CONGO DRC - slaughtering a pig

[amoz]

It has been quite a while since I last posted here, but I got back from six months of fieldwork in Congo and here is a short series to wet your appetite ;-).

Feel free to share your critique.

MP+35/2 cron and R2A+75/2 cron

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.


12.


13.

 

[Spavinaw]

It's called "hog killin" around here.

 

[johannielscom]

Back home, that'll mak'em think twice when ordering barbecue burgers this season 😱😱😀

Strong shots. Not easy to look at, but I'm a sucker for the contradiction between horrific shots and the esthetics involved with framing, composing and lighting. Got a 'Pretty dead' set on Flickr (buzzardkid) that would match nicely 🙂

 

[amoz]

[...] the contradiction between horrific shots and the esthetics involved [...]

Cool comment, thanks.

 

[TWoK]

Very nice, what film did you use?

 

[nonot]

Nice pics, how was the bbq? (seriously... how was it?)

 

[Disaster_Area]

Coming from Northern Canada, I don't find this grotesque or gruesome at all... it's not anything I haven't seen before with deer, moose or bear... it's just a way of life for many people. It's cool seeing how simple things like this connect all cultures, no matter where you're from 🙂

 

[michaelshane]

The word is whet,not wet.....

 

[amoz]

Thanks. I used Velvia 100F. My number one choice would have been Provia, but there was a big discount on the Velvias when I left... I also shot b&w on Tri-X, but am still in the process of developing and scanning those.

The meat was good, and we needed the protein too. There was often a shortage on other sources of proteins (like beans), and about once a week we could get some fish or meat. So I had rat, bushbuck, monkey, python, etc.

 

[johannielscom]

I like the last shot a lot. Takes some time to fully register what youre looking at, then shock, then the revulse, then new interest for lighting, framing etc.

Would be nice in large I guess!?

 

[amoz]

I like the last shot a lot. Takes some time to fully register what youre looking at, then shock, then the revulse, then new interest for lighting, framing etc.

Would be nice in large I guess!?

Yes, I appreciate your views. I have printed number nine at 100 x 150 cm, it comes out like an abstract fleshy close-up --it's only when one steps back a bit, that the hands become visible and one can identify the actual subject.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Coming from Northern Canada, I don't find this grotesque or gruesome at all... it's not anything I haven't seen before with deer, moose or bear...

Same thing for me (except we don't get moose or bears here); With todays protective parenting you gotta laugh when you ask a kid "Where does milk come from?" and they say "From the factory".

Sure looks like it provided a great meal Amoz. Wonderful photos, some fantastic contrasts between the bright blue shirt, the blood and the brown muted colours of the ground and water.

 

[nikku]

Excellent shots, and great color.

 

[nonot]

Co-Sign this, it's actually much less disgusting than how a slaughter house does things. I grew up in a typical Canadian farming community so pig roasts and 'head cheese saturdays' probably prepared me for the facts about where meat comes from, haha.

Coming from Northern Canada, I don't find this grotesque or gruesome at all... it's not anything I haven't seen before with deer, moose or bear... it's just a way of life for many people. It's cool seeing how simple things like this connect all cultures, no matter where you're from 🙂

 

[amoz]

Thanks a lot for your time and comments!

 

[KeithCostin]

These pictures are making me hungry...

 

[fotomeow]

Interesting, not the usual posts we see on RFF. What "field work" were you doing? Are the images part of a story/thesis/project you are doing?

The initial question that popped up when I began looking at the photos was "from what point of view" are you taking the photos?
The images seem to be a mix of photo types: travel, documentary, "art", animal cruelty, compassion ..... rather than from one point of view, which gets back to my question, what were your trying to portray with these photos?
I really do like the mix of photo styles you have here, but for me, I would prefer to trim the styles down to 2 or 3 maximum. I really like how you threw in some different types of shots in the stream of images, eg the picture of the ground with blood and leaves, and the two images one after the other of the image of the human feet by the stream followed by the image of the pigs feet cut off:--> seems to make a statement about comparing the two? no?

Overall, nice use of lighting, focus, and tigher compositions of the details, eg hand, feet, close up. That combo of 35mm and 75mm works really well together, and having those two lenses on two RFs ready to shoot came in pretty handy.
Thank you so much for sharing your shots and being open to critique. I really would be interested in your answers to the above questions I have asked!

 

[AgentX]

A pig being slaughtered is about the least of the things people should be worried about, in the abstract, when it comes to cruelty in the RDC...

Look forward to seeing more pics. Did you have much trouble shooting there? In Goma, I ended up with lots of guns pointed at me for taking a landscape shot of the volcano across an open field....