Photojournalism Discussion With Reza

I went to one of the most enlightening evenings of my life today; a presentation of the work of Reza, who was at the Frontline Club to discuss his book ‘War and Peace’. After having had an excellent Portfolio Review at the foto8 offices this afternoon, it topped off a pretty fabulous day.

Reza’s work spans some of the most poignant moments of the 20^th (and, indeed, the 21^st) Century and is remarkable in both its breadth and quality; not surprising from a man whom National Geographic celebrated on film as one of the men in the world today capable of changing the way that lives are led. Of all his work, I find his images of children and the dignity and hope he portrays within their faces the most satisfying. Reza commented that within children he sees the possibility of change, and in some small way this is the same reason that I have taken many images of children throughout my own work around the world. I love their interest, fascination and the lack of social ‘fear’ that is often so ever-present within adults. Their minds are still free of restraint and open to the possibility of change, and you can see it their eyes.

Reza’s work with AINA is to be admired and is a lesson for us all in raising awareness for those who cannot do it by themselves. He has changed people’s lives in a way that most individuals cannot ever hope to replicate. And he does this with intense modesty. He is truly one of the most inspirational characters I have ever met.

When asked what advice he would give to aspiring photojournalists, Reza answered that one must be passionate, true and to ‘never sell your soul to the devil’. In all the successful people I have met, whatever their line of work, these qualities are present; passion above all. This message came through to me throughout my Portfolio Review as well, about ‘having heart and vision’, and is a real message for the future.

It really has been a life-changing day!

Frontline Club Chat with Gideon Mendel

I went to the Frontline Club at the end of November to listen to Gideon Mendel talk about the work he has been doing in Africa, photographing the plight of those suffering with HIV/AIDS. I went to the talk not only to discuss the work from a social conscience perspective, but to also listen to how Mendel's work has developed over the years and how he has accessed differing visual mediums to display his imagery.

Whilst the images were fascinating, and hugely illuminating, I felt that Mendel's presentation of the work was disjointed; he didn't give a clear voice to his work and I was left with more questions than answers at the end of the evening. He decided (wrongly, in my point of view) to present his work in reverse chronology (to make it more interesting 'for him') but this created a little confusion, both in terms of the images themselves (I kept trying to ascertain whether his images were showing the situation as getting better or worse, and what he was actually trying to convey through the presentation of his work in this manner) and in terms of the messages he was trying to put across; this wasn't helped by continual technical blunders throughout the presentation.

That aside, the quality of Mendel's work was outstanding, especially his early Black-and-White images. These, I felt, were much more graphically powerful and seemed to evoke a greater passion and voice. Taking images of a particular subject over such a long period of time (over 12 years) is difficult when the photographer is continually trying to re-tell the same story, but with a different slant, and Mendel's experimentation with 3-D imagery was, I felt, a little too gimmickry; however, his willingness to explore different mediums should be applauded, especially in the New Media world in which we are all part of.

All in all, I enjoyed the talk, and was thankful to hear serious issues being discussed within a visual forum. If Mendel had been a better communicator and had the Frontline Club's technical wizardry performed its magic, then I would have been much happier - but we can't have everything in life, as the subjects of Mendel's work ensure I feel humbled to never forget.

Richard Mills

I was extremely saddened to hear of the recent death of Richard Mills, a sore loss to photojournalism. I met the man only once, at a media event at London's Frontline Club, but we shared many beers that evening and talked until the early hours putting the world (and photography) to rights. He was a big man, with a big personality and in those few hours I thought I had made a friend that would last for years to come. My condolences go to his family.

Richard's talent was there for all to see, working for The Times in many of the world's 'darkest' places. His photographs have certainly inspired me - I strive to emulate the emotion he captures within his portraits, especially the innocent children from war-torn countries. He will be missed!