7 lectures from magnum agency photographers. Best of the Best: Magnum Photos. What advice would you give to young photographers?

Magnum Photos, founded in 1947 on the initiative of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa and their fellow colleagues, is an association of well-known professional photographers and photojournalists, which not everyone can get into. The election as a permanent member of the agency is a recognition of the talent and outstanding achievements of the photographer from the masters in this field.

Magnum Photos doesn't necessarily offer tips on how to take better photos or how to make a name for yourself in this compilation, but their workshops are sure to inspire you to pick up a camera.

Mark Power

British photographer Mark Power is Lecturer in Photography at the University of Brighton and a permanent member of Magnum Photos since 2007. In his master class, he talks about how to approach a photography project the right way and how to stay motivated when it stretches over many years. About the works that once inspired him, about the sea and the weather. He explains why photography cannot be planned, but ideas can and should be planned. He shares his experience of working in Poland and shows by his own example how important it is to try yourself in another, non-native country.

Jonas Benediktsen

Jonas Benediktsen is a Norwegian photojournalist, author and winner of several international photo awards. He became a permanent member of the Magnum agency in 2008, and two years later he was its president. Speaking in Russia at the invitation of Leica Academie, he talks a lot about his connection with our country: about his ancestors, Russian emigrants, about how he came to Moscow and worked there as a freelancer, about how and for what he was expelled. Talks about the slums of Kenya, climate change and why you shouldn't chase sensation.

Thomas Dvorak

A member of Magnum Photos since 2004, Thomas Dvořák grew up in Germany, on the border with the Czech Republic, during the Cold War. From childhood he was afraid of war and at the same time could not help but be interested in it. He did not want to be a soldier or a mercenary, but he dreamed of seeing and feeling historical events. So he became a war photographer. Dvorak talks about his career, published photobooks, life in Russia and Russian literature.

Alec Soth

Celebrity author Sleeping by the Mississippi talks about the people who inspired him, how he became interested in photography, and shows his most early work. He talks a lot about the fact that you can live a different life, choose your own path. Often his works are simple photographs with a big story behind them.

Georgy Pinkhasov

The only Russian member of Magnum Photos, Georgy Pinkhasov, shares his experience of working in different parts of the world: Georgia, Japan, America. Photography for him has become anthropology - the study of people, the study of the world in which these people live. He talks not only about his photographs, but also about photographic films, as well as the need to be very sensitive to the people that the photographer shoots.

Zhang Qianqi

The topic of Zhang Qianqi's master class is "Visible and Invisible Chains". He shows his work, which depicts the inhabitants of a temple in Taiwan. They are all sick - and the chains connect those who are very sick with those who feel well, in the hope that the one who is worse will also get better. These are visible chains. Invisible chains connect the other heroes of his photographs: Chinese men who leave for America to work in order to work without sleep and rest, and their families who remained in their homeland.

Christopher Anderson

The author of four photography monographs, Christopher Anderson, tells how he almost gave up his life's work, almost burning out on the set of war in hot spots. He was saved by an old camera, which did not allow setting any frame parameters. Pictures on it became his outlet, and the birth of his son and his father's illness forced him to reconsider his attitude to the role of a photographer. Anderson shares the most intimate: the story of how he almost died at sea and for the first time realized what photographs were taken for in principle.

"Magnum" is a community of thought, common human qualities, curiosity about what is happening in the world, respect for what is happening and the desire to convey it visually". (Henri Cartier-Bresson)

"Magnum Photos" (Magnum Photos) - the first photographic agency in history. Created as an international cooperative association of photographers, Magnum Photos has since become the most famous and prestigious documentary photography agency in the world.

On May 22, 1947 (according to other sources, November 22, 1947) in Paris (Robert Capa), George Rodger, Henri Cartier Bresson and David Seymour founded a photo agency that pursues the idea of ​​spreading reportage pictures in print. The legend of the birth of the name "Magnum" says that it coincides with the name of the champagne, the bottle of which was drunk by the creators of Magnum Photos on the day the agency was founded.

This cooperative association of photographers made it possible to keep the rights to the pictures with the authors themselves, and not with print media, as was the case before.

But a young promising enterprise, at first, was forced to work for this very prospect. The 1940s were a difficult time for the agency and its first director, Robert Capa. He did everything to ensure that the Magnum could survive, even played at the races. The money won was used to pay bills and work for secretaries. All photographers of the agency understood that now it was necessary to do everything and even beyond their capabilities to save their offspring. And they went to those places where the spirit of war was still fresh. The reward for this was the excellent pictures provided to the agency upon returning from business trips.

Over time, more and more talented photographers have joined Magnum Photos. The agency gradually got on its feet and acquired an excellent reputation.

Henri Cartier-Bresson said of the agency "...Magnum" was created with the aim to allow us - or rather oblige us - by virtue of our capabilities and abilities to tell the truth about the modern world ... "

As of 2009, the agency employs 79 photographers.

To become a Magnum Photos photographer, it is not enough just to be a talented professional. All members of Magnum Photos are recognized geniuses with their own unique style and amazing sense of the moment.

Once a year, on the last weekend of June, photographers meet to resolve organizational issues. One day is entirely devoted to discussing new potential members of Magnum Photos. Applicants must send their portfolio of 80 photographs to one of the company's four offices located in Japan, the US, France and England.













The Magnum agency is one of the oldest photo agencies. It was founded back in 1947 on the initiative of the most famous photographers of that time - Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Cap and others. The creators tried to make Magnum not just an office for the production of reportage photographs, but practically a club for the elite, getting into which is one of the best awards for photographers.

Therefore, there were never many people in the Magnum - there were always less than a hundred photographers at a time. We will publish biographies of the most famous photographers agency "Magnum", and now we offer you to get acquainted with overview fifteen of the best, whose biographies are worthy of decorating the photo agency's conditional "honor board".

Bert Glynn was an American legend reportage photography. The man whose pictures practically illustrated herself "cold war" - in those years, the American layman, not least, perceived the events in the world through the prism of Bert's photographs. For example, he filmed Fidel Castro during a parade in Havana in 1959 and Nikita Khrushchev during his visit to the USA .

Of course, Bert was not limited to politics - over the decades of his work, he filmed many different events around the world. Movie stars in Hollywood and hungry children in India fell into his lens.

Not surprisingly, he has amassed an impressive collection of all kinds of awards and earned great prestige among magazine photographers around the world.

Peter van Agtmael

Pieter van Agtmael, with his photographs, tries to show the severity and pain of people who were victims of the war machine. And not only civilians who found themselves in the epicenter of the fighting, but also the soldiers themselves, who were forced to turn life into death.


For his project "If It is Willed", dedicated to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, he received a grant with a speaking name W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography» , that is, an award for humanistic photography.



And in 1954, he went on his last trip - at the age of 38, Werner Bischof died in a car accident in Peru.



His most recent projects are devoted to mysterious worlds Buddhism and Hinduism.

Raymond Depardon

Raymond Depardon became interested in photography at an early age, and since then he could not imagine himself without a camera. It so happened that from the very beginning his career was associated with photography.


Faia Larjo, Republic of Chad. 1978.

He traveled all over the world, sometimes finding himself in the most dangerous places - for example, in Cambodia where one of his colleagues disappeared without a trace.

The milestone was a series of reports from Chile, for which he received Robert Capa Medal - perhaps the most prestigious award for reportage photographers.


Beirut,1978. Photo: Raymond Depardon

It is difficult to find significant events that Raymond Depardon would not shoot. He is also passionate about documentary films, has already shot almost two dozen films and has gained considerable authority in this area.


Photo: Beirut,1978. Photo: Raymond Depardon

Cornell Capa

Cornell Capa - famous American photographer, brother Roberta Capa, founder International Center for Photography in New York and a man who documented in his photographs the most important milestones of the second half of the 20th century. He filmed election campaigns Adlai Stevenson and John Kennedy, the revolution in Argentina, "Six Day War" and even life Orthodox Church in the USSR .


At the same time, Cornell deliberately dissociated his work from what is commonly called creativity. He claimed that he was not an artist, and the main thing he strived to achieve with his photographs was to convey the essence of events, so he put the value of the report as a whole above the beauty of any individual photograph in it.




Already at the end of the Soviet era, in 1988, Georgy created a cycle of photographs "Tbilisi baths", after which he was invited to the Magnum agency, becoming the first and so far the only Russian photographer in this agency. He continues to work actively today, living in France and shooting for leading publications, for example Geo and New York Times.



Taiwan. "My niece (left), on a new suspension bridge" 2003 . Photo: Chang Chen-Chi

It turned out that the Americans had absolutely no idea of ​​this closed world, located in a huge metropolis, but living according to the rules that had been formed for generations in the peasant families of Asia. Zhang's reporting caused a sensation.


New York, USA. 1998. "An immigrant watches a Chinese soap opera on his day off." Photo: Chang Chen-Chi

But even more furor was made by the Chains project: a series of shots from the Taiwanese monastery Long Fa Tang , which houses Taiwan's largest poultry farm, where mentally ill people, chained in pairs, work in appalling conditions. More recently, Zhang also made a rare report about North Koreans making their way to neighboring countries in search of escape from the regime.

Bruno Barbie(Bruno Barbey)

Bruno Barbie is a French photographer born in Morocco. Since the 1960s, he has constantly been at the center of the most important events- filmed student unrest in Paris, events in Poland, wars in Nigeria, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Kuwait.


But one of the most important topics for him still became his native Morocco, and a series of pictures from there showed that in reportage photography, color can be an independent creative object.


Portugal, 1993. Photo: Bruno Barbey

Bright colours Morocco his photographs spoke about the country no less than the actual people and events depicted in the photographs.


Morocco, 1985. Photo: Bruno Barbey

Eve Arnold

Eva Arnold is the first woman to become an employee of the Magnum agency, and one of the most famous women-photographers. She started shooting professionally quite late, but after a few years she was a fairly well-known photographer.

Haiti, 1954

She joined Magnum in 1951 and worked there for more than half a century.


USA. 1955 Marilyn Monroe. Photo: Eve Arnold

As a photojournalist, she had to visit many countries of the world. She worked in Russia, where her parents come from, in China, South Africa, Afghanistan.


But it was not even reports that brought her the greatest fame, but shootings of famous women, and above all - Marilyn Monroe, with which she was associated not only professional activity but also personal friendship.

Jonas Bendiksen

Jonas Benediksen became the youngest employee of the Magnum agency, in which he came to train when he was not yet twenty. And the first serious experience as a reportage photographer, which brought him fame, was a trip to Russia and countries former USSR. Jonas chose the least tourist routes and tried in his photographs to rethink the life of a country that had experienced a complete demolition of its way of life.


Jonas's subsequent projects were mainly focused on the sprawling slums. Latin America, Africa and Asia: their inhabitants and rules of life. And often his photographs do not show degenerate creatures at all, but normal people who work, pay taxes and take their children to school.


It's just that their life is harder than that of the townspeople in rich countries - this is exactly what Jonas Bendiksen tried to show.

In preparing the material, photographs were used from site agencies "Magnum" and its pages v

The world's first photo agency dedicated to the dissemination of reportage photographs in print

It was created by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rogers and David "Chim" Seymour on November 12, 1947 in Paris. According to legend, it was the bottle of champagne drunk that evening ("magnum") that served as the reason for the name of this photo agency. Now working in it is the best recognition of achievements in reportage photography.

1. "Try not to take photos that just show what something looks like"

“Your way of juxtaposing the elements in the frame shows something that no one has seen before and will not see in the future. And remember, capturing a moment makes an image even more unique over time.”

2. “Try everything: photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, nudes, anything.”

“You won't know what genre of photography is right for you until you try it. If you're bored or don't like your subject, it will definitely show up in the photo. If deep down you love taking pictures of kittens, do it.” —

"Work every day, even without a job or for money, work with discipline for yourself, not for publishers or awards." —

4. “Photograph because you love and have to do it, and the main reward for you will be the process of shooting”

“Other rewards - recognition, financial rewards - come only to a few and are very short-lived. Turn photography into your passion, not your career." —

5. “I myself do not mind using good advice…»

"The first thing that comes to mind is catchphrase Bob Dylan: "Keep a bright head and always carry a light bulb." —

6. “Dedicate at least 5 years to her completely, and then decide if you have a calling”

“A lot of talented people give up at the very beginning. The great black hole that opens before them as they leave the cozy walls educational institution or university, is the main killer of future talent. —

7. "Be open to criticism, it can be helpful, but stick to your core values"—

8. “Today, when everyone is able to take a technically excellent photo with mobile phone, you need to be "author". It's all about authorship and authorship alone." - David Alan Harvey

9. "Never stop enjoying photography"

“Try, but do not “search” for images, but always be open, open-minded and let everything that hurts you in any way motivate you. Work towards a goal, be it a book or an exhibition, and more importantly, work to find your own voice, object, and approach.” —

10. “Don’t become a photographer, unless that’s what you ‘should’ be doing.”

“This choice can hardly be called simple. If you become a photographer, you will have to walk a lot, so buy yourself some good shoes.” —

11. “Young photographers should study hard and not rely on fixed income from photography"

“They have to follow their inspiration, take the time to look for topics that point to their concerns, big or small. In photography, it is important, first of all, to make a clear image. —

12. "Stop talking about theory when you pick up the camera and don't overthink the image."

Drop your own self and let photography find you. Watch life move around you like a river and realize that the pictures you take can become part of the collective history of the times you live in.” —

13. "Learn this trade (which is not very difficult)"

“Carefully study the work of photographers of the past and classical artists. Watch movies and learn from them. Find a place where you can get a "commercial" photographer. —

14. "Read a lot and create your own world"

“Learn how to build and create photo series. Don't get excited about other jobs. Try something innovative or just be yourself." —

15. “My advice to photographers is to get out in the field and take pictures.”

“But also, if you are a student, graduate, learn as many languages ​​as you can, go to the movies, read books, visit museums, broaden your horizons.” —

16. "Study the work of the greatest photographers like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Andre Kertesz"

"Try to travel to different parts of the globe to understand how diverse the world we live in." — Hiroji Kyubota

Magnum Photos is the world's first photo agency and photographer's agency, which aims to distribute reportage photographs in print. Created November 12, 1947 in Paris on the initiative of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Cap, George Rogers and David "Chima" Seymour. According to legend, it was the bottle of champagne (magnum) drunk that evening that gave rise to the name of this photo agency. The basis for the creation of the photo agency was the desire of photographers to preserve and protect the rights of their own photographs and to have a central bureau.

Being the ideological inspirer of the agency, Henri Cartier-Bresson put forward the principles of photography, the most important of which were: use a Leica camera, take pictures for the Magnum Photo agency, avoid staged shooting, cropping photos.

The agency enjoys well-deserved fame, it includes well-known professional photojournalists, mainly from Western Europe and America. Working in this agency is one of the highest recognitions of achievements in reportage photography.

In 1981, photographer Georgy Pinkhasov, who worked with Tarkovsky as a photographer on the set of the film "Stalker", was selected for the agency. For 2012, this is the only Russian representative in Magnum.

In 2004, the agency launched new project- "Magnum in motion" (Magnum in Motion). The project embodies a multimedia form of presentation of photographs. A team of photographers creates a story-essay, which is a slideshow of photographs with sound and an interview with the photographer.

In total, by the end of 2007, the agency had 66 photographers and about 100 technical staff.

The central office is located in Paris, editorial offices are also located in New York and London. In addition, 15 sub-agencies work for the agency.

So what advice do members of the legendary Magnum give to young aspiring photographers? Let's read and wind ourselves up!

"Get yourself a good pair of walking shoes and... fall in love."

“Try not to take photos that just show what something looks like. Your way of juxtaposing elements in the frame shows what no one has seen before and will not see in the future. And remember, capturing a moment makes an image even more unique over time. Attend workshops for photographers you like, but learn about them first to make sure they're just as good teachers as the photographers. Take off nice photos- easy. do very good shots- hard. Taking great photos is almost impossible.”

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“Try everything: photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, nudes, whatever. You won't know which genre of photography is right for you until you try it. During one summer vacation (in college) I got a job with a newly believing product photographer. For days on end we took off our socks and listened to the religious radio wave.

Then I concluded that I am neither a studio photographer nor a believer. The next year I got a job at a small newspaper publication and was surprised when I realized for myself that I like to photograph on assignment. What matters here is enjoyment. You have to love the process and what you are shooting.

If you're bored or don't like your subject, it will definitely show up in the photo. If deep down you love taking pictures of kittens, do it.”

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“I would recommend reading a lot of literature and looking at the work of other photographers as little as possible. Work every day, even without a job or for money, work with discipline for yourself, not for publishers or awards. And also collaborate with people, not necessarily photographers, but those you admire. The main thing is to learn to join!”

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“Photograph because you love and you must do it, and the main reward for you will be the process of shooting. Other rewards - recognition, financial rewards - come only to a few and are usually short-lived.

And even if you are famous, there will certainly be periods when you will be deprived of attention or permanent income, and most often - both. Of course, there are other ways to make a living...

Turn photography into your passion, not your career."

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“I don’t mind taking good advice myself… The first thing that comes to mind is Bob Dylan’s catchphrase: “Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb” (“Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb” )."

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“Dedicate at least 5 years to her completely, and then decide if you have a calling. A lot of talented people give up at the very beginning. The big black hole that opens up in front of them when they leave the cozy walls of an educational institution or university is the main killer of future talent.

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“Forget about the profession of photography itself. For starters, just be him, and perhaps this profession will come to you later. Don't chase after becoming solvent thanks to the camera.

Jimi Hendrix didn't choose to be a professional musician before he learned to play the guitar. He loved music, creating something beautiful, and this later became his profession. Larry Towell, for example, wasn't a "professional" photographer until he became famous. Being engaged in photography through force, you may make it your profession.

But by focusing primarily on your career, you will only take crappy photos that you don't care about."

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"one. Never think photography is easy. It is like poetry - it is easy to compose a couple of rhyming phrases, but this is not enough for a good poem.

2. Study photography, look at the achievements of other people, but for educational purposes, do not try to be like them in terms of photography.

3. Take pictures of things that you care about and are really interested in, not things that you should shoot.

4. Take pictures the way you see fit, not how you need to.

5. Be open to criticism, it can be helpful, but stick to your core values.

6. Study and theory are helpful, but most of the time you learn on the job. Take a lot of photos, be dissatisfied with them and keep shooting, practice your skills and go out into the world to interact.”

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“You have to have something to say. In this you must be extremely honest with yourself. Think about history, politics, science, literature, music, cinema, and anthropology. How do these disciplines influence each other? What drives a person? Today, when everyone is able to take a technically excellent photo using a mobile phone, you need to be an “author”. It's all about authorship and only it.

Many young photographers tell me that they aspire to be photographers in order to "travel the world" or "make a name for themselves". I think these are wrong answers. All these are just concomitant circumstances or, perhaps, even disadvantages of the profession of a photographer. Without clear ideas, thoughts, feelings, and things to "literally" add to the "discussion", the modern photographer will simply be lost in a sea of ​​mediocrity. Today photography is the language. And, as in every language, knowing how to pronounce and write grammatically correct "sentences" is a must.

More importantly, today's aspiring photographers must be "masters of the visual word" with a clear didactic or esoteric imperative. To be a poet, not just a "writer". To put it simply, find your own project close to your heart. Set yourself a “task” that you would like to receive from someone else.

Please remember that only you, and no one else, can control your destiny. Believe it, know it, and tell yourself it."

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“Never stop enjoying photography. Try, but do not "search" for images, but always be open, open-minded and let everything that hurts you in any way motivate you. Work towards a goal, be it a book or an exhibition, and more importantly, work to find your own voice, object, and approach. Recognize that your work tells more about yourself than what you show on them; try to balance this without resorting to filming your own legs!

In other words, try to translate your own experience into a collective one. It's doable, and I think the main search in any art form (read Michael Schmidt's Waffenruhe (The Truce)) is to study the work of great photographers. Start at the very beginning with the early American, German and French photographers, then carefully study the work of artists who used photography in the 60s, for example, Ed Ruscha (Ed Ruscha) and others.

Don't let yourself get bogged down in theory, but respect it at the same time. Read what Robert Adams writes about photography, in general, “absorb” it all, and you will learn a lot.

Read literature, especially early Russian, French, and modern American (and also Irish, especially Joyce); Travel literature as an art form is similar to photography in terms of describing and presenting reality. Don't rely on style for style's sake, if you have your subject, you can use other people's styles if that helps you.

Or vice versa - if you shoot what others do, develop a style, a manner of performance that is unique to you, and in time you will achieve both, you will find your own voice, but this takes time. Read the book "How You Look at It" carefully, the important discussions in it will help you. Always try to be honest with yourself… For example, if you are more interested in the idea of ​​being a photographer than photography itself, then consider becoming an actor… If you truly love photography, don't give it up.

Realize and enjoy the fact that photography is a unique medium of expression. Respect and work within its limits and you can go far.”

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“Don't become a photographer, unless that's what you 'should' be doing. This choice can hardly be called simple. If you become a photographer, you will have to walk a lot, so buy yourself some good shoes.”

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“Young photographers need to study hard and not expect a steady income from photography. They should follow their inspiration, take the time to look for topics that point to their concerns, big or small. In photography, it is important, first of all, to make a clear image. ”

________________________________________ ____

“Stop talking theory when you pick up a camera and don't overthink the image. Drop your own self and let photography find you. Watch life move around you like a river and realize that the pictures you take can become part of the collective history of the times you live in.”

________________________________________ ____

“Learn this trade (which is not very difficult). Carefully study the work of photographers of the past and classical artists. Watch movies and learn from them. Find a place where you can get a job as a "commercial" photographer.

By "commercial" I mean - to work for others, creating a product to order. But most of all, keep your personal photography as a separate hobby. If you are very diligent, it can justify itself and bring results.

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“Read a lot and create your own world. Learn how to build and create photo series. Don't get excited about other jobs. Try something innovative or just be yourself."

________________________________________ ____

“My advice to photographers is to go out into the field and take pictures. But also, if you are a student, graduate, learn as many languages ​​as you can, go to the movies, read books, visit museums, broaden your horizons.”

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"Be yourself, don't copy anyone."

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“Study the work of the greatest photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Andre Kertesz. Try to travel to different parts of the globe to understand how diverse the world we live in is.”

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“Don't stop doubting yourself (it will make you less self-confident). Push, scrape, dig - deeper. And if it no longer brings you pleasure - stop ... However, the most important thing is to show respect for those whom you photograph ... ”

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"Be yourself and look outside of yourself."

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“Although today there are many more people who want to “become photographers” than in the turbulent 80s, the opportunities have also increased significantly. Fortunately, gone are the days when a commercial commission or even a photograph in a newspaper could interfere with the chance to be featured in a gallery.

However, it is clear that a large number of "good shots" is no longer enough - what matters today are the ideas and the concept of the work. If you have something to say, or better yet, you have a new way to say it, then the possibilities are open to you.

I feel that photography again addresses the problems of reality. For some time it seemed that it exists in many for its own sake, and although it was even interesting so far, the real vocation of photography is elsewhere. Understand this by becoming familiar with the rich and remarkable history of our habitat. Be proud of her, of what she has, and of what she is capable of. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Be inspired. Try and recreate, so to speak (because no one can).

Find an object that is dear to you - something that touches you, awakens your true emotions. Then be patient."

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“Find what you truly hold dear and gracefully work your way through that attachment with photography, then you potentially have a great project.”

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“Do one project for a long time. Keep working on it through many stages of learning, even if it feels like it's already finished. This is the only way to get through what I believe to be a series of important lessons about telling a story through photography and how to put images together in a series.”

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“My main advice for young photographers who have just graduated from college is to get away from such “centers” of photography as London and New York. These places have so many photographers touting their portfolios that they end up vying for commissions they don't really want to do in order to somehow make ends meet.

Such an environment is not conducive to anyone's creativity (at least in most cases...). My advice is to do what you really want to do before you get tied down… Without taking risks in the beginning, it will be much harder for you to start doing it again later.”

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“I believe that photography, like many other things in life, is an accurate representation of who you are at the moment: every time you compose a picture and release the shutter, you voice your thoughts and beliefs about the world around you.

So other than having the obvious patience (photo - complex remedy expressions, a voice that needs time to develop), as well as perseverance and mandatory restraint when working with others, I would recommend working on yourself to become a more developed and informed person, a more aware and engaged citizen. This will lead to a deeper and more complex understanding of the world around you, and ultimately to even more meaningful photographs.”

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“You have to fight to be a photographer! More seriously, my advice to young people is to go to exhibitions, look at photo books and try to create a personal project for which, in their opinion, they have a unique approach, because the subject is close to them and they need to express and understand its essence.

Photography has to do something for me, as in the case of Diane Arbus, with myself through others and the unconscious (meaning the psychoanalytic approach). I will answer the third question because it is related to what I said above: “Why did you become a photographer?”. I became a photographer because I have no memory.

It took me a long time to realize that through personal research (books Identity Investigation or a Jew in Search of His Memory, Chile. Paths of Memory, Memory of My Father, etc.) I was looking for the "missing" pictures. While creating Identity Inquiry, I learned that my aunt, the sister of my father, who was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, kept at home a photograph of my grandparents, deported and killed in Auschwitz, which my father never showed us.

Thanks to photography, I saw my father's parents whom I never knew. This is what I like about photography. It helps me to understand myself and the past through the prism of the present.”

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“Be yourself, get up early, and don't try too hard, for everything that has to appear will come effortlessly; learn to trust your instincts and don't think too much about what others think or about the process itself. Work hard, but have fun."

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“If you want to be a photographer, you have to take pictures. If you look at the work of photographers you admire, you will see that they first found a certain place or object, and then they began to dig deeper into it and engraved something special as a result. It takes a lot of dedication, enthusiasm and hard work."

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"Follow your heart and never give up."

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"Dive headlong into the business and follow your instincts, and trust your curiosity."

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“Try to live intensively – at home, abroad… no matter where. There must be passion, ardor. And once you get the basics down, forget photography.”

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“Avoid any photography schools and photography courses. Most of them will give you lofty ideas and twist your mind into one direction. Find your own path to photography, no one will ask you later if you have a degree. Visit as many museums as possible. The images you see (drawings, paintings, engravings or photographs) will stay with you for the rest of your life. They will help you identify good shots for yourself later. Suppress foolish ambitions to become the "greatest" master. Be a good photographer- quite difficult."

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