Jason Houston: On collaborative ways of working
In this episode, we talk with Jason Houston about collaborative ways of working in photography and the responsibilities he feels as an image-maker. He describes the steps he takes to educate himself, both about the communities he works with and about the relevant environmental and social issues at stake. Finally, he explains how and why he has started to incorporate participatory methods into his process.
What you’ll find inside:
“Sometimes you feel that you’re being a little bit selfish” (5:10)
“The reason that I’m out there doing it is because I love everything about photography. I love thinking about it, I love the process of doing it, I love the experiences that it gives me … I love looking at what I’ve created. And that’s all very self-centred, you know? But if that’s done in service to these other reasons that I do it, this idea that it’s important, that awareness matters, and those sorts of things … then its a mix of motivations” (25:40)
"The simplest thing is, you know, is what all photojournalists have to do, is make sure that you’re making the photograph from a place of understanding what’s important, and being truthful, and being honest about the scenario and not just making an amazing, beautiful photograph.” (26:20)
“And so the challenge is to do what we’re charged to do as photographers, which is make photographs which are remotely interesting, and also to fairly represent the complexity of those scenarios.” (33:28)
“One thing that I’ve tried to do is to find my value as being someone who is a decent enough photographer but more importantly understands the subject matter and the issues in a way that allows me to really contribute to the conversation” (39:00)
What does photo ethics mean to Jason?
“Trying to be honest about my experience and trying to represent people as human beings, you know. I think I have a responsibility, given the kind of subject matter that I deal with, I have a responsibility to understand the dynamics as well as I possibly can.” (37:50)
Links:
Jason Houston’s photography and filmmaking explores how we live on the planet and with each other. He looks at issues of the environment through the lens of community, culture, and human experience. Jason has worked in over 30 countries, most in the developing tropics, and is always embedded in the communities he is photographing. His work helps bring to life authentic narratives that engages stakeholders, decision makers, and the public, to inform conversations that can lead to social and environmental change.
Jason has been published and exhibited around the world in outlets including The New York Times, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, NationalGeographic.com, Smithsonian, Science Magazine, Businessweek, and WWF.
Jason is a Senior Fellow in the International League of Conservation Photographers, and a Fellow at Wake Forest University’s Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability.
You can see his work at http://www.jasonhouston.com