Tourists along the beaches in Mexico strike a pose in this creative series, Tourist Stranger Self-Portraits, by photographer Benoit Paill. Finding a great fascination in all of the strangers who pass him by, Paill decided to travel to a leisurely and relaxed environment, and to create a photographic event through an intimate interaction with people in public spaces.
For the project, Paill called on strangers to be the focus of each photograph. He set up the composition and then handed each person a remote trigger, leaving the timing of the photograph up to when each person was actually ready. The artist specifically chose a beach environment because he says, “This particular environment allows me to capture the image of the body of almost naked subjects, as disclosed elsewhere in society.” The final results are a simple documentation of strangers in a public space combined with an interesting display of mild vanity.
