In Valparaiso, it’s unfortunately common to see people lying on the street, especially after a party. We call them «Los Borrachos», the drunks. But why did I take this picture? It happened very quickly, I felt a bit uncomfortable when I walked up the sidewalk and saw the man lying on the ground. I felt the need to take a picture without really knowing why.
So I moved to the side of the road to take the picture. It was only in the evening, when I was sorting through my shots, that I noticed the shadow of the lamppost piercing the man and the ominous look on the garage door a little further on. This scene with a special atmosphere, which could be called «The Shadow that Kills», takes place on Montt Street called in Spanish «Subida Montt ». Later, during a cycling journey I took through southern Chile, I realised that «subida», which means «to climb» in Spanish, sounds a bit like «to suffer» in French… This man sadly illustrates the parallel in a street where the hostel I had chosen was already called «La bicyclette» (The bicycle)!