In 1988, O.P. Sharma, a teacher based in India, suggested that there should be a global day to celebrate the history, craft and art of photography. Three years later, the first official World Photography Day was observed. Today, people from across the globe come together to mark the occasion on the 19th August. The date itself is a significant one – on that day in 1839, the French government officially announced the invention of the daguerreotype by Louis Daguerre. Since this historical event, photography has revolutionised the art world, broadening definitions of what it means to capture and reproduce a moment. This World Photography Day, we’re sharing 10 insights from leading contemporary names on their approaches to image-making, taken from interviews previously published in Aesthetica. These are figures who are redefining the boundaries of the image. From constructing surrealist narratives and reclaiming cultural histories to exploring environmental relationships, their perspectives reflect the profound ways in which the camera can be used to investigate identity, agency and the complex nature of truth.
Elina Brotherus on power structures
“I want to create space and agency for women as do-ers, makers and self-confident actors within their own industry … When I studied, we had Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin, but all the rest of the curriculum were men. We all need art made by a range of perspectives – to avoid getting a biased view of the world.”
Brooke DiDonato on her relationship with Surrealism
“Surrealism was birthed out of discontent with reality, so I can identify with the intent. Somebody once referred to my work as magical realism, and I can see both definitions. The majority of my images are possible, and they did happen. I have constructed the scenes. In a way, it’s not surreal – just unexpected.”
Tania Franco Klein on how she was inspired by her Grandmother’s Mexico City apartment
“The sun would come in at dusk and light up the whole place in a whimsical, majestic way. I don’t know if there is a word to describe the intense pleasure and feeling of looking at colours and textures bathed in a golden glow, but that’s what I have. It makes me feel very connected to the here and now.”
Nadine Ijewere on beauty and stereotypes
“Everyone is beautiful in their own way, and these standards shouldn’t be limited to a particular ethnicity or age group.”… “I grew up looking at fashion magazines and thinking, ‘There’s no one that looks like me, my family or my friends.’ I asked myself, ‘Why is that? Why can’t I take pictures like that?’”
Hannah Starkey on choosing urban landscapes
“I’m attracted to the intimate and warm, and it’s wider, controlled spaces. The common denominator is the city. The street is a theatre for human performance. It is where people share with each other what it means to be human. To see and be seen by other humans is almost verification for our social species.”
Narelle Autio on the influence of the Impressionists on her work
“I focus on the ordinary and work outside in the changing light.”… “I like waiting in the dark and painting with colour. It’s a dance with the environment, working fast and using the conditions of the moment. I find it satisfying when life, light, energy and emotion collide and a photograph emerges.”
Edward Burtynsky on aerial perspectives
“I’ve always been concerned with showing how we affect the Earth in a big way. To this end, I seek out and photograph large-scale systems that leave lasting marks. At the heart of my challenge has been the pursuit of vantage points that best enable me to picture the relationship of these systems to the land.”
Namsa Leuba on styling and props for storytelling
“I introduce artefacts based on the theme of cosmogony – objects that reference the founding narratives around the creation of gods and the wider cosmos. I like to decontextualise and recontextualise these objects in another environment, to give them a new life according to my vision.”
Aïda Muluneh on her series The Distant Gaze
“It was inspired by images of Ethiopian and Eritrean women documented at the turn of the century by foreign photographers. It was evident that many of these were designed to fulfil the fantasy of the foreign gaze as it relates to the Black female body, becoming postcards for sale in the European market.”
Mandy Barker on the process of shooting plastic
“Initially, I experimented with a large format camera and film, hanging plastic from recovered fishing lines and floating on water”… “I now take varying sizes of plastic, scattering them on a black background. This, combined with a slow shutter speed and a single directional light source, creates the overall of suspension.”
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Words: Sophie Bullivant
Image Credits:
1. Brooke DiDonato, Odd One Out, (2016). Image courtesy of the artist.
2. Elina Brotherus, Aften I Ny-Hellesund (båt) (2018). 90cm x 120cm, from Seabound. Courtesty of the artist, gb agency, Paris, and Martin Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen.
3. Brooke DiDonato, Next-door, (2014). Image courtesy of the artist.
4. Brooke DiDonato, Living Room, (2015). Image courtesy of the artist.
5. Tania Franco Klein, from Proceed to the Route, (2018-Ongoing).
6. Nadine Ijewere, Good Me (detail) (2019). From Rogue Fashion Book Issue 5. Courtesy of the artist. Models: Pan Haowen, Manami Kinoshita. Styling: Nathan Klein. Makeup: Celia Burton. Hair: Edward Lampley. Casting: David Chen.
7. Nadine Ijewere, Untitled (detail) (2019). From Nina Ricci SS20 #futurestartsnow. Courtesy of the artist and Nina Ricci. Models: Scarlet Peguero, Nathalia Novas, Anamaria Figueroa, Jahika L. Gonzalez. Creative Direction: Rushemy Botter & Lisi Herrebrugh. Makeup: Genes is Read. Hair: Cuchi Sanchez.
8. Hannah Starkey, Untitled, 5th November 2008. Framed c-print mounted to aluminium. 122 x 163 cm. © Hannah Starkey, courtesy Maureen Paley, London.
9. Amphitrite (Of the Sea) : The Eyes of Her © Narelle Autio
10. Changeling V: Place in Between © Narelle Autio.
11. Image courtesy of Edward Burtynsky.
12. Namsa Leuba, Untitled I, Cocktail (2011). Courtesy of the artist.
13. Namsa Leuba, Untitled IV, Cocktail (2011). Courtesy of the artist.
14. Aïda Muluneh, Both Side, (2017). The Memory of Hope Collection.
15. Mandy Barker, EVERY… Snowflake Is Different (2011, detail) White marine plastic collected in two single visits to the shoreline at Spurn Point Nature Reserve, England. Courtesty of the artist.
16. Mandy Barker, Lost At Sea (2016). Marine plastic debris was recovered from six different continents and six different oceans to represent the hidden world of plastic under the sea. Commissioned by Ikea.
