While shooting a project in the Dominican Republic for Microsoft I spent a little time walking through a barrio just outside of Santo Domingo. At first there weren’t many people around, but an old woman invited me into her home to show me photos of her son who was serving with the U.S. Army.
By the time I had gotten out of the house, word had gotten around and the project Producer and myself had gone from anonymous to a curiosity to celebrity. Soon the streets were buzzing with activity and my camera was drawing a lot of attention from the neighborhood children. At one point an old man waved me into his yard. He really wanted me to see his bible, for some reason.
Later, back in Santo Domingo I came across a few other kids playing in the street. They were all very interested in the camera and really wanted their pictures taken. Soon they swarmed around me like a band of bees. More kids kept coming out from alleyways, huts, seemingly everywhere. Soon I was swimming in a sea of children.
Not sure why the people of the DR are so interested in just having their pictures taken. They were not like people from any other place I had been to: most 3rd world countries, people want you to take their picture, but then they have their hands out, and in America… well, I’m from Hollywood which has it’s own brand of jaded-ness, but most folks here won’t let you take a photo of them before first negotiating the price. Not in the DR. They just simply seemed to be excited about having their pictures taken.