'Street Stories', stories from the world portrayed by Alex Burgaz!
My name is Alex Burgaz and currently, I am a photojournalist (@Buhopress), and a member of United Photo Press with whom I have participated in a book to commemorate the 28 years of the organization.
I have been fond of street photography since my very young age. Son of the photographer Jesús Burgaz and relative of Agustí Centelles who, at the same time, I was lucky enough to have them as teachers, I created a photographic project of life, which is now 41 years old. It's called Street Stories.
The project is based on some 10,000 photographs, all of them captured on the streets of Asia, America, Europe and Africa. They immortalize from the simplest day to day to the greatest events of the moment.
All snapshots are ordered chronologically, marking the date and time from 1979 to the present.
The origin
I've been taking photos for as long as I can remember. My father insisted on teaching me and I have always been fascinated. However, I started the Street Stories project at the age of 5, when I was given my first camera (Kodak Instamatic).
My father was an AFC photography teacher during the 70s and 80s, and he took me with him almost every afternoon after school.
Very expert photographers in street photography met there frequently, such as Català Roca, Colom and Maspons, among many others "
They were older and I was always a child with a camera in hand, which was not very common at that time and they were very amused. They spent it between playing with me and giving me great little advice.
This environment and these gentlemen made me fall in love with this type of photography year after year, and that my great project in life was just street photography.
Street Stories not only wants to show a precise moment in each of the snapshots, the intention of the project is to show the evolution of society by viewing the photographs together.
Geographical scope and objectives
The project, within the possibilities, is made in different parts of the world, in order to reflect the difference of progress in different societies, and at the same time, the confluence of them caused by globalization.
The purpose of some photos individually may be informative and historical, but the purpose of the project as a whole is documentary and historical.
The purpose of the project is to reflect social evolution through the years and decades, those small nuances that sometimes seem insignificant, but end up being transcendental.
It is a photographic diary of the history of society and, failing that, of humanity, so the longer it lasts, the more it becomes richer and the more meaning it gains.
The project will last as long as I live, not a day less "
My dream is to live 105 years, so that street stories reach the century, but unfortunately that does not depend on me.
The protagonists
The leading role is for any story that happens in the streets and I also include public places, stories from the most insignificant (everyday life, homeless people, shopping, religions, etc ...) to the most relevant (historical moments, accidents, social conflicts, protests, etc ...).
As with the photographed subjects, from well-known public figures (politicians, artists, etc ...) to the most unknown being on the streets, including myself or even my family, as part of society and this evolution that wants immortalize the project.
Criterion and technique
My criteria is not to follow any criteria, that is, I photograph in a totally neutral way every story that happens in the streets, regardless of what place, what political ideology, what social group, what race or what religion it is.
I use all possible techniques within the world of snapshots, the evolution of the project itself and, at the same time, of its techniques, also reflect the evolution of society in the same way that it tries to do with each of its snapshots. or their sets.
The project tries to convey sadness, pain, melancholy, disappointment, nostalgia, happiness and joy.
It is everything that life itself transmits in each of its moments "
A sample of the photographs from the 'Street Stories' project
70's
80's
90's
2000's
2010's
2020's
