The first day of photography in Iquitos – it was a lot of fun and successful, with numerous spectators. It was already clear beforehand that taking photos in this Belén district would not be easy; all travel guides advise against pulling out a camera here. I was attracted by the very small stores, the stores between the elevated houses, all close to the river. The saleswoman in the first situation warned us to be careful and thus addressed the danger. Several women and a few men watched us on the way, the first three stores were close together. The children followed us with great curiosity and were of course delighted with the sweets!
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At the second station, when I had finished setting up my camera for a photo of the people selling charcoal, we were told that a man had just passed us with a knife as we arrived, and the “neighborhood watcher” advised us not to stay too long.
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Of course, these speeches did something to us, it is always difficult to assess these comments. We agreed to pay attention to what the locals were saying and, once I felt we had enough in the can for the day, we made our way home, satisfied!
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All those I was able to portray were extremely open-minded and also enjoyed the shoot. They felt honored to be a part of this whole process, to be a part of the big exhibition that will show store from all over the world. Nobody asked for money directly, unlike in Cusco and La Paz. Being annoyed by disrespectful photographers is obviously not yet so pronounced here.
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