PHOTO LONDON: Carlos Anllo CLICHÉS ARE RUBBISH
© Carlos Anllo, 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?
Absolutely! At first, I struggled with photographing for the project because I wasn’t giving it my personal vision. My topic was "London Clichés," and my mind immediately went to red phone booths, double-decker buses, and black taxis. Photographing these felt really boring to me, and my results reflected that. The experience completely changed for me when Ricardo encouraged me to follow my instincts and photograph what London means to me. That’s when the fun began! Looking at my photos, many people might think I’m crazy and wonder what those pictures have to do with London. But for me, it’s my personal view of London.
The photobook “Cliches are rubbish” 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 Catalán, Aránzazu González, Omar Mattar, Dámaris Rodríguez, Yuraima Rodríguez, 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?
A little bit of both. At first, I was simply taking photos of whatever caught my eye. However, the topic of "clichés" was always in the back of my mind. Once we started reviewing photos and considering sequences and selections, the project began to make more sense. At that point, I shifted my focus to looking for specific photos that would complement the ones already selected.
© Carlos anllo, 2024
Do you think working with a project in mind is beneficial for the photographic process?
I found it incredibly helpful to have a topic. It gave me focus and pushed me out of my comfort zone to capture the photos I wanted. For example, I would have never considered taking a camera into a theater or entering a very high-end antiques store, chatting with the owner, and asking to photograph their space if it weren’t for the project. But I’m so glad I did because those experiences were both enjoyable and fulfilling. The key to the project, for me, was connecting with it on a personal level. Once I made that connection, it became so much fun. I had a purpose and was able to channel my creativity into it.
