Ed Kashi's Interview (Silber Studios TV)

Screen Capture Courtesy Silber Studios

Ed Kashi is of course a well known photojournalist with a list of awards and achievements as long a man's arm, and then some. I thought his interview with Marc Silber would be of interest to my readers if they haven't caught it before I did.

In this video-interview,  Ed shares some ideas (tips if you prefer) on advancing one's photography. He makes many interesting points such as describing himself as a long form visual storyteller, and uses the phrase "candid intimacy" to describe his work.

The blurb accompanying the video interview mentions that when a photograph achieves that look, then its viewers can see into the soul of the subject...perhaps a little hyperbolic, but one that some of us travel photographers (and certainly the majority of photojournalists) relate to.

I'm not talking about "pretty pictures" here, but as far as I'm concerned, it's about what I like to call "travel photography meets photojournalism". ...a phrase I use to describe my photo~expeditions. I wasn't surprised at all to hear Ed say that more and more of his work is being shot from his hip or his shoulder, to avoid provoking people who are not comfortable with having a lens poked in their direction. I also smiled when I heard Marc Silber mention Morocco as being a difficult place to photograph people, as they disliked being photographed...it brought back my few photographic ventures to that part of the world.

Ed (and others like him) shooting more and more from his hip or his shoulder is something that camera manufacturers ought to keep in mind. Perhaps that's one of the benefits of owning and using an EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) camera which can be used like an inoffensive point & shoot. The Panasonic GF1 (now GF2) and Olympus E-PL1 are such cameras. I have the former with a 20mm f1.7, and have a lot of respect for what it can do.