James and I atttended a moving talk/exhibition held at the KK Outlet entitled 'Becoming the Story.'
What we encountered was an unbelievable tale shared by Giles Dulley a photojournalist who'd travelled across the globe photographing and documenting storylines often discarded by the media.
His journeys had led him to Angola, Kenya, Sudan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Congo, Burma, Ukraine and more recently to Afghanistan.
“You don’t really get people on the news saying: ‘Here’s a lot of people suffering, they have been suffering for 20 years and they will go on suffering. We just thought we should point it out.’
“I have an issue that a lot of photography is driven by financial constraints – a lot of stories are not being told because they are not commercially viable.
“I am taking a picture to tell their story – it’s my duty to get it published and if I don’t I feel like I’ve failed. I feel like I’ve let them down.”
Whilst reporting on the Afghan frontline Giles stepped on an IED mine and lost three of his limbs. The conviction behind Giles' words were powerful and there were several things that became apparent from his talk:
- He was a man made by the experiences he'd encountered.
- He had a brilliant sense of humour.
- He was reflective.
- He'd been shaped by his suffering.
- Was honest and heartfelt.
- Thoroughly fascinating to hear from.
“My work is all about telling stories – communicating my feelings about war and in a way I see my body has become like installation art, a statement about what war does to people. I may as well use that as much as possible.
Some advice given:
- Find ways to find your work, search for stories. Initiate your own big break.
- Stay true to your own beliefs and values. What is it you believe is worth chasing and uncovering?
- Don't follow press stories or editors, do what you feel is correct to document, whether its fitting to the particular time or not. If specific imagery is poignant to you then capture that perspective.
- The stories may be important to you behind the choice of photograph, even if no-one else is as interested. Document a story that is overlooked.
- Funding from magazines? If its a new story and one that needs sharing than there might be a magazine out there that wants to hear it.
- Use your story to inspire and demonstrate a feeling.
- Draw attention to something significant to you and requires telling to the world. A small skill can help the world