I Used Polaroid To Connect With Locals In Sierra Leone

Polaroid Photography became popular in the 1970s and remains much-loved today thanks to Instax. The humble polaroid captures everything from New Year’s celebrations to street photography.

For me, it’s the latter that I want to focus on for today’s article. The pictures that follow were taken during a recent trip to Sierra Leone, a country that remains plighted by poverty and years of bad press from the Western World.

I first thought to use Polaroids to challenge the stereotype and showcase life within the country and its people. I quickly discovered this camera was the best way to make contact with locals and to break the ice. The lens acted as a bridge between our two cultures and encouraged the people to open up and allow me to see into their lives.

Every time I took a polaroid, I offered it to the subject in exchange for another picture. This allowed me to see people from two different viewpoints. In the second photo, the focus was on the subject’s hands rather than a person. Take a look… It’s amazing what you can discover about an individual from their hands.

The collection was done in collaboration with @bryannicolamaxwell and Slow Food International. A charity which aims to reinvigorate peoples’ interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us. Slow Food promotes true enjoyment of good food, and food production systems that provide good, clean and fair food for everyone.

More info: gauvin.pictures | Instagram

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