Travel Photographer Interviews: Glenna Gordon

All photos courtesy of Glenna Gordon

In a brand new series upon Notebook, we talk veteran photographers as good as photojournalists, as good as plead their opposite perspectives upon transport photography as good as tips for receiving improved pictures.

Photojournalist Glenna Gordons work has appeared in a New York Times Magazine, Time, Newsweek, London Times, Foreign Policy, Observer, BBC, Reuters, AFP, Guardian, Christian Science Monitor, MS Magazine, Walrus Magazine, Marie Claire (CZ), Associated Press (AP), usually to name a few.

She continually photographs for ubiquitous nonprofit organizations such as UNICEF, USAID, as good as UNESCO. She has been living in Africa (primarily Uganda as good as Liberia) since 2006 as good as maintains a blog, Scarlett Lion.

In Oct 2009, Glenna along with colleague Jina Moore received a grant to work upon a plan about renewed justice, including an inquisitive square about a copyrighted law code, a cover story for Christian Science Monitor about land conflicts, as good as a multimedia package for World Vision about prosecuting rape.

MatadorU expertise as good as photographer Lola Akinmade caught up with Glenna to get an discernment in to a universe of day-to-day photojournalism out in a field.

How prolonged have we been a veteran photographer?

I sole my initial picture to a Associated Press in Oct 2007. Before that, we had been operative for a internal paper in Uganda. we kept operative there for a bit after that, though also contributed to AP some-more as good as some-more as good as proposed freelancing regularly.

I moved to Liberia in 2009, where Im still based. Ive been means to do a lot of work here we right away fibre for AFP as ! good as am an active as good as (thankfully!) bustling freelancer.

What or who got your initial interest starting in conditions of photography?

I actually never thought we would be a photographer. we longed for to be a writer. And we didnt even wish to be a journalist, we longed for to write fiction. But afterwards we realized a universe outward my own conduct was some-more engaging than a a single in it, as good as afterwards we realized which cinema could promulgate something about a universe which difference couldnt.

What were your initial detailed experiments or experiences?

In college, we took a integrate of black as good as white film photography classes. Some of my initial photos were of pigeons as good as aged group sitting around upon a wharf in San Francisco. we loved film as good as a dark room, as good as we still unequivocally skip it, though we also consider its not unsentimental for a way Im operative now.

I goal to a single day be means to make use of film as good as do a tiny of my own copy again.

How would we report a work we do nowobviously theres a clever reportage element to it, though have been we concerned in a blurb universe also? Any batch photography?

Right right away we consider of my work in three categories: documentary, editorial, as good as NGO/institutional. The documentary work is my own projects which Im posterior which (hopefully) unequivocally show my voice as a photographer as good as simulate what we wish to contend about a places Ive been.

The paper work ranges from wire photographs anything from rainforests to politicians as good as opposite newspapers or magazines contacting me in search of specific stories anything from airport security training to motherly health. This is where a bulk of my veteran outlay is.

The NGO work is where a bulk of my income comes from.! (More u pon which in a subsequent question.) Ultimately, Id similar to to be spending some-more as good as some-more time upon documentary work as good as goal which a paper assignments we get will simulate my interest in longer-term projects as good as reportage.

At a moment, we dont do any batch or blurb work. we should be selling some-more of my images as stock, though a complaint is which Im continually some-more meddlesome in receiving brand new photos than selling aged ones. But its upon my to-do list. we havent done blurb work though we wouldnt thoughts perplexing if a opportunity arises since Id adore to be means to enhance my visible vocabulary similar to that.

What 3 tips would we share for amateur photographers who have been meddlesome in posterior your character of photojournalism?

1) Go somewhere which there arent other photographers though there is media interest. For me, this was Liberia. Because there werent many (or during times any) other snappers around, we got a ton of assignments as good as was means to allege professionally as good as accrue a tiny good tearsheets.

2) Buy a many appropriate apparatus which we can afford, though afterwards dont outlay all your time meditative about which a single square of apparatus which would have your work so many better. Theres continually starting to be a tiny square of apparatus which we wish as good as dont own, though we cant make use of which as an forgive for not doing good work. (Note to self: stop spending time online ogling a Mamiya website).

3) Get a website as good as a blog as good as outlay a good volume of time putting your work up. If a tree falls in a forest

You work with a lot of non-profits similar to UNICEF, UNESCO, as good as USAID. Can we share a tiny bit some-more about this? What creates it exciting/challenging?

I similar to a NGO work since we! similar to receiving photos, though we ultimately tend to cite to do paper or my own projects. When youre operative for an organization, your pursuit as a photographer is to emanate images which simulate a message a classification is perplexing to communicate. Theres zero wrong with that, though for me a many exciting partial of receiving photos is knowing where Im starting though not where Ill end up.

Non-profit work, however, is still incredibly critical to me as good as not usually since its a bulk of my income. There have been good things about it we often to get to work with incredibly dedicated people whose concentration we find moving as good as invigorating.

Which other photographers aged or contemporary enthuse we most?

Um, where do we start?

I adore Tim Hetheringtons Liberia work as good as which was partial of what made me wish to pierce to Liberia in a initial place. Lyndsey Addarios work in Darfur as good as Congo roughly creates me wish to be a dispute photographer (but not really).

Ami Vitales work from Kashmir is so incredibly pleasing she has this a single print of a tiny military seeking group in these crazy decorated boats floating upon H2O so still it reflects a sky as good as creates a space surreal as good as beautiful.

Zackary Canepari has this extraordinary series of portraits of playground performers in their homes in Dehli slums which unequivocally shows we can tell a story through portraits alone.

In conditions of comparison photographers, we adore Malik Sidibie as good as Seidou Keita as good as how they portray a time of confidence in Africa. Another a single of my favorites is a Hungarian photographer Andre Kertez.

At a used bookstore in New York, we once found a tiny as good as beautifully printed gathering of his photos of people reading. It was a single of a initial photography books we ever purchased.

I also outlay a lot of time trawling a web as good as print websites as good as there have been a tiny less good wel! l known people whose work we unequivocally adore (and everyone celebration of a mass this should google!) so usually to name a few: Marc Wattrelot, Jan Banning, Yves Marchand as good as Romain Meffre, Ken Light, Alfredo Bini, Marieke Van Der Velden, Chris Saunders, Wayne Lawrence.

When we have been coming subjects to shoot, how do we set about it? Do we discuss as good as explain what youre doing? Or fire first, ask questions later?

I continually ask people accede prior to we take their photos, even if its usually a quick nonverbal communication where we gesture to my camera as a theme as good as wait for for for a nod.

Ultimately, we cite to engage with people as good as consider which this creates a many appropriate photos. There have been a lot of people who consider youll skip which a single good vehement street shot if we wait for for as good as ask first, though a law is which we dont do all which many street sharpened any way as good as we never got which a single good street shoot.

I consider a many appropriate photos have been where a theme acknowledges a photographer as good as gives accede for a print rather than when a photographer takes it though asking.

9. Whats a craziest or many moving confront youve had in general?

Ive spent a outrageous volume of time during a Ducor Hotel in Monrovia, Liberia. It was once a 4 star resort, as good as afterwards a home for squatters during a war.

The supervision kicked many of them out though right away a integrate still remain. Id been starting there continually for utterly awhile when this comparison gentleman named Emanuel, who used to work during a hotel, told me he longed for me to jot down him singing a song.

I didnt have an audio apparatus with me which day, so we betrothed to come back. we had bad timing so a subsequent integrate of times we went behind he w! asnt aro und, though afterwards finally he was.

And we went off in to a single of a aged road house room as good as he sang me this strain he had written, drumming a three-four beat out as accompaniment.

And we usually sat there thinking, we have a many extraordinary pursuit in a world.

10. What kit do we make use of / lift with we / cant do though (camera make, lenses, flashguns etc.)?

I lift dual Canon 5D bodies, a 35 mm lens, a 50 mm lens, as good as a 24-70 wizz lens. we have a flash though we roughly never make use of it. we cite to work with accessible light. we in all make use of both bound lens during a same time, though if Im in a situation where we consider Ill need some-more flexibility Ill make use of a wizz lens as good as a single of my dual bound lenses. we have a tripod too, though lift it usually occasionally.

11. Finally, what else have been we operative upon right right away as good as what have been your ambitions for a destiny in conditions of your photography work or anything else?

I unequivocally goal to go upon to rise as a photographer as good as work upon some-more documentary as good as prolonged tenure projects. we was recently operative upon a single plan where we knew we needed a integrate some-more images of certain specific things, as good as we found it tough to be motivated to go out as good as shoot.

But afterwards upon an additional new project, gnawing during a Ducor Hotel, we couldnt ever revisit this a single place as well many times. we could go behind every day for months as good as not get bored.

Thats a kind of thing we wish to do work upon projects where we similar to a plan so many we feel similar to we could never finish it. That doesnt usually compensate a bills, so Ill substantially hang with my current model as good as go upon to try as good as change how we distrib! ute my t ime.

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