Gustavo Rosas and Gonzalo Gómez from Montevideo, Uruguay, about their project “Shot” and their approaches in Street Photography.

Gustavo, Gonzalo, please introduce yourself briefly.

Gustavo Rosas: I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on May 15, 1985. In the year 2006 I began to study graphic design at the School of Social Communication (UTU). In 2008 I took the introductory photography course at the Uruguayan School of Photography and Video (EUF) and in 2017 I completed my degree in Visual and Plastic Arts at the National School of Fine Arts (IENBA). I am currently working as a photographer and freelance graphic designer.

Gonzalo Gómez: I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on October 17, 1979. In 2007 I graduated as a graphic designer at the UTU School of Social Communication. I won prizes in contests of logos and posters, many of them related to social issues, and in parallel I began to carry out assignments of visual communication. At the end of 2010 I bought my first camera, and from there I didn’t stop taking photos. I am currently working as a freelance graphic designer and photographer.

Your submitted photos are part from your project “shot”. Please tell us how that idea came about.

Gonzalo: With Gustavo we met in the year 2006 in the graphic design career. In 2010 we were doing design work for a client when Gustavo showed me some pictures he had taken in the coastal area of Montevideo. I found his vision of life on the streets of our city very interesting, and coincidentally I was also taking pictures in the street.

Having that motivation, at the end of 2012 we began to walk through the downtown areas of Montevideo seeking moments that excited us. Then, in 2015 we realized that we had reached an original and diverse photo production, so we decided to give the series an identity. Then we came up with the name “Shot”.

Please tell us a bit about your personal aproaches to capture those candid moments on the streets.

Gustavo: I go for a walk without a previous idea, trying to photograph what in some way excites and surprises me, from a small gesture to the most complex situation. I believe that walking frees the mind and one becomes more receptive to what happens in the street. I like to be close to the situation (depending on the possibilities) and I consider that there are few times that a singular photo can be captured, but it is always worth trying.

Gonzalo: I simply walk without any specific goal. I like the sense of humor and irony, but also the drama and ambiguity. Surely this influences me when it comes to finding a situation to photograph. I have also noticed that I like the adrenaline that I feel when I have to take a picture very quickly or get close enough to the subject.

What makes Montevideo so special for street photography?

Gonzalo: Montevideo is a very calm city, which means a challenge to find peculiar moments to photograph in its streets. However, we always walk with an optimistic spirit and an open mind. In that way we are receptive to spontaneous and candid situations that may appear.

And what makes street photography so special for you?

Gonzalo: For me, street photography is an activity that naturally connects me with my intuition in the search for moments that awaken some kind of emotion. It also makes me pay attention to particularities in people (a gesture or look). Not knowing what I’m going to find generates in me a nice feeling that has a playful component. I feel good practicing it, even when interesting events do not appear.

Gustavo: I feel street photography as a form of personal expression, while awakening my curiosity to understand what surrounds me. I think the condition of unpredictability makes it exciting and there is also a special adrenaline at the moment of the shot, the expectation that something unusual may happen.

What are your future plans concerning the shot project?

Gustavo: Shot is a project that we started in 2013 and has no end date. It is divided by seasons, which forces us to edit the material regularly. In 2018 we will start  season 4. We are also thinking about editing a book with a selection of the best of all seasons.

Where can we find more of your work?

Project website www.shotproyecto.com

Instagram Gustavo: gustavorosasfoto
Instagram Gonzalo: gonzalogomez.foto

Thanks Gustavo, thanks Gonzalo!