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Overview Projects Commissions About Contact Store

Overview Projects Commissions

Greg White

About Contact Store

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Talking to strangers

Before I set off on my road trip through the Southern United States in 2019, I thought I knew what I wanted to capture on film: rolling hills, scorching sun, spindly Bayou trees. But when I got there, the landscape - relentlessly flat, sometimes bleak, expanses of farmland - wasn't what I expected at all. I soon realised that I wouldn't be able to convey my impressions of the American South by photographing the scenery. Instead, I needed to connect with the people that lived there, however daunting and unfamiliar this might feel. "Talking to Strangers" is my scrapbook of snatched moments from my visit, profiles of the people I connected with and memories of the conversations we had. My own feelings are wrapped up in the photographs, too - the awkwardness of being an outsider, my uneasiness about a potential confrontation or the frustration of missing an opportunity for connection. Some of my conversations with strangers took an ugly tum, revealing the ignorance of racism that can lie just below the surface of a friendly chat. Other exchanges were funny and warm, others wise and meaningful. Some of the people talked for so long that I wondered if I would ever get away! Meeting them all helped me document both the messiness and the beauty of small town life in America.

Before I set off on my road trip through the Southern United States in 2019, I thought I knew what I wanted to capture on film: rolling hills, scorching sun, spindly Bayou trees. But when I got there, the landscape - relentlessly flat, sometimes bleak, expanses of farmland - wasn't what I expected at all. I soon realised that I wouldn't be able to convey my impressions of the American South by photographing the scenery. Instead, I needed to connect with the people that lived there, however daunting and unfamiliar this might feel. "Talking to Strangers" is my scrapbook of snatched moments from my visit, profiles of the people I connected with and memories of the conversations we had. My own feelings are wrapped up in the photographs, too - the awkwardness of being an outsider, my uneasiness about a potential confrontation or the frustration of missing an opportunity for connection. Some of my conversations with strangers took an ugly tum, revealing the ignorance of racism that can lie just below the surface of a friendly chat. Other exchanges were funny and warm, others wise and meaningful. Some of the people talked for so long that I wondered if I would ever get away! Meeting them all helped me document both the messiness and the beauty of small town life in America.

Before I set off on my road trip through the Southern United States in 2019, I thought I knew what I wanted to capture on film: rolling hills, scorching sun, spindly Bayou trees. But when I got there, the landscape - relentlessly flat, sometimes bleak, expanses of farmland - wasn't what I expected at all. I soon realised that I wouldn't be able to convey my impressions of the American South by photographing the scenery. Instead, I needed to connect with the people that lived there, however daunting and unfamiliar this might feel. "Talking to Strangers" is my scrapbook of snatched moments from my visit, profiles of the people I connected with and memories of the conversations we had. My own feelings are wrapped up in the photographs, too - the awkwardness of being an outsider, my uneasiness about a potential confrontation or the frustration of missing an opportunity for connection. Some of my conversations with strangers took an ugly tum, revealing the ignorance of racism that can lie just below the surface of a friendly chat. Other exchanges were funny and warm, others wise and meaningful. Some of the people talked for so long that I wondered if I would ever get away! Meeting them all helped me document both the messiness and the beauty of small town life in America.