My Work | Editorial & Humanitarian Photographer, Heber Vega.

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January 17, 2012 by heber vega

Guest Blogging – “Haunted Memories”

Today I’m guest blogging at a friend’s Blog. The special thing about this post is that it isn’t just another Blog post for me. This is a very intimate, deep and difficult story of my childhood that I had to put into words and photographs. I’m really thankful for this challenge, thanks to Jose Martinez. This is a great idea. The whole project made me a better and a more sensitive artist.

Here are some of the images I used for this self-assignment. I will be probably blogging about these images as most of them were taken with my iPhone and post processed with a new software available for mac. Stay tuned for that.

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October 27, 2011 by heber vega

Assignment: The Other Iraq (And the other Me)

© Heber Vega 2011 | Neanderthal Cave Gallery - Erbil, northern Iraq.

A couple months ago, I contacted one of the main newspapers in Chile, called La Tercera. It publishes a Sunday magazine that has a very unique approach to storytelling. This magazine, El Semanal, is not based on documentaries, reports, analysis or interviews, which is the norm for a publication like that in Chile. Instead, El Semanal features people telling their own stories, speaking in first person, talking about what they have experienced or what they have witnessed around certain issues, places and life in general.
From the very beginning I really liked their editorial work and approach to storytelling, because it identifies with the way I personally feel related to stories. For example, in most cases, my role is to tell the story of someone else and make it visual. At the same time, that person’s story, more often that not, begins to influence my own personal views and my experience as photographer. In most cases, I am touched, moved, or changed by either the subject’s life or the lessons hidden within their stories.
As you can see, my approach isn’t that of a photojournalist, but from someone who wants to relate and make a personal contact with his subject. I am someone who wants to get involved and be part of the story.

© Heber Vega 2011 | Family Mall, central dome - Erbil, northern Iraq.

Back to my assignment, I talked several times with one of the editors of El Semanal, and we agreed on the story that we wanted to cover. The story was about the part of Iraq where I live, where life is so much different than what you have seen on the news. We wanted to talk about the story of progress and the economical renaissance that northern Iraq is going through, looking at the city of Erbil, the capital of the area best known as Kurdistan Iraq. The bottom line is the whole assignment produced 20 useable images and a chronicle of 8000 characters (two full Word pages).

The premise was to capture scenes that would show a different Iraq, so in the end, it was more like a travel photography assignment than a story about a specific person. Because of this, it was a totally new thing for me. I had never done a story about a place before, so I wasn’t totally sure how to approach it. I did not photograph people, except in few frames, but learned by the end of the assignment that if you are covering a story, no matter what it is, people always have to be included. Somehow people give “life” to a story and without them the story of that place is incomplete.

© Heber Vega 2011 | Shanadar Park, cable car - Erbil, northern Iraq.

TIP: If you are working on an editorial shoot, always take a lot of photographs of people. You are going to need them, and those images will probably end up being picked by your editors over other images.
From the moment I started shooting this assignment, two things were on my mind: I had to shoot everything I needed within 48 hours, and I had to write as well as the images I photographed. I was nervous… here was another assignment based on my fears and doubts, wondering why in the word I had accepted entirely something new. Why didn’t I stay with what I already knew? Why not stay in my safe zone? Why?

These thoughts can play in your favor sometimes (I will explain more in another post). But more often than not, they will play against you. So you’d better shut those doubts off quickly once you start working… if not, you will miss something. In my case, I was grumpy during the whole assignment, a little bit tense, and I ended up missing some photographs that could have made this a much better visual story. Don’t bring your fears to work, please. Besides, you’ll miss enjoying the company of wonderful people during this assignment.

TIP: Whatever fear you have, use it for good. Work harder, and don’t listen to the voices of fear. They are the worse kind of advisors.

© Heber Vega 2011 | Assignment for La Tercera, magazine El Semanal - Chile.

This was a very rushed assignment. As I said, I only had 48 hours total to shoot what I needed, which I don’t recommend to anybody. I was running for two days straight and because of that, I did not have those pauses that allows you to sit back and reflect on what you are actually doing. This is something crucial when you have the goal of telling a story. This time, trusting my gut worked well, but I can’t rely on that. It’s not good for my body or the story. Make sure you have those “time outs” to review what you have done and what else needs to be accomplished before finishing your work.

TIP: Build in time to think throughout your assignment. Check your lists, goals, editorial aims, and story. Confirm everything you need to bring back with you.

Now let me show you some images from this assignment. And let me tell you that my favorite photograph did not make the cut! Why? Because it was not part of the main body of the story. The editors chose images that were related to my writing. So if you want your favorite images to be part of the published story, then make sure to talk about them in your story.

During the assignment I thought that shooting from a higher place would give a better perspective, so I tried to find places with a high vantage point. The only thing at hand was a cable car – the poor man’s alternative to a helicopter. We jumped in, and I made my best shots from there. Because we couldn’t shoot through the windows, my local fixer decided that the best solution was to open the doors. I cannot tell you how terrified I was shooting with the doors open, but in the end it turned out to be a great solution.

Here are the final printed images from this article. I hope to have the time to translate it into English so that one day you can understand what I said here. So once again… the story about someone else, in the end, changed my own story. Right now I find myself loving creating photographs for magazines and writing. Perhaps this will take me on a new path in photography, but for now I can see a small shift. We’ll see if that’s enough.

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October 12, 2011 by heber vega

Photographing a celebrity within one hour

© Heber Vega | Mario Sepulveda - One of Chilean miners rescued in the 2010 disaster.

In my short one-and-a-half year career as photographer, nothing really prepared me for a shoot like this. I mean, I’d read a couple times about what it takes to shoot a celebrity, but it is something totally different when you finally have to pull the trigger. At least it felt that way.
Today I want to share some of the things that went well that day, with the hope that it can help you whenever an opportunity like this presents itself. Let me tell you, these opportunities sometimes come out of nowhere, so the best we can do is to be as prepared as possible. I will add though, that while every assignment differs from one another, there are always some common elements. Here I go…

At the beginning of this year, while still in Chile on a break with family, I got a call from an old friend I had not seen or talked to in 6-7 years. He was working now as the rep for one of the most recognizable Chilean miners rescued in the 2010 disaster. They needed some portraits of Mario Sepulveda to use for international media, website, ad campaign and some billboards as well. As you can see, it was a great photographic opportunity and it came completely unexpected. When I asked about the date of the assignment I was not ready to hear… “well, within two days…”. You know, it’s one thing to get an exciting gig and to feel happy about it, but when rushed, excitement becomes anxiety and nervousness. You know what I’m talking about.
What were the client’s requirements? Create the typical “heroic” look of a presidential candidate, with a “countryside” spin, because Mario is a man born into a farming family. Besides all this, the other important requirement was to complete the whole shoot in an hour!! The man was really busy, with a tight schedule, and he only had a short time frame so everything had to go smoothly and quickly. Did I mention that I was nervous?
Because of the time issue, I thought of a location that wouldn’t be more than a 30 minutes drive. The idea was take the least time possible from him, while still having some versatility for the shoot. We went to a church that I’ve known for quite some time, where I knew I could find the different environments I was looking for. My plan was to get there at least two hours ahead, try some test shots and to use the least amount of equipment to light him. That way I could move quickly and not have to depend on the available light. What did I use? The Lastolite Ezybox I talked about earlier.
The day before the shoot, I went to the location to scout some backgrounds. On the day of the shoot, I arrived an hour early with one assistant, so that I could try some test shots before Mario arrived. From the moment we started shooting our subject until we’d shot the last frame, according to my metadata only 36 minutes had passed! That includes the time it took him to change clothes once or twice. So I think everything “flew” the way it was suppose to.
When did we stop? Mario’s rep was checking the pictures that I was making on my camera’s LCD and once he felt that I “got” what they were looking for, then that was the end of the shoot. Later on, I processed these images and sent them all the keepers.
You can see some of the photographs from this assignment at these links:
Video – Website – Campaign
Some other ideas we tried that day

© Heber Vega | Mario Sepulveda - One of the shots that did not work that well.

Here are some important things to keep in mind if you’re shooting in a hurry.
1. Chose a location that can be versatile, where you can find different environments and “looks”.
2. Know the location well. Visit it a couple times ahead of time, if possible.

3. Try out some test shots if you are using an off-camera light system, or know your equipment and settings very well.

4. Make sure your equipment is light and portable, so you can move quickly and not have to depend exclusively on available light.

5. Be flexible! And that involves your own thoughts. Sometime the end results differ from what you had in mind. Don’t get frustrated; keep working and find something new.

6. Try as many things as you can during the shoot. You never know what’s going to happen. There may be some surprising shots to be made.

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August 20, 2010 by heber vega

Working on Remedy Mission – Day 2 – Photographs

I’m leaving home in a few minutes, because today I will be in surgery for the first time. Yesterday I documented another procedure with one of the surgeons, but today is something totally different and far more complicated. The other thing that’s special about today’s surgery is that I’m following the story behind this patient. Ahmed and his family suffered a terrible car accident while driving 10 hours to the north of Iraq. Happily, he made it to our city with his uncle, but his parents had to stay behind in a hospital. The only great good news in the middle of this tragic story would be a successful surgery on Ahmed’s heart, and that’s what I’m hoping for in today’s assignment.

Yesterday, our day didn’t start well at all. We lost one of the children. That little baby’s case was complicated, even before the surgery, so it was really difficult. The doctors did their best for many hours, but she didn’t make it. Sad.

Starting today, I will be focusing on stories, rather than documenting the whole campaign. so I hope to post some of those later on. In the meantime, you have some other photographs from yesterday, and also the link to Preemptive Love’s Blog, where you can see videos and stories as well as photographs.

© Heber Vega | Remedy Mission - PreemptiveLove.org

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August 19, 2010 by heber vega

Working on Remedy Mission – Photographs

It’s my first day of shooting for the Remedy Mission by Preemptive Love in Iraq, and I’m so exhausted! If you haven’t heard about this Remedy, please check my last post here, or better yet, go to Preemptive Love’s website.

My first conclusion is this: You’ve got to be strong to work among these children, especially if you’re a father. They’re so lovely that after only a few minutes, you wish you had the power to give them a new heart. The good news is, it’s possible! It‘s only a matter of having generosity and love to support and make campaigns like Remedy Mission happen with Preemptive Love and other organizations.

I can’t write more today… I’ve got to get some rest, but I will leave these images. Let me know what you think.

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August 16, 2010 by heber vega

Working on a Remedy in Iraq!

Since I started working as photographer for humanitarian organizations, Preemptive Love has been always there for me, hiring me and therefore letting me be part of its lifesaving activities. I’m so proud of their work among the Iraqi children. As I said in this post about Jeremy Courtney(PLC CEO), I’ve witnessed the growth of this organization since the very beginning. What looked like a dream, an ideal, back then, is today a reality. All this has taught me again, that it’s worthy to try to live by our dreams and passion. It’s a challenge, but big things can happen.

Well, the reason for this post is to let you know the kind of adventure that I’m about to embark on with PLC in the next 10 days or so. They are about to have their first Remedy Mission campaign in Iraq. What is this all this about? PLC usually sends children abroad to have these lifesaving heart surgeries, because in Iraq we don’t the have professionals to do them. Not, at least, until this month… Remedy Mission is only the first step necessary in finding a long-term solution for those thousands of families who have children with heart disease in Iraq. The cost of sending only one child is about what a normal family would earn in several years. But today, because of this great initiative, the cost to operate on a child in country is only $1,833. How did that happen? The doctors are coming here, instead of waiting in their own countries. We now have one of the first facilities in Iraq with the capacity to perform these types of surgeries. What was about 20K per child, is now not even 2K!!! and that’s not even all about this Remedy campaign yet…

Remedy Mission also will start training local doctors, starting this month, so that after a couple of years, Iraq will have their own professionals capable of performing such a great and important surgeries. What I like about organizations, such as PLC, is that they are working toward the final solution, long-term goals, putting an end to the problem.

During the next 10 days, I will have access to this campaign, the families, the doctors, and all the other things that are unimaginable at this point. I’m making myself ready. It will be extremely hard to document everything, but we’ll do our best with the people from PLC. We want to tell the story of these families, the doctors, the locals, etc. Because of all this, I will be complete devoted to the project during the next couple of weeks. My goal is to blog on a daily basis, sometimes even 3 times a day, and keep all the PLC supporters visually captivated during those days. At the same time, PLC will be doing some videos.

I hope to count on your support these next few days, and don’t forget to visit the website for this compassionate Remedy. You can also follow my Twitter. I will be posting as frequently as I can about our progress.

One more thing! The little girl in the following photographs is Nivar. She almost passed away 4 weeks ago because of her heart. But, just on time, PLC took her to a hospital in Istanbul for a much-needed surgery and in these photographs you can see the results! We paid a visit to her house to see her progress after the surgery, I hope these photographs can “speak” of what a miracle it is to have organizations as PLC!

Nivar's brother. Happy to have her sister back.

Nivar enjoying all her given presents, after being back at home.

NOTE: Sorry I had to cancel 2-Consider for this week, but I have to focus on this Remedy Mission. Thanks!

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July 29, 2010 by heber vega

Q&A: a Tabletop Photo Book and some other Projects.

Working on the Old Bazaar of Sulaimaniyah

(NOTE: This post was written yesterday, but I did not have time to publish it, not until now )
(NOTE II: I can’t post photos that I will include on the book )

I’m about to go out for my second day of shooting and I just came back from speaking in front of hundreds of faculty members at the local University of Sulaimaniyah in Iraq. These are exciting times for sure… I was not planning to post anything until I had something to show you, but I said to myself, “It may be useful for some of you to understand the insights of the assignments that I’m involved in.” And I also thought, “If I put this in writing and I blog about it, somehow I will be forced to finish it on time before I fly back to Chile.” (did I tell you that we are going to be parents again? and that we will be back in Chile for 4 months?!!!) So these will be my personal photographic challenges for the coming month.

The Coffee Table Photo book.

A couple of months ago, I had a visit from some people from the board of directors of an international non-profit that has been supporting our social projects in Iraq since the very beginning. It was nice to have them here, witnessing what we have done with their support for all these years. During our conversations, I talked about my decision to become a more dedicated humanitarian photographer, and that I’d appreciate if they would have an assignment for me in the future. As a result of that conversation, plus other things, we agreed on a project that will take some time to get accomplished, but that would keep me busy as photographer, which is really good when you are starting out!

The Idea? To publish some tabletop photo books of the people groups where this non-profit works. This assignment will eventually take me to places in South America, Africa, and of course Iraq. A great part of this deal is that some percentage of the sales/profits of these books will go directly to the social projects that are already in place by this non-profit. Also as a part of the agreement, I will get a percentage of each book sold. So, here I am, working on the first one!

What about the theme for a book? I was pretty much free to do whatever I thought was good for this non-profit, so of course, I suggested that they could cover their own projects. To my surprise, they said that they wanted something more “cultural”, a theme that can be more “general” about the people groups that they work with. They basically asked me for a photographic, nice-looking book so that people who are NOT interested in their projects would be tempted to buy it. At the moment I’m working on a 10-day-shoot for the first book based on the Kurds. I’m especially aiming to disclose the “hidden” people inside of the Old Bazaar in Sulaimaniyah City, where people have very unique jobs not found in our western countries, and of course they haven’t been photographed for a book yet .

Why a 10-day-shoot? Because I’m not a full time photographer and I have other responsibilities as an aid worker in Iraq. So, I had to set apart this time in order to fully concentrate in this book. I tried to work during my free hours, but I never felt that was working for me, so here I am, working as full-time photographer, but only for 10 days .

What’s your plan for publishing the book? Of course there are a variety of alternatives, but for now, I’m sticking to the easiest one. I’ve chosen Blurb. Hopefully by the end of this year, I will be able to have 2-3 of these books done!

Any other questions? Just shoot me an email and I will be happy to answer them.

The importance of an Assistant. (fixer)

For the book I’m working with a local assistant that principally is helping me get to places without losing all the time explaining the “whys.” He goes and arranges that before I arrive, saving me tons of time. On the same note, he has already taken me to places that I haven’t seen in my seven years in Iraq, which is curious because I thought I’ve been everywhere! (Great lesson here)

Possible other Assignments.

There are two things happening during August that I may be able to cover. One of them is with Preemptive Love Coalition, I’ve worked in the past with this great organization, you can read about it here and here. During this month of August, they are bringing in dozens of doctors from outside Iraq to perform heart surgeries and training for locals, that way they can start solving the problem from the core. For more info about that, you can check the PLC – REMEDY Campaign here. By the way, they still need some money to accomplished this very important project for the future of the Iraqis.

The other thing happening in August is the Islamic month of fasting, most often known as Ramadan. For first time in all my years here, I will try to cover the days of this important month for several million of the inhabitants of this planet. I will do my best, because during the last week I will be traveling to Chile, so I will miss that part.

Well, I hope this post can help to some of you with new ideas or approaches for future assignments, and that I can accomplish some of these projects so that you and I can enjoy some new photographs.
In advance, thanks for all the support!