50/50
For over 25 years I have traveled the world, either on assignment or on personal journeys,
photographing the daily life and rhythm of the world’s indigenous cultures. My current project
“50/50: 50 Countries, 50 Photos” is a collection of fifty images taken in fifty of the countries
that I visited throughout the years. Read an interview with me by Brittany Raynor of MonacoReps
about the project.
What made you decide to start your 50/50 project?
The 50/50 project came about when I was asked by the director of The Forward Thinking Museum
to put together a list of countries where I had photographed in. I began to think that a collection
of a representative image from each country would make for an interesting book project, and there
are many stories behind the various images. It was a challenge to select one image to represent
a country, especially countries that I have had the opportunity to return to a number of times
for various assignments and projects.
While on assignment for AES (a global electric company), you traveled the world for over three years
taking pictures. Are many of your 50 country images ones that were captured during that assignment?
Yes. I think that I selected images from the AES project to represent 17 of the 50 countries included here.
For AES we had the good fortune of traveling to 26 countries, exploring local cultures while at the same
time creating a library of images that represented the company’s infrastructure and social and environmental
responsibility projects. It was the true melding of art and commerce.
When choosing your 50 countries & images, what was your main goal?
I tried to select images that shared a part of the spirit of each place, and would serve as a good introduction
to the variety of cultures represented here. We have also created links to view additional images from each
place so the viewer can see a broader selection from specific countries.
One country each week will be featured on the blog until all 50 are shared. Are there a few that you’re
especially excited to share with us?
Actually, it is difficult to choose favorites. I am often asked what is my favorite place in the world to visit
and photograph. My reply is that I have spent years traversing the globe in search of that special moment,
and discovered that there are special moments everywhere – you just need to be open to experiencing
them. Each image selected for the 50/50 project will come with a story.