| Paige Williams
Staff writer The photographer Leonard Suryajaya and I drove the entire route of the 127 Yard Sale separately—I alone, and he with his husband, Peter, who often works as Suryajaya’s manager and assistant. They live in Chicago but had never seen the yard sale before Suryajaya, who is originally from Indonesia, was assigned the photo essay that accompanies my story, “Land of the Flea,” in this week’s issue. Covering nearly seven hundred miles in four days required efficient flexibility. Suryajaya told me that he approached potential subjects without his camera gear, first asking if they were interested in posing for a portrait. Only after they assented did he pull out his camera, tripod, lights, drape. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What was the 127 Yard Sale like for you? Like speed dating, in a sense. I’d have to make quick decisions in terms of composition and lighting. A lot of the time, people were watching the process, but I could use that to my benefit. For example, the guy with the gun in Tennessee was very animated. I asked if he had something to wear other than a black T-shirt, so he picked out his own clothes. Basically, he’s wearing an old Boy Scout uniform.  Pikeville, Tennessee: Tim George. | Photographs by Leonard Suryajaya How often had you been out in the country like this? This was my first time, in terms of having to meet people and then having to engage, hoping that they would pose for a photograph. Prior to this, a lot of my work featured my friends, my family, people that I know, usually in their space at home. It felt a bit unsettling because I was using a film camera: I couldn’t see the photographs until I drove back to Chicago, developed the film, and scanned it. I was carrying a lot of anxieties about pushing myself to take a lot of photographs just in case something didn’t turn out. In each photo we see a subject or subjects holding a black bulb attached to a long cable, allowing them to operate the shutter. Why do it that way? After I set up the light, after I compose the frame and focus the camera, I have to put the negative inside of the camera. If the subjects move, they will become out of focus, so I have to instruct them to be still and to be patient. I think having that ball in their hands gives them a sense of power. Otherwise it can feel very daunting, having to wait for your photograph to be taken. We were also thinking of these photographs as grand selfies. Being able to share that process with the subjects makes it feel even more intimate and collaborative.  Owenton, Kentucky: Mayra Manjarrez, Alma Aguazul, Margarita Manjarrez, Geraldin Galicia, Janelle Aguazul, Eddy Aguazul, Dulce Cruz, and Diego Amador. I use a four-by-five, large-format film camera. I’ve been using the same film for the past ten years, Kodak Ektar 100. With this film, you need a lot of light. I love this process because I set the camera on the tripod and then have to work with the subjects; the picture transforms into a stage, and the subjects become characters, collaborators. It’s not just me snapping away, or trying to get a picture of them when they’re not ready. Whenever I shoot with a digital camera, I feel like I’m so fixated on the result that I forget that the human-to-human interaction is actually more important. What did you come away thinking, in terms of America and unity? I was nervous about approaching the subjects, but, as soon as I introduced myself and got a sense of them, they were welcoming and nice despite whatever beliefs they might have. I only have a green card, so I don’t get to vote. I think that, because I don’t present myself as a very political person, it allows me to get to know people in different ways. This experience kind of dismantled a lot of the fears I had about how I am being perceived in these places. Because, honestly, I was the only Asian person I saw, and I was travelling with my husband but not able to introduce him as my husband. We stuck out, just in the way that we look. But going through the route reminded me that we’re all just humans.  Liberty, Kentucky: Grace and Elijah Martin with their children, Hannah, Arianna, and Caleb. | 
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