10.Q Series – Matt Powell

[March 19, 2010]

Welcome to 10.Q series. This section features interviews to humanitarian photographers, their work and photography for non-profit organizations.
This week 10.Q features Matt Powell.

1. Tell us about you and your photography. What kinds of shooting have you done? Have you worked for any humanitarian organizations/magazines etc.? Could you name any current or former clients?

I started out shooting outdoor adventure sports and travel documentary, which was a mixture of personal and professional work.  In 2001 I went on staff with Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization – I considered my early years here as on-the-job training and it’s where I’ve been employed as a photographer ever since.  My job is to document their programs worldwide.  Last year I also had the pleasure of shooting for Thirst Relief in Cameroon.  On the side I shoot some weddings and I’m finding some commercial video work for the tourism industry where I live.

© Matt Powell | www.MattPowellPhoto.com

2. We all know that you don’t get into humanitarian photography to become rich, so what does humanitarian photography mean to you? What’s your vision for it?

To me “humanitarian” simply means caring for humans.  It denotes benevolence, goodwill, compassion and the desire, even if not the ability, to help someone or some situation.  As a photographer I want this to come through in my work.  I want my photography to be used for the care of humanity and I’m personally motivated by my Christian faith to do this.

I purposefully use the term photography, not photojournalism, to describe my work, but not because my images don’t tell a story.  My images do tell the story of my subjects and the relief programs I’m documenting, but my work goes beyond simply documenting people or events.   Part of the story is about my subject or the work taking place, but the other part is about my reaction to the subject or situation. I project my emotions into my work so that my viewer feels that emotion too- and hopefully takes some positive action as a result.   That doesn’t have to be a charitable donation, but it should engage them & motivate them to get involved somehow – even if that means using their own photography skills for a similar purpose. Inspiring people to do something good with their life is a huge part of it for me. And to that extent – it’s simply art.

I’ve had photojournalists critique my portfolio and say something to the effect of “Everyone is looking at the camera.  You should really work on that.” What they don’t seem to get is that I often want my subjects looking at me, because I am connecting with them at that moment for the very purpose of providing a human connection for my audience to my subjects.  And although this isn’t true at all times, it is a large part of what I do. The better connection I can provide for my audience, the better job I’ve done.

It’s also about engaging with my subject and their environment & portraying the essence of that experience on film. A lot of what I do is essentially portraiture but I take a documentary approach. It’s about capturing a moment that says something about who my subject is and how they live.  Perhaps it’s a moment of connection between myself & my subject, maybe it’s when the subject reveals something to me in their eyes, it could be a moment that captures them perfectly within their environment or even a moment of realization/emotion within myself.  Wow that’s a lot of moments!  Regardless, the resulting image tells a deeper story – you feel it when it’s there-  and you know it when you see it later…hopefully.

3. How did you get into humanitarian photography? Where did you get the idea to shoot these kinds of people and groups?

During college I developed an interest in international humanitarian issues.   And I was also interested in photography, so naturally my dream was to combine the two.  After graduation a group of friends & I volunteered to produce a photo documentary project for a Christian organization working with minority tribal groups in Asia.  We found that many of these people groups were experiencing severe persecution strictly on the basis of their ethnicity or religion. It was the first time that I had encountered poverty and injustice on that level and it really had an impact on me. I decided then & there that I wanted to dedicate my life to this work.  I wanted to use photography to speak on behalf of those who were without a voice in the developing world.  And from this trip I had a good start on a portfolio towards that goal.  I didn’t know exactly what to do next, I figured I’d head back out & just follow my heart, but then I landed my current job.

© Matt Powell | www.MattPowellPhoto.com

4. What are the challenges of shooting for NGO’s or non-profit organizations?

The pay and the work can be scarce, while at the same time it is expensive, difficult and sometimes dangerous to access the necessary locations.  The subject matter can be emotionally challenging as well. You basically have to be completely sold out to this & be willing to work for nothing if necessary in order to get your vision out into the world – that is challenging to say the least.

5. How much do you travel every year? How do you manage your family time?

For the past 5 years I’ve averaged 80 nights away from home per year. That’s been fairly manageable so far, although since the birth of my second child last summer it has become a lot harder. Video conferencing through Skype has changed my life.  I can have breakfast in my hotel room while virtually sitting with my family as they eat dinner at home.  And when I’m not traveling I spend as much time with family as possible.

6. Who’s been an inspiration for your photography? How do you stay inspired?

Do you read blogs? If so, which ones would you recommend?

Photographer/author David DuChemin has been hugely inspirational to me. Some of my favorite photographers are Phil Borges, Edward Burtynsky, Sabastiao Salgado and Jeremy Cowart.   I also share the work/travel load here at Samaritan’s Purse with 2 other photographers and a video production team – it’s always inspiring to see their work and to kick ideas around. It’s also inspiring to witness my images being used by my employer to communicate to thousands of people around the world on behalf of the poor. It’s a reminder that lives are truly being changed as a result, and that keeps me going sometimes.  Also, PDN magazine keeps me inspired with their coverage of the commercial/fine art photography world.   I check blogs when I have time, a few of my favorites are Pixelatedimage.com, thetravelphotographer.com, aphotoeditor.com, RESOLVE – the Livebooks photoblog, and your blog now!

7. How do you normally approach people from other cultures? What are your limits at the moment of shooting people in need, or in a complicated situation?

I use & read body language a lot in order to communicate my desire to photograph people & to determine if they are open to me doing so. I find most people are happy to be photographed, but when they aren’t I can sense that & I don’t force anything.   It’s always an emotional battle to photograph someone in need or in a difficult situation, but thankfully I am usually there as part of a relief team, which eases my struggle somewhat. Since most of my subjects are aware that I am part of the relief/development efforts occurring in their community they are usually happy to have us and are friendly and open to being photographed.

© Samaritan's Purse/Matt Powell | www.samaritan.com

8. How do you promote your work?

I maintain a portfolio website and a blog here: www.mattpowellphoto.com.  I’ve dabbled in email marketing and I use Twitter for networking a bit.

9. Tell us about the last piece of gear that you deemed important enough to buy. How about the one that’s been most important in your career? (It can be a lens, camera, accessory, etc.)

Most of my recent purchases are video-related accessories for my Canon 5D Mark2. I recently purchased a shoulder mount from RedRock Micro, a Zoom H4M audio recorder and some microphones.  Video production is becoming more a part of my work & that 5D Mark2 has probably been the most important purchase of my career for that reason.

10. What would be your advice for a photographer who is just starting out in this field?

1) Learn your craft. 2) Decide where your passions lie. 3) Get out there & experience it by doing a volunteer trip or a self financed trip if necessary. 4) Begin photographing and developing a vision for what you want to say and how you will say it. 5) Build the best portfolio possible of that work. 6) Network like crazy.

The rest is out of your hands.

© Samaritan Purse/Matt Powell | www.samaritan.com

This entry was posted on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 10:05. It is filed under 10.Q Interviews and tagged with 10.Q Interviews, Photographers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.