Documentary Storytellers – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Maren Krings is a German freelance photojournalist and climate impact storyteller whose work seeks solutions to socio-ecological impacts to help mitigate the current climate crisis.

We talk about Maren’s journey, of course, but also the importance of solutions-focused stories, and how, alone, these are not enough - diversity is critical to maximise engagement with an issue. We talk about challenges around mental health, the benefits of seeking support from others to form a strong team, and the impact this can have on you, your story, and what you create. We also explore the benefits of engaging a story doctor – a service I’d never come across before. And so much more.

This interview was recorded at the end of November in 2023. But everything we speak about is as relevant now as it was then.

Follow Maren

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Follow me, Chris King

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Notes

Paulien Bakker (Story Doctor)

Ricardo Báez (Book designer)              

Paula Pedrosa

Hemp the climate

Ester Horvath

Cristina Mittermeier

Aaju Peter – Twice Colonised

It’s been a long time since I produced an episode – despite having recorded a number of interviews. The reason being that I was dealing with a serious health issue that took a significant toll on me, and I’m only now starting to get to grips with it.

I’m going to produce and publish the 4 interviews I carried out, because I owe it to the people I spoke to, who were kind enough to give up their time to talk to me and whose stories and work I really want to share. After that, I’m going to change things up a little bit.

I’ll continue producing podcasts, but in a different format, and I’ll be doing a lot more writing. I’ll also be setting up a couple of initiatives to support documentary storytellers on their journey.

If you’re listening to this, and would like to be kept informed of what I produce next, then please sign up to the newsletter via Substack or become a supporter via Patreon.

What really struck me about Joanne Coates was not only her work, but how in her biography and elsewhere she identifies as a working class photographer. I find that statement very powerful. It shares with the world an aspect of our identity that might otherwise go unnoticed. Declaring one’s class, provides others with some idea of our lived experience and the struggles we may have faced – both generally speaking and as a documentary storytellers. As we discuss, the history of photography and filmmaking is deeply rooted in elitism, as well as colonialism, and the patriarchy – forces that continue to heavily influence these media to this day. The only way in which we’re going to be able to decouple visual storytelling from these destructive forces – if we ever will in the advent of AI – is to acknowledge it, talk about it, and develop the tools to build a more just and humane alternative.

This is exactly the purpose of these podcasts, the articles I write to accompany them, and the platform I hope to build on these foundations.

If you would like to discuss any of the point raised, then please get in touch via Instagram or email me at chris@documentarystorytellers.com

References

Don McCullin

Simon Roberts

Bell Hooks

Chris Killip

Mark Neville

Anastasia Traylor-Lind

Mark Fisher (author)

Jeremy Deller

The oil machine directed by Emma Davie

Time span museum – Beatrice: Transition Under Petrocapitalism exhibition

Margaret Mitchell

Gareth Phillips
Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art in Gatesend

As a documentary storyteller, Klaus has walked an unconventional path, developing a range of different skills along the way - not just photography and filmmaking - that allow him to create and manage multidisciplinary projects. Since 2008 he has achieved this in part through Project Pressure, an organisation he created with a focus on climate change.

Beyond Klaus’s evolution as a journalist and documentary storyteller, we discuss the issue of climate change and visual communication around the issue, as well as the language we use to discuss it. We also discuss how to engage the public on the outcomes of academic research related to the critical issues of our time, the need for us to go beyond simply documenting an issue, and play a more active role in helping create the change we want to see, the potential benefits of collaboration, and much, much more.

For anyone in Berlin at the moment, Klaus’s organisation Project Pressure has organised an exhibition at Kühlhaus Berlin from the 17th February to the 5th March, including work from Simon Norfolk and Noémie Goudal. There’s an opening night reception on the 17th and panel discussions on the 18th on visualising climate change. So, if you’re fortunate enough to be in Berlin right now, then be sure to check it out.

You can see Klaus’s work at klausthymann.com and his organisation, Project Pressure, at project-pressure.org

NOTES

Project Pressure

Joseph Michael

Voices for the future

Simon Norfolk

Noémie Goudal

Royal Geographical Society

Richard Mosse

Para jumpers (Italian clothing brand)

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Podcast produced by Chris King

In this first episode of the new Documentary Storytellers podcast,  I’m speaking to Rebecca Conway – a documentary photographer from the UK who won the Camille lepage prize at last year’s (2022) Visa pour L’Image photography festival in Perpignan, France. A few years ago Rebecca made the transition from picture editor and written-word journalist to photographer out of a desire to explore stories visually, and feeling a greater affinity with photography. She focuses a lot on the impact of conflict on people’s mental health, and what it means to live with the aftermath of war and  conflict. She also explores stories related to climate change – again with a human focus.

We talk about Rebecca’s journey to where she is now, the challenges and benefits of being a white western woman documenting life in Asia, the value of exploring long-term photography projects and embedding yourself somewhere, and much more.

Photography Portfolio

NOTES

AFP

Reuters

The Fuller Project

Getty Images

Women Photograph

Visa Pour l’image

Camille Lepage

Picter

Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award

FotoDocument

Photo Mechanic

Moises Saman

William Daniels

Kieran Dodds

Emma Hardy

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Podcast produced by Chris King

In this episode I’m speaking to Smita Sharma - a Delhi-based photojournalist and visual storyteller reporting on critical human rights, gender, social justice and environmental issues – both in India and throughout the Global South.

Smita is actively engaged in public speaking, victim advocacy and international public education, and her work has been exhibited and published globally, including at the UN Headquarters in New York. She recently published her first photo book We Cry In Silence documenting cross-border trafficking of underage girls in South Asia, published by FotoEvidence. Smita’s been organising a campaign in the region aimed at educating and raising awareness amongst the communities most vulnerable to human trafficking.

We discuss all this and other steps Smita has done to maximise the impact her work, along with her motivation for doing what she does, her experiences with publications and organisations from the Global North, and much more.

Follow Smita

Portfolio: https://bit.ly/3Dn4nOY

‘We Cry In Silence’ Photobook: https://bit.ly/3XWScll

TED Talk: https://bit.ly/3ryfhi2

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3T7A6wF

Vimeo: https://bit.ly/3GiQjqS

Follow Documentary Storytellers

Website: https://bit.ly/3Qa0k01

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rwK9zr

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Ok2718

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3ryJQnU

Follow me, Chris King

Portfolio: https://bit.ly/3XYvj0I

Instagram: https://bit.ly/3pSYvd3

Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Q0AE5R

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/44CWFMr

References

Shillong, India

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - The Danger of a single story

Donna Ferrato – I Am Unbeatable

International Center of Photography, New York

Women Photograph

Diversify Photo

FotoEvidence

Natalie is a documentary photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. She is interested in inequality, youth culture, and the personal effects of political turmoil and violence, primarily in the US and Latin America.

As always we cover a wide range of topics, including the impact her work as a photographer has had on Natalie’s view of the world, our capacity as documentary storytellers and the potential for photography to create meaningful change, and the need for us to support one another and the ways in which we can do that…and of course much more.

Photography Portfolio | ⁠Instagram⁠

Podcast hosted and produced by ⁠⁠Chris King⁠

This episode is brought to you by Open Eye Media, which is me. For over 15 years, alongside my photography and filmmaking, I’ve been building websites professionally as a freelancer. So, if you’d like to discuss anything related to your website needs – be it a rebuild, a new build, SEO, writing or editing content, or even help with image and video editing, everything and anything related to your online presence, then email me at chris@openeyemedia.net.

Notes

Daniella Zalcman

Anastasia Taylor-Lind

Stephanie Mei-Ling

Photoville

Steve Sweatpants

Street Dreams

Katie Orlinsky

This week I’m speaking to documentary filmmaker Gemma Atkinson, who is based between London and Barcelona, and co-founded the production company Fat Rat Films 15 years ago where she is the current creative director. Gemma has a vast amount of experience within the documentary filmmaking industry, and has produced countless films and other content for NGOs and international institutions across the globe, as well as her own personal projects.

Gemma and I discuss her motivations for creating a production company over freelancing, how her approach to documentary storytelling and filmmaking has changed over the years, and continues to change, how to be an effective storyteller, and much more.

Portfolio | Instagram | Vimeo

Podcast hosted and produced by ⁠Chris King

Notes

Touching the void

Catfish

Act of Terror (animation by Gemma)

Una Marzorati

Equidem

Comic Relief

The Elders

Girls Not Brides

Publish What You Pay

3 Identical Strangers

Tim Wardel

Maite Alberdi

Mole Agent

Dick Johnson is Dead

Simon Chin

The Imposter

Man on Wire

This week I’m speaking with Mike Snyder – a documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Charlottesville in the US. In his work, Mike explores the dynamic relationship between environmental and cultural change. An environmental and climate scientist by training, Mike uses his combined knowledge of visual storytelling and conservation to create narratives that drive social impact.

Mike and I discuss topics such as how best to approach human stories in a way that maximises the positive impact – through having a considered, rigorous and impact-first approach to planning, implementation, and outputs. We also chat about how Mike goes about getting funding and his approach to pitching his stories, as well as his thoughts on how we can become better storytellers, and how to best prepare for shoots - whether photography and filmmaking.

There’s so much to take away from our chat – both practical, actionable advice, and ideas to reflect on in relation to impact-driven visual storytelling.

Photography and Filmmaking Portfolio | Instagram

Podcast hosted and produced by ⁠Chris King

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SUBJECTS & TIMECODES

Inspiration for picking up a camera [2:09]

What is about climate change communication that has failed to inspire meaningful action and behaviour change [6:05]

The multi-dimensional approach to climate change communication that includes both solutions and impacts [10:41]

How to get stories in front of policymakers and inspire them to take action [12:07]

How to explore a human story and having true impact on the issue being documented [15:58]

An example of applying an impact-first approach to documentary storytelling that engages people at a local level – not just national and international [20:52]

Adding layers of impact – particularly at a local level - when you’ve been commissioned by a magazine [23:52]

What has been the inspiration for developing a comprehensive, impact-first approach to documentary storytelling [26:04]

Organisations receptive and support of an impact-first approach [29:20]

Approach to getting funding for impact-first storytelling [30:49]

Approach to pitching new projects [33:32]

How to become better documentary storytellers [35:30]

How to start a start a new project and get the images or footage you want [39:47]

Motivation for long-term project on drag queens in home town [43:52]

How to address the power imbalance that exists when exploring a human story [47:17]

How do we get more people to consider the role we as documentary storytellers play in maintaining or challenging a prevailing narrative [50:48]

The need to compromise but also turning down commissions that aren’t a good fit for whatever reason [57:35]

Mistakes that have been valuable[1:01:37]

What could have been of real benefit if learnt sooner [1:02:55]

Experiences exploring something academic but with a visual dimension [1:05:40]

The choice to become a documentary storyteller instead of committing to being an environmental scientist being the right choice in terms of impact [1:07:33]

Skills being developed and mastered [1:10:28]

Active documentary storytellers who are source of inspiration [1:13:38]

NOTES

Bertha Climate Challenge Fellowship

Bertha Foundation

University of Art Bournemouth

The CRUX Photography Network

Columbia University Earth Institute – Climate Migration Conference

Blue Earth Alliance

Pixar’s Story Spine

Ed Kashi

Social Documentary Network

Through Documentary Storytellers I want to help promote a more considered form of documentary storytelling, enhance the positive impact our work has on the issues we document, and to help in some way with decolonising photography and filmmaking, and visual communication in general.

Because of the pervasive influence and insidious nature of forces such as patriarchal and colonial mindsets, which, all too often, go unnoticed or unacknowledged, someone from the Global North, for example, going to the Global South with good intentions to explore an issue is not sufficient to ensure the positive impact they wish to have is actually realised. We need to become conscious of our own role as photographers and filmmakers in maintaining certain power dynamics and prevailing narratives through the way we work and represent the people and communities we document, and impact this has.

As documentary storytellers are one of the groups at the frontline of shaping culture, we can either contribute to maintaining the status quo, or we can challenge it and contribute to its disruption and the creation of a more just, egalitarian, and compassionate world. The only way we are going to help change our cultures for the better, is if we become mindful of our own role within them - to become aware of the biases and prejudices we hold, and work on addressing or managing them – to ensure that when documenting communities of which we are not a part, we act in a way that maximises the potential for our work to have the positive outcome we intended, and not inadvertently contribute to maintaining a narrative that lies at the root of the issue we are documenting.

So, to start this process, in this episode I speak to Savannah Dodd – a photographer and anthropologist originally from the USA, but now living in Northern Ireland – just down the road from my family as it happens. In 2017, Savannah founded the Photography Ethics Centre an organisation dedicated to promoting ethical literacy across the photography industry through workshops, events, online courses, and free multimedia content.

Photography Portfolio | Instagram

Photography Ethic Centre | Instagram

Notes

Photography Ethics Centre podcast

Statement of Ethics Campaign

Susie Linfield

General Treegan

Melanie King

Hannah Fletcher

Climate Visuals

Smita Sharma

Pietro Masturzo

Anthony Luvera

Tamara Abdul Hadi

Sustainable Darkroom

This episode and features Laurel Chor – a documentary photographer, filmmaker, and journalist who is exploring a range of different topics – from manta ray conservation to the war in the Ukraine, using a variety of media.

We explore the biases we as individuals have that influence how we explore the stories we document through documentary photography and filmmaking, but also the value of our own unique experiences and perspective. We talk about the challenges Laurel has experienced being a woman of colour, the need for self-care to ensure we’re able to continue to document the issues we care about and push for the change we want to see, and much more.

Photography and Filmmaking Portfolio | Instagram

Podcast hosted and produced by Chris King

References

Arman Dzidzovic

Andrei Kalashnikov

What it’s like being a stripper in Florida during Covid

Coconuts

Vice on HBO

MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management

National Geographic Grant

Julia Kochetova

Hannah Reyes Morales

Natalie Keyssar

Hind Hassan