shooting random strangers (a digital soul thief)

Billy Gomez is an LA native living in Seoul Korea and the dearest friend I’ve never met.  He’s also become an amazing photographer in the three years since he’s began taking pictures.  For these reasons, I wanted to share Billy and his photos with the fmly.

Full name?

William Nicholas Gomez. William after my dad, Nicholas after my grandpa, and Gomez after some greedy conquistador.

Arthur & Yu – Come to View (Song For Neil Young)

Age?

38.

Sign (some people love that shit!  I have to admit that I pay attention to it too)?

Taurus.  Yeah, the shit’s interesting.  It really doesn’t come down to whether or not you believe in it, it’s just a trip to compare personalities based on when they were born in a year…experiencing the seasons in the same cycle throughout a lifetime.  There’s a lot to be said about that.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a little barrio, near a bunch of factories…not far from Disneyland.  It was–and still is–called Atwood.  It was where all the Mexicans lived.

What put you in Korea?

After Danny (great friend and brother) passed away in 2004, having fought cancer for 2 1/2 years, the need to get away seemed apparent.  Looking back, I think it was more of an emotional urgency than anything else.  So yeah, when I wanted to go, I wanted to go as soon as possible…Japan wasn’t an option at that point.  The more I looked into it the more it seemed like too much of a process.  Korea had a more expedited process…I needed that at the time.

Do you generally shoot random strangers–I mean take pictures of random strangers?

Yeah.  I just think it interests me the most…you never know what you might get.  The unpredictability of it all is kind of cool, you know?  Not to mention the rush that comes with the fact you might be pissing someone off too…sort of addictive I guess you could say.

Do you have certain “hunting grounds” where you search for subject matter?

I used to…now I just let them find me and they always do.

Have you ever stalked a subject to get a shot?  If so, have you ever seen someone in a certain place and returned to that same place a number of times to try and get a photo of them?

I have and I will if the situation calls for it.  For example, while shooting in downtown LA with my friend Bradford, I saw this old guy coming from down the street–too good to pass up.  I took a few shots when he got to me and didn’t like them so I just kept chasing him and taking more until I got what I wanted.

Fittingly, he only saw me on the last one I took.  Here’s the final product (he turned to look at me a few seconds later):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billygomez/2729346465/in/set-72157606636339492/

Have you ever become friends with a stranger you shot on the street?

No…but I have seen people that I’ve taken pictures of.  The first time it happened it really tripped me out.  I mean, Seoul is a pretty big goddamn city.  The chances of that happening are few and far between…a surreal experience, for sure.  I saw this guy on the subway, he had a cart and was selling umbrellas.  While listening to his spiel, I stared at him, confused because I wasn’t able to place where I had seen him.  It was like a face from a dream or something.  After staring at him for a few minutes, it came to me.  It was this guy:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billygomez/2290632075/in/set-72157603611167450/

When I got home and looked at the picture it became apparent that he had aged quite a bit in the year or so since I had taken the picture…kind of made me sad…hard lives lived, you know.  The man was in the wrong business…he should have been a movie star.  The face in the picture I took was selling something else entirely.

What are some things people have said to you as you shoot them on the street?  Do people generally try to ignore you or do they stare you down like, what the fuck!

To be honest, I think I’ve gotten pretty good at taking the shot before they even see me–and if they do, I just look past them and pretend like I took a picture of something behind them.  It’s funny to see them turn around and look at nothing too.

How long has it been since you started really trying to shoot photos?

I started with video, nothing professional–just a lot of recreation.  While editing video I would always stop the footage on these frames and it got me thinking.  I finally started taking pictures around 2006.

Are there any individuals you know personally or admire from afar that have helped you to find your way (I mean in photography)?

I was about 19 when I met Danny’s brother, Aloysious.  He had just gotten back from Paris.  He painted, wrote and took pictures:  http://dougherty3.com/ I moved into their house after I graduated from high school.  I would come home from work at night and see him painting in the garage, writing at a table or reading a book.  Needless to say, watching and talking to him over the years changed my life forever.  Not only did he influence me, he supported and believed in every little endeavor along the way even when I didn’t.  Everything started with Aloysious…I learned a lot about everything from him.

I know a bit about the gear you’re using–a Canon Digital SLR with a 135mm lens and a 50mm lens.  Are you saving for anything new for any special reason?

Not really.  I like to keep it simple.  The only time I want a better camera is when I go to make prints.  Aside from that, I really dig my small point and shoot cameras.  I’ve even taken some pictures with my phone.

This set was created with P&S cameras:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billygomez/sets/72157622000772043/

Have you ever asked a woman to see here dragon fly tattoo (I heard somebody ask a girl that the other night when I was out running.  For some reason it struck me as funny)

No.  I have asked for ID though.  As I get older, I find it harder to tell how old they are, you know?  Not that I have that kind of game but luck is everywhere and so are jails.  It’s much better to be safe than sorry!