Peacemaker Interview
- What does visual peacemaking mean to you?
I truly believe this is a world worth loving and yet our lives have become saturated with images of pain, fear and despair. Fear breeds fear. A visual peacemaker is someone who plays to the light in our world rather than the dark and spreads hope instead of that fear.
- What motivates you to be a peacemaker?
My faith more than anything else. I believe as a Christian I am called to speak words of peace into the world and I think those words can be through images.
- Have you ever felt stereotyped?
Definitely! I come from a county in the UK called Essex, Essex girls have many unfavourable stereotypes thrown around about them. I think we all stereotype, it is an unfortunate part of human nature. It is something I dislike but also sometimes play to – it is fun to surprise people!
- How does your camera get you to reflect on your world and your life?
It helps me slow things down. I sometimes charge through life a bit too quickly and my camera slows me down and helps me focus in all the small things both in my own life and in the life of others.
- What do you like to photograph best?
People. I do not see myself as a photographer but as a visual storyteller because my first passion is collecting these stories….. I think the tradition of storytelling defines us as human beings. We define who we are through what we see in others. It is really special when you capture that glint in someone’s eye as they share their story.
- What technical aspect of photography do you find most challenging?
Without a doubt using flash!!! I am not a technical photographer or a gadget geek, although I am trying hard to become a bit more like one. I favour natural light but I also think this has something to do with the fact I really need to work on my understanding of flash photography.
- Is there a particular group you feel is misunderstood or stereotyped that you’d like to document common humanity amongst?
The poorest of the poor - women.. women make up 50% of humanity and yet in so many societies do not have much of a voice. We miss out on so many stories because women are silenced.
- Do you have an idea worth sharing?
A simple idea - share, share, share! Photography should not be a competition, it should be a conversation.
My Biography
I believe in the power of storytelling. The finest stories are the ones that are real; authentic stories of hope, life, loss and love. I am a photographer because I genuinely believe that an image can speak a thousand words and that by sharing stories we can move others into action.
I have experience working for international NGOS and this has given me a lot of insight into the kind of stories the public respond well to. I am also deeply motivated by my faith and personal ethics and have confidence in a generation of photographers that can portray people’s stories in a dignified and beautiful way. I see my work as a photographer as an expression of my Christian faith. I am happy working alongside people of all faiths or none but also believe as a Christian I have a duty to show compassion and love to all I come in contact with. Through the images I create I hope to promote a vision of a world worth loving by others.
I care about making sure the voice of some of the world’s poorest people is heard. I believe the way we work alongside people can have a powerful impact on those that participate in and those that view the visual messages we produce. I want to keep finding stories and being inspired by the global ‘face in the crowd’. It is time to strip away the negative images of so many countries and replace them with hope – time to see with new eyes.
I won the Guardian Been There Photographer of the Year in 2011 and have been a finalist in other awards including Wanderlust Travel Photographer of the Year in 2010 but the biggest reward is when even one person makes a difference to the world because they have been moved by an image.
My Recent Activity
- I added: Beat of the Drum
to Galleries on January 24, 2012 - I added: Education for Change
to Galleries on January 08, 2012 - I added: Colour in the Dust
to Galleries on November 27, 2011 - I added: Peace and Prosperity in Sierra Leone
to Galleries on November 13, 2011
We're Social