All images by Remera. Used with permission.
“The idea behind ‘Transit’ is to document how people interact and how lives intersect and bind while traveling.” says Remera, a photographer born in Rwanda in 1981. Now living and working in Luxembourg, Remera got into photography through workshops and classes while studying in Strasbourg. Then in 2010, he fell deeper into love with the art form while travelling.
Remera does what many photographers seem to be doing these days: avoiding color because of the complications, emotions and feelings that it can arouse in an image. “In some cases, I find colors can be distracting, the eye can get lost in variety of elements,” he says.
His story is one that tries to analyze how folks interact during public commutes.
Phoblographer: Talk to us about how you got into photography.
Remera: I had a photography course for a semester, during my architecture studies. For one year, we had to develop a project using a film camera. It was the first opportunity to get into the basics of photography and to spend time in darks rooms.
A few years later, prior to trip in China, in 2010, I bought my first DSLR, a Canon EOS 1000D. The idea was to document the one month trip around China. Since then, this camera and now a Fuji X-E1 follows me everywhere I go
Phoblographer: What got you into street photography?
Remera: For me, street photography is a way to capture places and people around me. Subjects invisible to common eyes then become outstanding. When I’m traveling, street photography helps me understand different cultures, meet different people, and above all give me the opportunity to show the world through my eyes
Phoblographer: Transit is a project about people commuting on a daily basis, so what made you want to do the project?
Remera: Last year, I traveled around Morocco for a few weeks. By using public transport, taxis or spending time in bus stations, I realized that these places are not only made to travel, but have become a means to exchange, discuss and share. The idea behind “Transit” is to document how people interact and how lives intersect and bind while traveling.
Phoblographer: To you, what qualifies as a moment that is worth being photographed?
Remera: For me that moment tells a story or questions the reader. This is what I strive to do through my photographs. With that moment, I want to take the reader with me to discover others cultures. to see how others live elsewhere.
Phoblographer: Why is this entire project in black and white?
Remera: In some cases, I find colors can be distracting, the eye can get lost in variety of elements, taking the focus away. The diversity of tones and contrasts we can have in black and white are interesting for me. Even if in my recent projects, I tend to use more and more colour photography
