Photography Interviews: Photojournalism

Welcome to an interview of the amazingly talented Photojournalism photographers: InayatShah, 1pen, and siddhartha19 representing the various galleries within the photojournalism category. We hope you will enjoy the insight this interview might provide you on photojournalism, and each artist's personal experiences and views.

1. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your experience as a photojournalist?

InayatShah:

I am an avionics engineer by education and served in the air force till about 10 years ago. Currently I am director of engineering in a defense and aerospace company. As a photographer I have had a camera in my hand since I was 7. My first camera being a Kodak Box Brownie, However I don’t ever recall being able to take a single picture with it.

Photography has been a slow evolution and self-learning with me. Due to circumstance beyond my control, I had to leave photography for a decade and about 6 years ago restarted with digital photography.

My photojournalism / documentary art actually evolved from within DA, I felt that I needed to share the more reality of Common Everyday Pakistan in this wonderfully diverse global village of Deviant Art. To, at least, dispel the lopsided and sensationalized image that the international media has presented of Pakistan to the world at large. It also afforded me a personal evolution in perspectives on my own society.

siddhartha19:

I am Siddhartha Mukherjee from India, currently studying in the Netherlands. I have been doing photography on the side with my studies for just over 5 years now, devoting myself almost entirely to street photography and documentary photojournalism. I try to maintain a journalistic approach to my projects from my travels, and have also shot various events and performances.

1pen:

I’m 1pen, a professional sports photographer and photojournalist. I’ve been the team and road photographer for a dozen minor league hockey teams for going on six consecutive seasons now. Since 2011, I also cover most of the United States’ winter sport national teams like speed skating, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, and ski. During the summer “off season” I photograph horse racing and will pick up the occasional last-minute concert request. I own and operate my own photography company freelancing for teams, organizations, and publications and enjoy being able to choose my own assignments and network freely among lots of different clients this way.

2. How would you describe the essence of what photojournalism is? How do you define it? How does it differ from street photography?

siddhartha19:

I believe this is an often debated question. The most convincing difference between street photography and photojournalism to me is the scope of a single photograph in these two "genres". While in street, at least most of the time, the focus is on single photographs that can be standalone offerings. In photojournalism, a photograph must perform individually, as well as a part of a series, conveying a story in continuance. Both, however, should be a mirror to the human condition. Photojournalism furthermore is a necessity as it serves the purpose of documentation, and good photojournalism transcends that into art.

1pen:

Photojournalism and street photography are both forms of storytelling that place a high value on honesty, the difference is to remember that photojournalism is about telling a newsworthy story.

InayatShah:

My first response is do we really need to put art or life into neat little definitions and categories. Life is a blend and mixture of so many aspects and views. The world is complex and there are so many crossovers, fusions and blends and that often a single classification of art leads to a pointless debate.

Photojournalism Vs Street Photography is a much debated topic, But If I was to delve into trying to qualify them I would restrict myself to the very basic definitions of them and understand that they are not mutually exclusive. Street Photography may be photojournalism and vice versa or one could also say classifying an image as photojournalistic, doesn’t mean it can’t be street photography also.

The Text book definitions are :-

“Street photography is photography that features the human condition within public places. Street photography does not necessitate the presence of a street or even the urban environment. Though people usually feature directly, street photography might be absent of people and can be an object or environment where the image projects a decidedly human character in facsimile or aesthetic”

“Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that employs images in order to tell a news story. Photojournalism is to comply with a rigid ethical framework which demands that the work is both honest and impartial whilst telling the story in strictly journalistic terms.”

Street photography has evolved and somehow become more focused since the mid 1900’s which is considered to be the birth-time of street photography by the likes of Cartier-Bresson and Atget and the prime element of photojournalism is the “News”-worthiness of the image. I couldn’t really classify myself (in a strict purist sense) within either of the categories of photojournalism or street. I just prefer to consider my efforts as “documentary art” .. However what is in a name ? “I am not a philosopher, I just take pictures”

3. What do you believe are a few skills one must have in order to be a successful photojournalist?

siddhartha19:

A deep rooted sense of empathy and humility, and consequently respect, I think are the most important. Further, an ability to unobtrusively document the happenings is what to me makes a photograph stand out the most. This entails being "in" the moment whilst not affecting it, perhaps even being able to anticipate. Though I would not call myself a "successful photojournalist", this is what I have learnt.

1pen:

Storytelling for one, like I mentioned earlier. I think photojournalists are illustrators and writers at heart, our tool is just a camera. We’re still telling a story, but the events in that story are completely out of our control, the characters have their own minds and their own voices. So it’s a different kind of storytelling, the kind that involves listening first and and then retelling. I don’t think people realize how much listening is involved in photojournalism. You have to know what to photograph before you can photograph it, and in photojournalism you only know what if you’ve been paying attention.

So observation is a big one, with your eyes, your ears, your mind, all of your senses really. Photography in general has a lot to do with being observant. Setting up for the right moment. Some photographers will wait on a mountain for hours for the right light. Or wait long screaming minutes until the baby finally smiles. Photojournalism means judging your environment and the people within it for the right moment, sometimes in terrifying or demanding conditions. You don’t just have to have a good “eye”, you actually have to have eyes all over your head, in every direction, watching everything. And if you can anticipate the action before it happens? Scope out your environment? Even better. In sports photography, I often study unfamiliar buildings, arenas, tracks, etc. to get a feel for the location and what is about to happen at the event. Comic book artists can convey motion and action through angle and perspective. So do sports photographers. I research my location, the athletes, everything I can to give me an advantage in getting that defining shot. Finding the right location for the right moment with the right light can mean the difference between a decent shot his mom will like (and buy five 6x4s of to have printed at the local pharmacy)…and a magazine cover.

And yes, “people skills”. You know the Hawthorne Effect? The Observer Effect? In which the act of observation itself alters the subject and the result? Well, that can definitely impact the integrity of a shot in photojournalism, so photojournalists are often trying to better their observation techniques to make them more invisible, the subject more honest. It takes a bit of anthropology and psychology and instinct to develop….you know, “people skills”.

InayatShah:

In my opinion, apart from the technical skills of photography, and the aesthetics of an artist the most difficult skill is the balance of morals and ethics. Documentary art and an emotive portrayal of the human condition often require that the image show or reflect the interaction between the subject(s) and the photographer. You need to capture the visual dialog between you and them. However, one must not forget that every time you point the camera at a stranger, it is an invasion of their privacy. I personally don’t try to be sneaky and hide the fact that I am taking their picture, nor do I ask permission before hand as that destroys the spontaneity of the emotion. Sometimes people don’t mind and sometimes they do and when they do it takes a whole plethora of human skills to handle the situation, sometimes just a smile, sometimes a bit of humour, sometimes one needs to be able to defuse and aggressive situation, sometimes just a simple apology. I suppose you will call this “people skills”. However people skills are actually not required to take the image, but to keep one out of trouble after the fact.

In the most part, the challenge is taking and or selecting images to share or display, that maintain the dignity of the subject.

4. Do you have a favorite encounter/situation you've been in during your time as a photojournalist? A favorite story to tell?

1pen:

For me, it’s the breakthrough to a person. Most athletes are really private people, they value what little bit of themselves they get to keep to themselves, and they are instinctively mistrustful of anyone with a camera pointed at them. It takes real time and sincere effort to earn their trust and respect. My favorite experiences almost always involve that eventual alliance. When the smile that comes out is genuine, the laughter is real, when they drop the media-ready lines, when you earn a nickname, become the friendly butt of a joke or a locker room prank. When they trust you enough to let you photograph the true them and they trust you enough to let you show it to others. I guess it’s like touching a lion on the nose and still keeping your arm.

When did I first know I’d made that kind of breakthrough? One morning, my second season with a team during preseason, I was sitting behind the glass and painting in ink, taking a break from photographing them. Mostly, I was hoping that by putting away the camera they would relax and that I would be able to catch them being regular guys. As it turned out, they made up a new game: try to get the puck up and over the glass and into the cup of water next to me that I was using to clean my brushes. They never said a word. This was hockey language. Quiet passes, chirps, mischievous squints of the eyes. There was no obvious communication, but over the course of the practice it became clear that get-the-puck-into-the-water-cup was the new objective. Finally, towards the end of the morning, one of them managed to land the shot. When the water splashed, the whole rink exploded with cheers and I laughed with them. From then on, I got a tap on the glass that meant “hello” whenever I came into the building. These athletes value a combination of courage and humility, which in my case translated to: the ability to take a joke at my own expense. Understanding that made all the difference with that team and learning that for myself changed everything.

siddhartha19:

This photograph is from my most memorable encounter. It was shot during my recent trip to Africa, where I visited Masaai Mara as part of an ongoing research project on wildlife reserves, and was the first time I traveled to a place so far detached from our daily lives. We spent an afternoon interviewing the Masaai, learning about their perceptions of nature and the evolution of the man-lion relationship. I shot this photograph during their demonstration of the "Adumu" dance. Known for their ability to jump high, the leader said the higher you jump, the more girlfriends you can have. The photograph to me brings together a primordial element innate to the Masaai, whilst retaining an underlying humour in their smiling faces.

InayatShah:

I wouldn’t like to call it my favourite story, but I think it was one of the encounters that I will not forget and sometimes the most memorable encounters do not lead to the most memorable of images. A few years ago I was in Kiev (Ukraine) on business and as usual I had my camera. I took an early morning stroll as I had an hour or so free. I was trying to capture some scenes from street market, when I heard somebody speaking to me in Russian from behind. I had noticed a homeless lady somewhat behind me and guessed it must be her. I turned around, and from her demeanor it didn’t look as if she was asking for charity. For some reason I asked “Do you speak English” .. She paused for a second and responded in the most perfect English without even the slightest hint of an accent. I was taken aback .. but very curious. I forgot all about photography and we talked for almost an hour. She was in her youth, a translator for the Soviet Government and worked mostly with their diplomatic missions abroad. She regaled me with stories of her travels and duality of life in the heyday of the Soviet Regime. It was time for me to go ..I reached into my pocket and fished out some local currency and handed it to her .. She laughed at it and said “This won’t even buy me a decent coffee” and then she toasted me in the most cheerful of ways with her red mug. (I assume it was vodka) she toasted me “Bhujma” and explained that although it is a single word it means “We Were, We Are and We Will Be” .. I fished into my pockets again and pulled out 50 dollars in change and gave it to her and said good bye.

Some months later I was back in Kiev on business, and needed to get some documents in English translated to Russian, instead of using the hotel services, I remembered the old lady and went looking for her, thinking I could get her to do the translation and help her financially and with dignity. I didn’t find her then but continued looking for the week I was there; I finally found out that she had died a month after in the bitterly cold winter of Ukraine that year in which she and hundreds of other homeless people died.

5. What would you say is your favorite photo from your gallery here on DA? Can you tell us a little bit about it and why you love it so much?

siddhartha19:

It's hard to choose a single favorite as many photographs are special in their own way. This one I particularly like. It was shot during a rainy day in Lucknow, India - close to home. I have always loved shooting in the rain, and shooting bicycles or cycle-rickshaws. This scene at the busy "Hazratganj", with the wet street and a striped rikshaw puller brought together many elements into harmony. Everytime I look at the photograph I go back to that warm rainy day at the heart of Lucknow, and I love it for its simplicity.

1pen:

I guess it’s obvious. It’s my only DD in photojournalism, but it meant a lot to me even before it was featured. The photo itself is of an athlete who is a friend now, and I regularly get pretty decent shots of him, but this photo was taken before we knew each other. The only reason he’s looking right at me right now in this photo is because I did my research on a sport I knew next to nothing about at the time. Speed skaters, like all athletes, take their cues from their coaches, often it’s a look in the eye that lasts for only a fraction of a second on a specific turn at a specific point. I had a hunch this particular skater was going to perform well, and I planted myself near the line of sight of his coach. In the brief moment before his eyes met his coach, he looked at me dead on. That I was able to catch it at such a slow shutter speed, with that amount of accuracy and sharpness, and with a really crappy camera body, is a bit of a miracle. It’s that shot photographers dream about and chase their whole careers. I have a big print of it in my office, signed by him, and it just means the world to me.

InayatShah:

I do wish that the quality of the image was better, but one must make do with the best one can achieve under such circumstances.

It was taken at the Sunday Market here In Islamabad. The girl is an afghan refugee. Professional and organized begging is common amongst them. Children are brought into the city in trucks and let loose in the Market places where they beg for alms and charity and at the end of the day they are all collected and driven back to their camps. From my many personal interactions with them, I know they are just playful happy children who have no other option. I know they are not mistreated and I know they do not steal or pick pockets.

They are by and large honorable people in a not so honorable situation. Normally they ask for charity and if you say no, they move on, they don’t pester you. I observed the man and woman in the picture talking to the girl for an abnormally long time. She was mostly looking down .. I assumed that probably they were being mean or humiliating to her. But just before she walked away she looked up at them and gave them this powerful look of “indignation and pride” and I felt so good for her. I was lucky that I was able to capture that look that showed that in spite of the very demoralizing circumstances .. This young girl is so resilient to have not lost even an ounce of her dignity.

6. Do you have a favorite photojournalist, or someone within the field that has inspired or mentored you? Do you have any favorite photojournalists here on DA?

1pen:

A mentor? Not in sports photography, not in person at least. Full-time sports photography jobs are rare and hard-earned, and, because of this, sports photographers are often hostile to any other interested photographer within a 100 mile radius. Giving advice to an amateur would be the equivalent of training a potential replacement and no one wants to do that. I was shocked when I was first learning how much venom I got back from my fellows in return. I understand why now. It’s not pretty, but it’s the truth…it’s self-preservation.

This is why DeviantArt is a great community for me, it’s the one place I can connect with other photographers, find inspiration, find answers, learn new things. These are the people I couldn’t have grown as a photojournalist without:

and way too many more to list, but you can find them all in my favorites pages under photojournalism. We have an incredibly talented group of individuals on this site.

siddhartha19:

The photographs of Raghu Rai, Henri Cartier Bresson, Elliott Erwitt and Steve McCurry moved me to start photography in the first place. I continue to be inspired by many contemporary photographers like Altaf Qadri, Arko Dutta, Annalisa Murri and Prashant Godbole. On DA - sharadhaksar, InayatShah, HenriKack and michaelanderson to name a few. The lists keeps getting new additions, there are too many to learn from and look up to.

InayatShah:

I could not even begin to list all the amazing photojournalists here on DA that I follow as well as those in the professional sphere. I never cease to be amazed at all the mind boggling images that are a treasure and a record of humanity and they collectively bear invaluable witness to the march of time and history. Every time I see all these wonderful images that capture and preserve the high drama of events and also show us the Spectacle in the routine of life, I want to be able to follow their inspiration. I try not to focus on just a few artists for inspiration; there is so much to learn from the diversity of artists, of styles, of aspects, of perspectives, of presentations, from the seasoned professional, to my highly talented peers and even the rank amateur.

7. What would you say is the most challenging aspect of photojournalism? How have you dealt with it over time?

siddhartha19:

To not fall into repetition is what I feel is a major challenge. It is easy to compose a good frame and go on repeating it, and hard to tell when you have been doing that. A sense of novelty is something we always seek in good photographs. It makes me put every photograph under scrutiny. I find myself faced with this thought often, specially when the greats make it look so easy, with a different excellent frame each time, and you realize it indeed is a lifetime of work to get there. There is also a tender balance of identifying with your subject and staying detached, which I am only beginning to understand now. In the end you must emerge more humane, than less so.

InayatShah:

In my opinion the most challenging aspect photojournalism it being at the confluence of time and place of an event, action, emotion and also being ready and in position to capture the moment. These moments are spontaneous, irregular and unpredictable. It does help to know the culture and sub-cultures, it gives one a better chance in this game of luck. For me the only way to deal with it is to be tenacious and persistent in search and observation. To be able to immerse oneself within the flow of humanity; rather than an abstract voyeur. In the words of Robert Frank “Above all, life for a photographer, can not be a matter of indifference”

1pen:

Photojournalism is life, warts and all. Experiencing it means experiencing the world in a very brutally honest, in your face, morally ambiguous, dangerous reality. In my case, you might say to yourself…it’s “just” sports, but deep down sports involve people, real people, and sometimes animals, putting their bodies on the line for our entertainment. And I am a part of that machine. It’s a profoundly challenging thing if you think about it. That’s what photojournalism should do: it makes us think and forces us to ask questions. It makes the photojournalist ask questions. Difficult questions. And believe me they are difficult. And sometimes those difficult questions that should be asked don’t get asked. And sometimes they do. Because photojournalism isn’t perfect, no more than the world around it. Idealism doesn’t always win even if you want it to, even when your industry claims to champion it. And when that happens do you quit in disgust, or do you stay and hope that, as Ghandi is said to have said, you will somehow “be the change you want to see in the world”?

Photojournalists, even the sports photographers, sometimes see things they can’t un-see. PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is common among photojournalists. The toughest go where most of us can’t or won’t, they are right there with soldiers, with first responders to emergencies, natural disasters, catastrophe, crises, they are in hospitals, they are in the streets, they are in the living rooms of people affected and doing the affecting, in the meetings rooms of the politicians watching them making and sometimes breaking laws. And what they do with that information or what their employers will do, or their viewers will do, the impact it will have…for good or ill, and living with that, that is part of the challenge too. It can seriously impact your emotional well being. Not to mention the scores of photojournalists who are killed or taken hostage annually. It’s a frightening number. Most of us are freelancers too, which means we have almost no support, not financial or psychological/medical, when things go wrong.

How do I deal with it? Well, that is an ongoing process. I go home and I cry and I waffle back and forth about quitting, and then I set my alarm, I wake up, I load up the gear and I go back. And the whole time I’m thinking about what I can do for a place I’m at because I still love it, warts and all. Because every community needs people who care about it and want to make it better. A photojournalist should be one of those people. And I’m still going to try to be.

Take a moment to thank these brilliant photographers!