Image by Katherine October Matthews
Christopher Anderson grew up in Texas but was originally born in Canada. Chris is a member of Magnum Photos and currently resides in New York. His first recognized photography was in 1999, when photos were released of the ship he was aboard that sunk in the Caribbean. Lou Noble interviewed Christopher Anderson and asked him about his career as a photojournalist. Noble asked Anderson what he looks for in a photograph, his was response was, "I’m still looking for the same heart of the photograph, something that is about an experience and an emotion." Noble also asked Anderson why he does what he does, Anderson replied, "So I want to be committed to truth, which has something to do with honesty. And that often gets confused, and sort of the documentary photojournalistic world press view of what photography is." Throughout the career of Christopher Anderson he has captured so many photos of so many different genres it is hard to categorize his work. This is similar to the works of Xyza Cruz Bacani, described by Aaron Tam as, "her images of everything from trips to the supermarket to scenes of abuse at a refuge for domestic workers earning laudatory spreads in international media and at exhibitions."
Image by Christopher Anderson
Image by National Geographic
Lynn Johnson's interest in photography began when she stumbled upon a photography book in the library during her high school years. She immediately fell in love and began taking pictures for her high school yearbook. Johnson was the first woman photographer hired to the Pittsburg Press. Johnson comments on her career as a photographer by saying, "For me, photography has been a mission. I don't mean on the grand scale, but in the sense of the daily awareness that each one of us is responsible for the wider community, that your sense of self and sense of responsibility outside yourself is as wide as you can embrace. It's a commitment to try to fulfill that responsibility by doing work about things that matter." One of Lynn Johnson's main motivations is being a female in the male dominated world of photography. Johnson describes a sense of responsibility she feels when capturing photographs when she says, “documenting womens issues feels like a responsibility as a woman photographer”.
Image by Lynn Johnson
Image Source: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/24/hate-kills-photos-insights-photographer-lynn-johnson/
Image by Yolan Valat
Remi Ochlik was a photojournalist that covered war stories. Remi was an award winning French photojournalist that passed away in 2012 while covering a story in Syria. Remi always knew he wanted to be a war photographer. There was never a point in his life where he was interested in covering any other type of story. Why war? Remi compared war to drugs in one interview, "War is worse than drugs. One moment it’s a bad trip, a nightmare. But the next moment, as soon as the immediate danger has passed, there is an overpowering desire to go back for more." His motivation to go back into the crossfire of war was the desire he felt. He infers that he was addicted to the lifestyle of war photography. Not only did Remi stories of war, he ultimately became part of the stories as well. This is similar to what "As a combat photographer, I was a photographer to document them, but you know, inherently I became part of the story too. So I tried to kind of show or convey my emotions through my pictures too through use of light or shadows or any sort of emotion I could." Ultimately Remi's motivation was to go out and get more. He needed to fill the void that the desire left within him.
Image by Remi Ochlik
What motivates me?
Image by Courtney Patridge
The motivations of the photojournalists I researched and the motivations I see within myself are very different. The only photojournalist I saw a connect with was Christopher Anderson when he had mentioned "expanding his tool belt" when referring too trying different techniques and using different environments. I am always interested and open to expanding my knowledge when it comes to my education within the nursing field. You cannot continue to grow within your profession if you are not open to learning knew and improved methods. I cannot connect with Lynn Johnson as I am not a woman in a male dominated field. If anything I am a female within a female dominating field. Lastly, the motivation of Remi Ochlik, the desire and crave to go out and photograph war, I feel sometimes when it comes to helping patients and their families that I really connect with. Overall everyone in this world, no matter what profession, have things that motivate them. It does not matter what those motivators are, as long as they are there people will continue working because of them.
