Photo-Journalism

Summary:

Stephen Shore, a master photographer from America is known for his photos of common images and scenes in the United States and his use of color in art photography.

Stephen Shore's interests in photography started as early as when he was six years old. The two most treasured gifts he received in his childhood in addition to his first 35 mm camera were, a darkroom kit for his 6th birthday and a copy of Walker Evans's American Photographs for his 10th birthday - all which seem to have had an indelible impact on his approach to Photography. Stephen says that Walker Evans influenced him beyond explanation. He even found similarities between Evan's personality and temperament, and thereby a strong sense of kinship with the master photographer since his childhood. With such strong influences in photography in his growing years, Stephen claims to have had very clear career goals even before his tenth birthday.

When he was in his high school years he was so busy teaching himself the history of movie making and watching films everyday, while juggling a job in an orchestra, that he didn't have the time for school. Subsequent to his assignment at The Factory, Andy Warhol's studio, he decided to officially drop out of school. The three years that he worked with Andy Warhol were very important years for Stephen simply because he got to see an artist making decisions. His experience at The Factory, was the first in aesthetic thinking. Andy didn't teach him anything explicitly but Stephen got to see how an artist made important decisions. Andy's readiness to share information and include Stephen in simple yet important decisions helped him understand and apply the same to Photography.

His approach to photography has changed over the years. In the 70s he took pictures on urban landscapes, in the 80s natural landscapes and later with the responsibility of a family learnt to incorporate photography wherever he was, instead of traveling to pursue it.

Stephen Shore also teaches students of photography in different Universities. He says students who have only worked with digital and never in colour or print, lack the ability to 'see'. He affirms that working with films gives an insight to how color would translate on film and paper. Most photographers can see in Black and White simply by switching in their minds and that ability cannot come by purely working with digital.

Stephen encourages students to see the world with conscious attention and hints that what they make out of it is their own. 

Summary:

In this interview with FotoTV, documentary photographer Jim Goldberg talks about his early career, as well as his latest book and exhibition project entitled “Open See”, a multi-media exhibit displayed at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation in Paris, France.

Goldberg also discusses what his plans for the future are and shares some interesting facts about several of his earlier works including, “Rich and Poor”, Raised by Wolves”, “Hospice”, and “Nursing Home”.

Open See was a project that took over six years to complete and is a photographic documentation of the lives and experiences of illegal immigrants, refugees, displaced people and asylum seekers who are trying to make new beginnings and a better future in Europe. In particular Goldberg has focused on Greece, since illegal workers and immigrants make up about twenty percent of the population.

It is clear that Goldberg has a desire to make a difference in the world today, and it is through his humane photographs that he wishes to inform the viewer, expose social injustice and therefore, encourage change. His subjects reveal where they are now in life and other relevant personal facts and information by writing over Polaroid’s, which Goldberg has shot, and provided to them, creating a personal connection with a real person, not just another photograph of a nameless subject.

Although his passion is documentary work, Goldberg’s eclectic strategy is to use as many mediums as possible to create a diverse palette of information. Immigration issues in Europe in general are very complex and by creating poetic and metaphorical situations, his photographs seem to simplify the unknown and raise questions, engaging the heart and mind, giving a sense of underlying hope for the many displaced individuals.

Summary:

In this FotoTV interview, photographer Grégoire Korganow talks about his exhibition at the Les Rencontres d’Arles The 39th International Photography Festival, 2 very contrasting series shown side by side: “Beside the Prisoners”, and “Backstage”.

Korganow’s project, Beside the Prisoners is a poignant documentation of the lives of the families of incarcerated prisoners. He follows mothers, fathers, wives, and children who visit their loved ones in prison, during trips between home and prison. Korganow’s images the capture the people's private lives and their solitude, silent faces marked by love, demonstrating the powerful link between the men and women and the person they love who are in prison.

His project entitled Backstage is a unique, non-anecdotal look at the tumultuous situations of fashion shows backstage. Never knowing exactly what he will be shooting, Korganow is no doubt an explorer in fashion, while concentrating on the shapes he creates a new perspective of the tension backstage before the girls are to walk out onstage. He photographs images sometimes using flash, black and white, or color, sometimes with a mix of camera shake and close-ups – but never losing the focus on the clothing.

It is a contrast to show the projects side by side at an exhibition, but that is exactly what Korganow intends to display – the harsh contradictions and distinctions between the two worlds. Displaying the projects side-by-side Korganow successfully gives viewers an in depth look at two very different realms, the superficial world of fashion and the stark reality of prison.

Summary:

In this FotoTV film, Swedish photographer JH Engström, renowned for his unique style of exploratory and expressive life-based photography, discusses his eclectic work and shares insight into his photography, as well as his specific methods when creating his images.

Engström has created some of the most highly sought after photography books, most notably “Trying to Dance”, the first project of his book project trilogy, which is a photojournalistic journal of his life since the 1990’s. It is a wonderful mix of landscapes, self-portraits, and snapshots of friends. At the center of these pictures is a strong feeling of being in an endless present tense. Always looking for presence, Engström largely focuses on his individual experiences as a photographer, juxtaposed against a sensitive and provocative world and the fleeting essence of a moment within a specific time and place.

When listening to Engström describe his work and viewing his images, it is clear that he relates to his subjects in a way that not only document what or who he is photographing, but it is also an expression of his own self and his intimate connection and fascination with his personal surroundings and environment.