Crazy Dog

Cameron McLaren

July 16, 2018

Cameron McLaren talks about his stay in Port Moresby - the city that is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world.
"This image was made in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 2018. Thousands of locals surrounded the PNG national football stadium, chanting as the K-9 unit taunted the crowd with German Shepherds.

It felt like the crowd wanted the carnage, they wanted to see someone get ripped apart by this huge dog. I think everyone there wanted this, apart from me. With such high energy, the crowd ran, jumped and flew as they prepared for the onslaught that wasn’t to be.

For me, this was an image that summed up Port Moresby. It’s a place imbued with so much tension. Especially from an international perspective, this place will never have the chance for positive change when people only want to discuss the worst moments instead of the best. If you call somewhere one of the most dangerous places in the world, that’s what it becomes.

The image was taken from a larger body of work, to be presented in late 2018/2019, called Crazy Dog. It is a city portrait that describes my personal experience in Port Moresby."
Text and image: © Cameron McLaren

Cameron McLaren+-

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© Vivien McLaren

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1984, Cameron McLaren found a passion for documentary photography at a young age. He learnt the craft from his father in their darkroom. With a strong interest in human circumstances, McLaren’s work often focuses on sharing stories of people and communities which are little known – always with a strong aim to bring the unseen, unique or unusual to the viewer. His work is based around personal connections and unconventional moments. More