Biography
Ed Kashi is an activist-photojournalist based in New York. He earned a degree in photojournalism from Syracuse University in 1979 and moved to San Francisco to work as a freelancer in the nexus of the punk scene. He built a reputation and broke through to eventually shoot for National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine and Blog, TIME Magazine, Fortune, Newsweek and collaborate with MediaStorm. In 2002 he and his wife created Talking Eyes Media a multimedia site and organization that hosts visual projects advocating social change. Kashi travels the world to document and explore social and political issues with a human focus.
Awards
World Press Photo Award, Honorable mention, Daily Life Category, 1994
World Press Photo Award, 2nd place, Daily Life Category, 2000
America Photo Best Photography Book Award, 2003
Pictures of the Year International Competition, Best Photography Book Judges’ Special Recognition, 2004
Picture of the Year International, 1st place, Best Multimedia Feature Story or Essay, 2007
International Photography Awards, 1st place Editorial: Environmental Pro, 2009
International Photography Awards, 2nd place Editorial: Other_Ed Pro, 2009
Web sites
www.edkashi.com
www.curseoftheblackgoldbook.com
Blog
Interview
Q: What is your one best piece of advice for how a college photographer can prepare now for success in the workplace/marketplace after graduation?
A: You should think about creating a strong and unique body of work about a subject that you can be passionate about. You should have skills in capturing audio and preferably video as well. I face reject every week; count your victories. You’re going to get eaten up and spit out and dragged on the floor and that’s if you’re making it. I’ve been shooting for over 30 years and I’ve never had more fun making pictures than I do today.
Q: If there was one mistake you could take back in your career path, what would it be?
A: That I waited too long to begin my documentary/reportage work. I was very insecure person in my 30’s and early on I was hampered by it.
Q: What technical skills for photographers will be valued in the coming decades?
A: Knowing how to shoot video, capture sound, create compelling imagery, create visual narratives, knowing Photoshop and Final Cut Pro and understanding the best ways to adapt still photographs to digital and evolving media.
Q: With so much devoted toward new technical skills these days, how can photographers best focus on strong, meaningful content?
A: Nobody can teach you to care, but it’s vital you are able to care about an issue, subject, story, person so you can devote the time and energy needed to create compelling visual narratives. That is the way to cut through everything else. The form is second to content.
Q: Name two or three photographers (and agencies/employees/affiliations) whose work you presently admire?
A: At this point in my life and career I am focused on my own work and while I love the work of other photographers, I am not focused on anyone in particular. Also, given the amount I teach and mentor, I am continually inspired by the work of new and young photographers. I’m an equal opportunity inspiree; I don’t actively seek it. Mary Ellen Mark’s early stuff was the reason I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I wanted to follow my own unique visual sense.
Q: When you look at portfolios of up and coming shooters, what do you most look for?
A: The ability to compose, see light, capture moments, develop a story or narrative and a sense of passion!
Q: How do you manage the business aspect of being a professional photojournalist?
A: Before I knew any better I thought I needed to keep control of my work. In retrospect, maybe I might have joined an agency like Magnum, but I’ve basically created my own small agency. I’ve always been a freelancer and I’ve had to run my own business.
Q: What advice do you have for photojournalists trying to market themselves to papers, agencies, publishers and for freelance work?
A: Create a body of work that matters! Full stop! Everything else is immaterial in today’s world. Find a story and go in depth. You can also chase the news if you have that in you. My preference is to see someone develop their own unique vision and sense of style, based on how they see but also the subjects and issues they choose to focus their attentions on.
Q: What projects are you currently shooting?
A: I have just completed a story in Pakistan for NatGeo from a proposal I submitted. I am completing a documentary film about one of the main oil producing states in the Niger Delta, I will be going to Afghanistan in late April for a story I’m not at liberty to discuss and I am working on advocacy projects related to my Niger Delta work.
Interview by: Caitlin Healy
