Enrique Pérez-Garci: The straight line is godless and immoral

“Die gerade Linie ist gottlos und unmoralish (The straight line is godless and immoral)” Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

Streets represent scenarios where human life can perform at its best. Urban spaces tend to have architectural spots that are dominated by straight, bending, and curved lines, which often frame our daily activities in an inadvertent manner. These structures can also help us to isolate ourselves from the crowds. I aim to capture these unique moments through my photography.

To do my photography I usually walk for hours our even catch a random train or bus to another city to find areas rich in light contrasts, textures and line patterns to create my imagery version of urban life. When I discover a potential scenario, I spend some time firstly to find an interesting angle and secondly to wait (sometimes for even hours) to capture an interesting subject passing by. Large angle lenses are my first choice to give a particular twist to my compositions, and I subsequently edit the photos by using high contrast B&W and negative spaces to add a minimalist atmosphere.

… Straight or curved lines? What do you prefer?

Biography

I am a Mexican, born and raised in Mexico City, and I also hold Spanish citizenship. Since 2003, I have resided in Switzerland.

Like many photographers, I began my photography journey by shooting landscapes. The results were never satisfactory to me, and truthfully, it was quite boring. Don’t get me wrong, a good landscape picture is always appreciated. I also attempted macro photography, which certainly was of great help in fully understanding and mastering the basic principles and technicalities of photography. Many of my influences were the old-time heroes in street photography, so at some point I decided to hit the street. Two photographs, ‘Splash’ and ‘Exit,’ marked the start of my journey in urban photography. “Splash” allowed me for the first time to stretch the boundaries of black and white, and “Exit” revealed to me the beauty of leading lines and pushed myself to find unusual perspectives and angles when taking photos.

Some of my work has been featured in specialised photography magazines such as Soul of Street and Street Photography Magazine.