Pirates of the Mediterranean

Richard

In many European cities, one sees groups of guys selling counterfeit DVDs, watches, sunglasses and other junk on the street. It's a constant game of cat and mouse with the local police.



They put their stuff on the ground on top of a cloth with strings that run from each corner to a ring in the center. When a lookout spots the police, they grab the ring and the cloth becomes a sack containing all the junk. They're gone in seconds.



They're not exactly inconspicuous, but the police have more serious problems to deal with.



C&C always welcome.

angevin1

Darned Interesting Richard!

rainbow

Love the photos, individually and as a set. The third is especially compelling with the gaze of the guy on the left (are you a threat or just a dumb tourist...) and the blurred sneak on the right.

I saw the same in Costa Rica. It was like a dance. On schedule, the cops would begin to walk down the street (from a police kiosk) as the guys/girls grabbed their stuff and moved around the corner. Once the cops passed them, they would set up again while the identical scenario was enacted on the next block with the same cops. Seemed as if everyone was content going through the motions this way.

Richard

Thanks Tom and rainbow. It is a silly game they play. They pick up their stuff, walk around the block then set up all over again, and it's not that the cops don't understand what they're up to.

rainbow: I like #3 too, but I don't think it works as well standalone as the other two. Since these guys are often in my neighborhood, I'm hoping to get some more shots to add to the series. It all happens too quickly to capture in a single shoot. These were shot on three separate occasions.

jdryan3

I like #2 with the guitar player in the background looking all intense while everyone else is just milling around.

lizzard_nyc

Damn Richard--love this series!
Short and sweet.

Seriously one of my favorites from you lately.

I just got back from vacation myself and well I got nothing!
Great looking out and storytelling and coversion.

schmoo

I love the info here and the shots to go with it. Heck even your thread title hits the mark. Winner, all around.

swifteye

This is a good series and subject Richard. I do see that you place your self cautiously removed from your subjects. I would be interested in seeing a deeper cut. How approachable are they? Can you gain trust with them to photograph them in a deeper way? That would of course require a commitment and risk.

Richard

Thanks, Liz, Schmoo, JD and Jamie. I appreciate the kind words.

I don't think it would be easy to get closer to these guys. The whole enterprise is illegal, of course, and while the guys on the street seem gentle enough, the mafia that they work for is not. But to be honest, I think the problem I have is that I don't really like what they are doing--it uglifies the neighborhood. Without sympathy, I don't think it would work.

damonff

love #3

Richard

damonff wrote: »

love #3

Glad you liked it. Thanks.