Photographing Strange Times

As always I casually roam the streets and the chaos finds its way to me. I walk, hearing the chants in the distance, growing closer to me. I enter a bookshop to take a look around, and from the window I see the horde of people appear. In droves as the roads are swallowed up by pedestrians. I walk out and enter the crowd. I take note of the signs and the flags around, capturing an idea of who or what this rally is in support of: it was again Pashinyan, the current Prime Minister defending his position in upcoming elections. I walked and noticed the crowd growing larger and louder. At Republic Square a huge stage stood there, and to no surprise him and his team stood at it, speaking into the crowd.

I didn't have much interest in photographing like crazy here, not like I usually do. The crowd seemed a bit more tense with little time left. Many shouting around. Flags waving with little regard for those around, and to not be too judgemental but I could swear I could count the average number of teeth in a person's mouth with a single hand. This is usually quite common for rallies, for some reason it brings out mostly the elderly. The really energetic despite their wrinkled faces and shorter heights. I took a few photographs deep in the crowd with little room to move around. I felt a bit stuck in it at one point, having to make my way through it on the way out almost by force. For Armenians, Pashinyan is the ticket into Europe, much like the Georgian argument was for a while. Though that fell through as the Georgian government had enough of the peddling and started to say no. Armenia became the next text subject. The next blockade of the former USSR to stop Russia's regional influence.

This felt like the last real rally to bring people together and gather attention through disruption. Many roads closed in the area. Heavy police presence. And fireworks of powder that threw the Armenian flag's colours into the sky. Funnily on the other side of the small city was Yerevan's first day of its three-day Wine festival. Where I think most of Yerevan's tourists and native population were just getting drunk instead of caring for the political climate of the region and nation itself. Can you really blame them? I walked through that and snapped a few pictures but I think I'll take better ones later today. The chaos there was much higher than the rally, that's for sure.

I think I would've found more enjoyment in shooting these places had I had film stock to shoot on. I did end up going to a shop nearby afterwards and buying a roll of Colorplus 200 for the upcoming rallies and maybe protests. Digital hasn't quite been capturing my attention lately. And my photojournalism interest seems to suit film stock a bit more. It's all fun to see the world and its moments that define eras, though. It feels rather important to capture. And that's the fun of photography.