For World Photography Day, we have pulled some inspiring words and photos highlighting IMAGO’s photographers and their stories.
World Photography Day: IMAGO Voices
To be a photographer means to see the world a little differently – to observe, analyse and re-imagine. To push for a result that may impact one person, or an entire movement. Photography is therefore as nuanced as it is ubiquitous, playing a unique role both in media and in art.
In celebrating World Photography Day, we are highlighting some exclusive photos from IMAGO’s very own photographers who we’ve interviewed on The Game. We also take a look back at some of the lessons they have taught us, reminding us why we love photography, and capturing the essence of what it means to be a photographer today.
“Photographers are, in my opinion, the last witnesses of this constantly changing world…And to bring back an image, we have to be on the ground.” – Marie le Blé.
“I want to have my pictures in the same kind of proximity to my family album. I want to look at these people and I want to feel later on that in my memory, I built some kind of connection with them.” – André Luís Alves.
“As a photographer I have learnt to read situations, especially those where any provocation will end up in dangerous clashes…I have experienced love, fear, rage and importance.” – Camilo Erasso.
“I always analyze how my work could have been better, what perspective could have had a better advantage, how can I find a new style that no one saw and found before? Once I find what I have been looking for, the next challenge comes. These quests will never end.”- Achille Abboud.
“I think [my photos] tell the story of what I experienced, and that is all I can hope for. I am pretty clear about that with my work in general. It’s my eyes. There will always be things we miss. We can’t be everywhere, of course.” – Thomas Hengge.
“My photos are the voice of the silent community…That’s why when I hold the camera, I look for a moment that maybe I can change or be effective in.” – Maryam Majd.
“I like to capture moments and people, and being able to capture what could be an historic moment for me is the most important achievement.” – Chepa Beltran.
“It’s a bit like driving a car. It is so in the flesh and blood…To photograph means for me to live in a free way, to meet people, to be open and to develop myself.” – Mika Volkmann.
“I hope to be able to contribute to the documentary, memory and history of my country.” – Claudio Abarca Sandoval.
“It’s hard to strike that balance between needing to capture something, needing it to be published so people understand what’s happening, and skewing it in favor of sensationalists.” – Allison Bailey.
“As a citizen I have my ideology, my beliefs and my preferences, but as a journalist I have to keep a commitment to the facts. Although the ‘message’ transmitted always has a personal ideological charge, it is the journalist’s job to document the facts…” – Chico Ferreira.
“To abstract through image details and to work out new contexts is the goal of my photography.” – Rolf Pollak.
“After the fall of the Berlin Wall, I made the leap into photojournalism…Of course, years of upheaval are exciting and a very lively time for photographers.” – Rolf Zöllner.
“My heart and soul is still fully in my work…When the game was decided and the World Cup title was won, it was clear to me that I was experiencing and photographing something historic.” – Sven Simon.
