Known for her recent photograph of 18-year-old Bibi Aisha on the cover of Time (August 9), Bieber will be coming to Kathmandu in November to tutor a photography workshop with participants from Nepal and Finland.
This 10-day master class is being organized by the Finnish Press Photographers Association and Photo Raw Magazine in cooperation with photo.circle based in Kathmandu.[break]
Bieber took a moment from her busy schedules to catch up with Republica Arts over Skype. Thanks to technology, read on.
Many of your stories and images have women in them. In particular, what was your concept behind the story Real Beauty where you’ve portrayed several women in their undergarments?
When I turned 40 in 2008, I was in London. I was walking in an old tube station when I saw a Dove beauty soap poster with eight to 10 ordinary women in their underwear. Then I heard in a BBC radio program that the trend of ‘voluptuous being sexy’ in South African women had decreased. Later, I was in Paris where I met a model from New York who told me not to believe what I saw in magazines. She had dark rings around her eyes but those would be fixed in Photoshop, she said. She opened a magazine and pointed out which model had scars and where. That’s when I moved back to South Africa to do the story.Real Beauty is a response to ‘What beauty is,’ and the image projected by the media. All the women in ‘Real Beauty’ are from Johannesburg, and are from different classes and racial groups. They were shot in their underwear in their own homes. As an individual, too, the older I get, the more comfortable I’m becoming with who I am.
It is easy to take photographs, but it’s difficult to be a photographer. What’s your take?
I disagree. It’s difficult to both take photographs and to be a photographer. Even though we are in a digital age, the way I interact through photography hasn’t changed. Only the medium has shifted. I’ve never found photography easy and I always invest everything in it.
Then what drives you to keep going?
Because I’ve got something to say. Photography livens up my spirit. It’s a total form of expression.
What do you think about parachute photojournalism?
I don’t do news photography but it does make me angry when the international media come here [South Africa] when something happens and create inaccurate stereotypes. I feel very patriotic about it, but it’s also a part of life.
What’s the importance of research and knowing your subjects before you even begin to take pictures?
Research to a certain point is important, but I’m more of an emotional person and less academic. I keep an open mind, and meeting [the person] is more important than searching on the Internet. It may be for just an hour, but I prefer having a relationship with the people I photograph. I don’t believe that the length of time spent on a story makes it any greater. I worked on ‘Between Dogs and Wolves’ for 10 years and around one and a half years on ‘Real Beauty.’
Your photograph on the recent cover of Time (August 9) has brought about a lot of debate concerning the use of photography to push political agendas. With opinions coming from all nooks and corners, regardless of them being praises or criticisms, what’s your own take on Bibi Aisha’s portrait?
What would you want Bibi Aisha’s portrait to look like? A powerless or a dignified woman? I wanted to show a dignified woman instead of a sad victim. I’m happy with my photograph, even though I doubted myself when I took it. I wasn’t sure if Time would publish it.The reaction, however, was stronger with the photograph along with the title (What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan). There are hundreds and hundreds of opinions on the Internet, and everyone responded differently. Be it right or wrong, I think that the cover created an important discussion and debate which was necessary. Hardly anyone opened the magazine to read Aryn Baker’s article. And I didn’t photograph Bibi only but also politicians and different women, but no one really saw those.
Several media houses now portray you as a famous distinguished South African photographer, based in London, but highly concerned about Afghan women. What do you think about that when the photograph was taken during an assignment on which you were sent to by Time.
I live and work in Johannesburg and not in London. My recent book Soweto is based in South Africa. I’m not a fly-by-night photographer. I’ve been in the field for 20 years and have received several awards for my works. I’ve traveled and worked in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Indonesia. I was specially blessed to experience the rural culture of Pakistan, where I was allowed in to understand the culture. I can’t take the media seriously because it’s always inaccurate.
What’s your workshop going to be like? Isn’t 10 days a short time?
It’ll be my first time in Nepal and I’m looking forward to it. A month-long workshop would be ideal but we have to be realistic as well. I’ve been on assignments that have been only 10 days long and I’ve worked continuously. I don’t want to say everything, but the workshop will very much be a kick-start and it doesn’t have to have an end. The participants from Finland and Nepal will be working together on projects, and I’ll be guiding them.
What’s the major challenge for young photographers today?
The world of photography has shifted a lot. There are millions of photographers and thousands of good photographers today. The days have gone by when there was room for photographers. Therefore, one really has to have a voice to make it today.
Even though there are many male photographers, I’ve never felt that that was a challenge. For me, my challenge is myself. And when I want to do something, I put my head down with all its challenges.
For more information on the workshop, go to www.photocircle.com.np. Deadline for application submissions is October 20.
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