Documentary photographer Anthony McKee explains how he captured this unusually-lit street scene on the streets of Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands.
Sunset is a magic time in Honiara; as the late afternoon light wraps the town in a warm glow, the streets get busy with workers heading home to their villages. For some people though, sunset is the start of another long night behind bars. A history of civil unrest has meant that many businesses and government departments now employ staff to guard their properties at night, and properties often have steel fences topped with razor wire.
Having just spent the afternoon photographing coastal villages, I was walking back to the hotel along the main street when I noticed the flicker of an arc welder illuminating a shopfront. As I got closer I could see the hunched figure of the workman but I also noticed three other figures waiting to get on with their evening’s work.
A few minutes earlier I had raised the ISO on my camera to 6400 to try and make photos in the fading light, but by now it was getting dark, with not much street lighting to rely on. Fortunately, the white flashes of the arc welder were just bright enough to make photos by. Without making a fuss I raised the camera and waited for the brightest moments to push the shutter release. I made seven exposures in the space of half a minute and later realised that in all but one photo, everyone was looking in different directions. Having the two men at left just looking at the camera only added to the photo for me. it revealed an almost indifference to another evening of work behind bars in Honiara.
Nikon D810, 17-35mm @ 35mm, 1/60s @ f/4, ISO 6400.
