How far should we go?

Within the world of photography there is a clear divide between straight photography and the pictorialists.  One holds never to manipulate an image and the other to distort it out of reality.  For me this is a difficult line.   When an image becomes a piece of art does it change the reality of the struggles of those in it?  Not always, becomes my answer.  Now, if we remove vital details for sure it crosses the line, but if the image becomes more compelling, more striking, has more emotional impact without changing the reality then I think it is worth it.

This image of Syrian refugees was in my mind before I left home – that I found it was an amazing moment.  The girl in the foreground is Miriam.  After a bombing raid she had been injured in the face and when this photo was taken the doctors had just observed that she could smile again.  As refugees, the family long to return home to their farm and live in peace, but there is still no end in sight for this ongoing conflict leaving over nine million displaced from their homes.

Now, for me the question, 'How far should we go?' is compelling for another reason too.  I remember a story I once heard about two sons.  They were both asked by their father to go out and do some work.  One said, “Sure Dad, you’ve got it.”  The other was not enthusiastic and said so.  And so the story unfolds, the one with the positive words got distracted and never got to the task, but the other quietly got to it and worked hard until the job was complete.  We all know that words are cheap and that it is what we do that matters.  And so I ask this question first to myself.  I hope my answer always remains the same, "To the ends of the earth, Dad.”      

Getting Beneath the Skin

It’s been while since my last post, hopefully I will get back in the flow and my plan is to write about a single image. 

Getting beneath the skin is a difficult task, the kind of thing that we hear photographers speaking about but without a clear idea of how to get there.  It speaks of our quest for the truth in photographs, and given that photography is the only art medium that allows us to capture reality, this is no small thing to squander. 

My goal in this photograph was simple, to answer the question, ‘How does she feel when I am not there?’  The photograph itself gives the answer.  It comes from a clear working method.  

Now, one of the reasons I love National Geographic is that it is a picture driven publication.  Most of their photographers take thousands of images and a part of this is that the camera itself is the tool of exploration.  On a trip to Lebanon I found myself shooting on the street with a discreet camera, observing people going about their business, a couple sitting in a crowded café or, as on one occasion, in a coffee shop where on one table there were two young friends in modern clothes, chatting about the day, on the next table old friends in traditional clothing.  Times are changing and it is this kind of image that allows us to see how.

Sebastião Salgado remains one of my photographic hero’s and many years ago he spoke about the need to detach from preconceived notions of a situation to really be able to explore and understand.  I have never had much extra time to spend while on assignment, there has always been the pressure to hit the ground and start shooting.  Within this I developed a method of question and answer.  I ask myself a question and seek out the answer with my camera.  I have a standard set of questions, the two most important are, ‘What is it like when I am not here with my camera?’ and, ‘What is the most important thing in the lives of the people I am photographing?’  I have found the results always bring home the bacon and help me get beneath the skin with the story that really matters.