the Photo London 2024 trip organized by Long Distance Photo Expeditions and Roberto Mata School of Photography. It is part of a collection of seven photobooks created by each of the participants during the photographic journey to London in May 2024. The course was led by Julio Estrada and Ricardo Peña, with the books designed by Claudia Leal. Participating photographers: Carlos Anllo, Michel Catalan, Aránzazu González, Omar Mattar, DAmaris Rodriguez, Yuraima Rodriguez, and María Elena Velasco.
When creating the project, did you place more importance on the individual images or on the group of images you wanted to create?
I followed my photographic instincts, relying on intuition and a sixth sense. Without an assigned project, I was free to let my eye guide me.
© Aránzazu gonzález, 2024
Do you think working with a project in mind is beneficial for the photographic process?
I find this very interesting. My colleagues had assigned projects, and although we often encountered the same scenarios, they were always focused on something specific. In contrast, I allowed the city to surprise me, remaining observant and attentive, with all my senses alert to everything happening around me.
And if so, what advantages or positive characteristics were you able to recognize?
It enables you to concentrate more on the shots; however, it requires prior fieldwork to establish locations and a specific work scheme to achieve the project's objective.
