Let me introduce myself. While many of the street photographers here know me, I figure maybe I should let others in on who I am.
My name is Alex Coghe. I am Italian, born in Rome but I moved definitely in Mexico City in 2010.
I shoot Mexico City since 12 years ago so this means that I know enough this city. As a professional photographer I do photojournalism and portraits, specializing in books for models. I worked also for Leica Camera Ag on assignment and for Burberry. That was my debut in fashion photography.
I have been providing street photography workshops for quite a few years now.
My workshops are real experiences and usually I work with small groups or private one to one for all levels. My workshops in Mexico City are a success with students coming from any part of the world. Recently I added Oaxaca as city available for my masterclass street photography workshop. I propose also photographic expeditions in Oaxaca, for example in October&November during Day of the Dead celebrations.
For STRKNG I decided to focus on street photography but I reserve in future to show part of my work with models.
On my website alexcoghe.com you will find a lot of resources and I am publishing a small guide to street photography.
About Street Photography I can say that is part of me every single day. It doesn’t matter if I’m in my barrio or in downtown: every time I go out I have to do it with a camera, digital or film.
I ask my students what their motivations are. Because I believe that they have to be strong if you want to be a street photographer. There is a difference between being and doing it. I don’t want to go into too much depth here on the ontology of being street photographers but let me tell you that for me it’s about being willing to bleed. I mean not literally but willing to really pour ourselves into the work we are going to do.
When I am on the street I certainly do not hide what I am doing, or photographing. I am in an open and positive attitude, I smile because I love what I do and in all these years I must say that even shooting in places considered difficult if not dangerous I have never had excessive problems.
I photographed also with flash, it happens often to get very close to people, using lenses between 28mm and 35mm. The goal for me is a photograph showing gestures and that special humanity that you can find in a shot.
What I do is to interpret what has always been my curiosity towards other people. I do it and I did it as a writer and I don’t turn it off when I have the camera with me.