“What? You never saw anyone weigh a chicken?”
Luxor, Egypt 1998
We were on a typical tour of Egypt and Luxor was a highlight with the Luxor Temple right down the street from our hotel and the Valley of the Kings across the Nile.
Wandering through the streets of Luxor was a highlight as well. I was happy to photograph the local people going about their daily life. The shops, like the poultry shop above, were all open to the street. Some farmers simply parked their donkey cart on the side of the street and sold their produce. Many men wore the gallabeya, a long shirt-like garment with full, long sleeves and full skirt. Married women wore a black mother Hubbard type dress and many women were completely veiled except for a slit for their eyes. The people were friendly. Some could speak English. (Egypt had been under the control of the British from the 1880’s to the 1950’s.)
I like this kind of photo because it tells you about life in Luxor. I printed it in my darkroom years ago and have it hanging in my hallway. Mine is black and white, not toned. But I couldn’t get it to look right digitally so I toned it in Photoshop. Black and white photographs printed in the darkroom are called silver gelatin prints and the silver gives a glow and depth to the photo that is hard to achieve digitally.
My only advice for this type of shooting is to be friendly yet sensitive toward each person you want to photograph. Keep a smile on your face. Say hello or nod in thanks if you’ve already ‘stolen’ the shot. Buy an apple and then the apple vendor will be happier to let you photograph him.