I did a short interview with Jonathan Cherry from MULL IT OVER. I enjoyed his thoughtful and poignant questions.
JC: What is it that has drawn you to Uganda?
DW: I wanted to leave the United States and experience how much of the world lives each day. I wanted to learn about myself and the world through photography.
Academy A is a publication that explores the worlds of art, print and photography. It’s edited by Jeffrey Michael Smith, a student of Journalism at Rowan University in New Jersey.
An excerpt from an interview I recently did with Academy A:
“It’s important to focus and acknowledge both the positive and negative. As a culture we seem to focus on negativity so much these days. Is this because of the American media or because of ourselves? I’m not sure there is one definitive answer. All we can do is continue to express the atrocities occurring in Africa while always presenting the fact that positive events happen each waking moment of every day.”
Read the rest of my interview with Academy A here. Thanks again, Jeff.
Moon and Grass, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009
Carry Me Home from Barefoot Workshops.
Title: Carry Me Home
A Film By: David Wright and Susan Fritz
Produced By: Barefoot Workshops, Inc.
Instructors: Julie Winokur, Teddy Symes, Yoni Brook & Chandler Griffin
Sponsors by: Canon USA, Sennheiser, Bogen Imaging, Lowel, Litepanels
Created: February 2010, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Synopsis: A self-determined man confronts his past, is given a chance, and discovers the freedom to change on the Sunflower River.
—
This was my first foray into documentary filmmaking and the experience was nothing short of remarkable. There were 12 students including myself, 4 incredible instructors with a plethora of experience and knowledge, and an endlessly helpful support staff composed of savvy locals and Delta Workshop alumni students.
Our home base was the Shack Up Inn in the Mississippi Delta. It was an ideal environment to learn, edit, eat, and sleep, although there was not much sleeping to be had after week 1! Thanks to all for making these 2 weeks beyond enjoyable.
I highly recommend Barefoot Workshops for documentary filmmaking and photography. For more information, visit Barefoot Workshops.
Take a look at my interview with Joerg. I feel good about the interview and think there’s something for everyone to take away. From Joerg’s introduction:
Photographically, the continent of Africa, home of around one billion people and cradle of humanity, seems to be in a bit of a tight spot. While there is a lot of different work being produced about or in Africa, the most visible types of photography, the ones we get to see most often, are either photojournalistic depictions of war and/or poverty or what Jim Johnson called the freak show. David Wright’s Alebtong, Uganda was thus a very pleasant surprise for me: A young photographer going to Africa and producing images that do not center on photojournalistic clichés or on the overly exotic.
Thanks again, Joerg.
Denis, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009
I was selected as 1 of 3 winners for Joerg Colberg’s Conscientious Portfolio Competition 2009. Here’s an excerpt from the published interview between Joerg and I:
“I tell my subjects that I am in control of the situation and act confident with my movements. I connect on a basic level and common interest, be it a book, a friend, a movie, etc. I often position my subjects in a specific place and tell them where to look. Sometimes we speak to one another and other times we’re quiet. There’s always the need to have subject and I to feel that the portrait is being given rather than taken. I believe that I’m a good listener, honest conversationalist, and strong observationalist. I find these important traits to make the photographs I make because when the subject believes we’re going to make a great photograph, we become closer to being able to do so.”
Read the rest of my interview with Joerg Colberg here.
George and I, A River Blue, Alebtong, Uganda, 2009
There is a worthwhile Gregory Crewdson interview on Epson’s website. It provides great insight into his working process, behind the scenes footage of his productions, and why he now does pigmented ink printing.
