Another interview
Some new questions and answers in another interview on the website of a Spanish magazine called 20minutes: click here
contrast
Thats what I someone sent me recently. He found it on Spiegel Online. The pictures with an advertisement for holidays next to it. I don’t need to explain, just look yourself:
Translation: give a holiday as a present: Let’s get out of here
Translation: Sun instead of socks
Andy Spyra
I just checked out the website of a friend of a friend and I am impressed with the quality of his photography. Have a look at: http://www.andyspyra.com/ -> especially the Kashmir story.
©Andy Spyra
In London
I was quite for a long time. So many things happened and all my plans changed in the last few weeks. My plan was to come to London to do a MA in photojournalism at the London College of Communication. So I moved to London, installed myself here and finally when the course started I was really disappointed. The course is really good, but many of the other students were beginners and most of the questions they were asking the teachers I could have answered as well. I didn’t feel good at all and more like an outsider. Yesterday I wrote an email to Paul Lowe, one of the course directors and he understood my concerns and suggested I should try the part-time online course. That’s why I signed in as a test user and tried out an online-tutorial this morning. And I am really excited; the people there have a great level of experience and even the lessons online are great. So I can be where ever I want to be and still take part in the lectures. I feel free again and not stuck in something that I don’t really want to do.
Actually I planned to stay in London for the next 6 months, but with the online-course I believe that I will only stay here for the next 2 months - the rent here is extremely expensive compared to Belgium or other countries. Afterwards I am anyway going back to Haiti for 5 weeks. I also applied for a grant of 10 000 Euros for the continuation of the Haiti project. In the middle of February I will get the answer. In case I get the money I will go back to Haiti probably 2 more times this year. Any suggestions for original stories in Haiti are welcome!
I will post some pictures I have taken for the MA; the topic was “people at work”. So I tried to take a visually boring subject and take still good pictures. I love the challenge 
Nigel, the carpenter
New pics and interview
First of all: Happy new year to everyone!!
I uploaded the Stonehenge and Avebury pictures onto my archive: http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/outoffocus/gallery-show?G_ID=G0000kjlzYavxHsg
A Chinese magazine has asked me to interview me by email. I decided to put it online:
1.. Shall we start from UNICEF contest? In the winner list, there are some experienced photographers from AP and VII, both their subjects and photos are attractive. So, I want to know your opinion on why the Haiti girl won the first place.
Many photographers submitted great subjects and pictures. I think the Haiti girl-picture won because the jury was looking for only one picture of the year, not for one whole story. I believe that this picture shows many things at the same time: The misery in which Haitian people live - but at the same time you can see the proudness of such people (or children): This little girl is so beautiful and clean in the middle of a dirty environment. It shows the willingness to move on and not to give up. She is like an angel in the picture - but she is not the only one. She represents a mentality of the Haitian folk.
2.. You said in your website “I decided to dedicate my life show with my camera the stories life has written…”, why decide to stay with camera so early? Maybe you are too young to make decision.
I don’t think this is a question of age. It depends on what you have experienced in your life and how you feel about things. I always knew that I never ever wanted to do a 9 to 5 job in an office.
I found that I had a talent and I wanted to do something social. So I decided to combine both. After the experience of my first trip to Haiti and with a Mentor - Philip Jones Griffiths- who strongly believed in me, I just knew that this was the thing I wanted to do in life. Sometimes I had doubts, but a prize like the Unicef-Photo of the year motivates extremely to move on.
3.. Could you please tell the experiences as Mr. Philip Jones Griffiths’s assistant? When and how did the job start? What did you do for him? What do you want to show him with your photos? Etc.
In October 2007 I decided to participate in a workshop of Philip and Donna Ferrato. After showing him my work, he leaned over, whispered into my ear “you are a photographer” and winked. He offered me to assist him in his home in London - of course I agreed. So I went to London by the end of December to work and live with him. The work I did wasn’t very interesting - it was mostly scanning, spotting (removing dust from scans) and sorting. But I was sitting next to Philip the whole day and we talked a lot about many things and I could ask him all the questions I wanted. He told me everything I needed to know about photojournalism and he influenced me a lot in the way I am thinking now. Just before his death I promised him that I will always photograph for the right reason and take “real pictures for real people”.
4.. I found you always work for the non-commercial organizations, such as Haiti Care, Red Cross. What is the most important from the cooperation in your mind?
I want to take pictures to help people and to cause change (even its only a small bit). When working for such organizations I know that they can raise more donations with my pictures. I cannot just go to a place, take pictures and disappear. That’s stealing pictures. I want to give back what the people give me. Therefore I also organize my own fundraising for the people that are on my pictures.
5.. Will you continue the Haiti program? If yes, what will you do then?
I will go back to Haiti in March. I will continue to work on my project of the children, but also try to find more positive stories to tell - because Haiti has also a lot of positive things happening.
6. Who lead you to photography? When did you take the first picture and what is in it? Where did you learn photography?
I always liked to photograph. When I was young in my early teenage years, I photographed my friends - we took portraits of each other. So I decided to study photography (not with the goal to become a documentary photographer). It was a course about general photography - we learned about studio photography, fashion photography and documentary photography. One day a belgian photographer “Gael Turine” came to the school (Saint Luc in Belgium) and showed his work, which was black and white documentary photography of Afghanistan and Haiti. I loved the pictures and in this moment I knew that this was the right thing for me. I still like to shoot portraits, but the really meaningful photography attracts me much more.
7. When you face to the poor, rough, cruel life in Haiti with your camera, how could you avoid to be shocked by them? Do you think you are strong enough psychologically and mentally?
Philip always said: A photographer who lets his emotions lead himself, is like a doctor who cannot see blood. When you are in such a poor and cruel environment you have to adapt - you need to become one of the people there. When you are back home and look at the pictures - that’s the time for the outburst of emotions.
8.. You are calling donation for Haiti, would you like to say something about this idea?
As I already mentioned: I believe that when I take pictures of people they deserve to get something back. When I promise to try everything to help them, I don’t want to break this promise. This is why I opened a bank account where I collect donations for the people that are on my pictures. I never give them the money in cash, but I invest in medicine, education and food.
9.. Do you have any more plan for photography in future? Will you go on as a freelance?
I will carry on as a freelance. Not right now but in the future I will look for an agency, but it has to be a very good one - my favorite is VII.
10.. It seems you prefer the documentary photography, and how do you think about creative? Will you do or have you done some attempt?
I love documentary photography but I also like to create beautiful and creative shots in my studio. I like the challenge to bring out the beauty in everyone. I would love to combine both sites of photography in the future. The studio work will allow me to be stable financially and to work on personal documentary projects.