{"id":17551,"date":"2014-07-17T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=17551"},"modified":"2014-07-20T09:03:13","modified_gmt":"2014-07-20T16:03:13","slug":"magnum-photographers-give-advice-share-personal-challenges-and-talk-about-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/17\/magnum-photographers-give-advice-share-personal-challenges-and-talk-about-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Magnum Photographers Give Advice, Share Personal Challenges, and Talk About Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Copyright:
Copyright: Richard Kalvar \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I recently came upon this superb publication by IdeasTap and Magnum<\/a>. In this magazine, there are exclusive interviews with 12 Magnum photographers– spanning from advice for young photographers, difficulties in photography, and their thoughts on technology. I included my favorite quotes from the magazine in the feature below, enjoy!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Advice for Young Photographers<\/h2>\n
\"resized-\"
Copyright: Jonas Bendiksen \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jonas Bendiksen:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be a person before you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a photographer. Your interactions with people are better if you are yourself, a human being, more than a photographer, and if people see you like this, usually the pictures become better.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Alex Webb:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big difference between taking pictures to make money and taking photographs because you believe in them. There are plenty of photographers who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done great work in their lives and haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been professional photographers; I think
\nof Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who was an\u00c2\u00a0eye doctor. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with uncertainty about which directions to go in but you have to believe in what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to make sacrifices, and the rewards are generally so fleeting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Alec Soth:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Forget about being a photographer. Be a creative person. I find the workshops I do in my studio as creative as making pictures; in some ways raising money is a creative act. You have to be creative with how you lead your life and not just the things you make.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

David Hurn:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you want to be a photographer, you need to be a walker so keep fit. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m nearly 80 now. The bane of my life is aching bones, so I have to consciously keep fit, because if I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do that I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do my job. If you want to compete in this world a working day is 10 or 12 hours, so make sure you have comfortable shoes!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Larry Towell:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Get away from home once in a while. Work flat out for short periods, three weeks \u00e2\u20ac\u201c even two weeks, a week. I tend to work for three- week cycles. Only think photography. The rest of the time you edit, you sequence \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you spend more time editing and looking than shooting.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Moises Saman:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People make the mistake of only seeking inspiration in their exact field of interest. Prospective war photographers, for example, shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t only look at the work of previous war photographers. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much else to be inspired by. I find people from a totally different background \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the art world, or painting \u00e2\u20ac\u201c bring something more organic to their approach. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to find one story that only you can do, and perhaps to use that to explain a bigger issue.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Peter van Agtmael:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be careful to not to listen too much to anyone. Trust yourself more than others. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen people really messed up in their heads because of teachers who think they know exactly what they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking about and are imposing their view, which is not necessary positive for growth. Look at as many types of work as possible. Look at the whole history of photography. People think that photography is a romantic job but if you want to succeed you have to be completely obsessed with it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Richard Kalvar:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Travel a lot; try to go to places where interesting things might happen. In the late 60s, after I worked as assistant for the photographer Jerome Ducrot, I saved up a little money and came to Europe to hitchhike with the camera he gave me as a present,
\nand a couple of lenses. I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there to photograph \u00e2\u20ac\u201c[travelling round Europe] was one of the things that people did back then. I started taking a few pictures. I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say\u00c2\u00a0it was a project, but by the time I went back, after 10 months, I was a photographer. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing that changed my life the most, that trip.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Thomas Dworzak:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Learn something else. Photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that complicated; you can learn to take pictures by yourself. Photography is about life and experience. Put yourself in a position where you take a lot of pictures. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t study photography. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think about it too much. Try to experience something and express that experience through photography.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Thomas Hoepker:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Think before you press the shutter. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s frustrating that today, even more than in the time of analogue photography, you often come back with a lot of junk. Nowadays,\u00c2\u00a0it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too easy to get a picture \u00e2\u20ac\u201c click-clack; the camera works for you, but you need to use your brain, look closely and react fast. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go out and expect that things will be wonderful \u00e2\u20ac\u201c photography is hard work!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Nikos Economopoulos:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be honest with yourself and be original. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to convince others that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re something you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not. The experts in photography, like my peers at Magnum, can see quickly if your work is original or not. Without originality you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get far in this industry. Go in the direction that you feel,
\nnot where the market tells you to go. If you follow this advice, and have a natural eye for a good composition, you will stand a chance of making it as a photographer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

On Books & Projects<\/h2>\n
\"Copyright:
Copyright: Larry Towell \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Larry Towell on Editing Books:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In terms of the book, [it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the] same idea\u00e2\u20ac\u201c I make my books with scotch tape and photocopies. From there, when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to publish, you get a designer and you refine it. You show it to people to get feedback and you struggle with it. You struggle with language, editing, sequence; you struggle with making this element work with that one. Sometimes you put things together that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t naturally belong so you have to force them together. You have to build a bridge. I try not to edit with structure; I edit on emotion.<\/p>\n

Alex Webb on Preconceived Notions and Projects:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I work on a project for myself, I may read a guidebook to get the general lay of the land; I may read a novel set in the place, to give me a sense of what some writer felt. And then I go and start working. I come back, look at the work and then start reading, because
\nI want my visual knowledge of the place to develop at the same pace as my intellectual knowledge. I feel with certain projects that if I read too much I start trying to force things. I look at things and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ah well that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s symbolic of that and so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interesting to photograph,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d whereas if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just there photographing I see things that might contradict those symbols.<\/p>\n

Challenges to Overcome in a Photographic Career<\/h2>\n
\"Copyright:
Copyright: Thomas Dworzak \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jonas Bendiksen:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The toughest thing is keeping up your creative energy and inspiration over the long haul \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a sprint, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a marathon. You have your ups and downs, and that affects your appetite for going out into the world and creating work. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important not to lose the joy of doing photography and to always find your way back to the source of that. It could be by doing something completely different: reading books, looking at something, engaging with certain people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c anything. For me it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s essential to maintain that balance between photography and the rest of my life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Richard Kalvar:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People sometimes get upset with me for taking their pictures. Working in Naples was a little scary. I was with someone who knew Naples very well, but people kept telling me to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Be careful\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, because lots of people have the police looking for them; others are supposed to be under house arrest, while they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re actually in the streets.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

David Hurn:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I discovered my mother dead. I\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcd gone\u00c2\u00a0over to take her out, but when I got there\u00c2\u00a0she was dead. I had the dilemma of whether to photograph her or not. I did it, partly, because she had a smile on her face. I thought that if she had a smile on her face then she probably didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t die in pain. I felt that visual memory would probably sustain me in the future. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a picture I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever shown anyone else.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Thomas Dworzak:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Being a nominee in Magnum. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like\u00c2\u00a0it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s traumatising. I was 28 or something and suddenly you show up with all these big, famous people and everything is intimidating.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Nikos Economopoulos:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Once when I was in Albania in the 90s, a drunk guycameuptomycarandputaguntomyhead. Throughout my photographic career, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve found it difficult to reason with people when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re drunk or have taken drugs. As a documentary photographer, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll always find yourself in difficult situations, be it in a conflict zone or something less expected, like this incident in Albania. When faced with these situations you have to stay calm and remember your motivation for working on the story or project.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Alex Webb:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There have been a number of dangerous situations. There was one, during the election in Haiti; it was the only time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been shot
\nat specifically because I was a photographer. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been in situations where there was shooting or bombing or violence but it hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t necessarily been directed at me. This one was, and that was very intense.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Peter Van Agtmael:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153War zones are usually the hardest because there are so many things you need to be careful about \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who you go with, for instance. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not only a question of getting the picture, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a question of getting to the place where you can get the picture and then getting out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Moises Saman:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two years ago, two close friends were killed in the same event, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably one of the hardest things I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve dealt with. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s
\npart of war, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very, very sad feeling \u00e2\u20ac\u201c especially if you know them well.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Bieke Depoorter:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The most difficult thing is getting lonely travelling. As soon as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on the plane, going to take photographs, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thinking \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOh my God, why I am doing it, again?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 But as soon as I start experiencing wonderful moments with people I meet in my travels, I forget about this. When I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t capture the moment that I want to \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also something you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re scared of. I can come back from one month\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working with only one photograph that I like..\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

On Technology and Photography<\/h2>\n
\"Copyright:
Copyright: Christopher Anderson \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abbas:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Anybody can take pictures; photography\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s
\na very easy thing. You can give a camera
\nto a baboon [and it will learn to take photographs]. The problem isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t taking photographs, or taking good photographs, the problem is having a language; a vision as a photographer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Christopher Anderson:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153In this age, craft and technique are useless commodities. The only thing that has
\nvalue for you as a photographer now is your uniqueness, your individuality and authenticity. Those are the things you trade on.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Thomas Dworzak:<\/strong>
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care if somebody takes a picture with an iPhone or with a washing machine [as long as it looks good].\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Follow Magnum<\/h2>\n