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Justin Guariglia - Interview by José M. Gonzalez Article rating: 9.27

TGP: How did you get into photography?
JBG: When I first moved to Beijing, there was a Chinese-American student in my Chinese language class, who I heard was creating amazing photos of Beijing. I had never touched camera up until that point. I was frustrated with the rote memorization teaching methods of my Chinese classes, I began to spend less time studying, and more time exploring Beijing with my friend, practicing my new hobby, photography. We eventually learned photography on our self-assigned photography trips around China. That’s how I learned how to use the camera.

TGP: When you decided to move to Hong Kong, what was it like being in a strange environment with very little money?
JBG:  I was in trying to get work, but it was very difficult. So, the elections were going on in Indonesia, and I got my first assignment for the Boston Globe covering the elections and the riots. I was living at a dollar a day hotel, with a total budget of about five.

The professional photographers were all in nice hotels, while I was in a rat-infested hole in the wall with blood on the sheets from the mosquito bites of past travelers. But, I was happy because I knew I would get three-hundred dollars for the assignment, and that meant that I would be covered for a couple of months of expenses at the rate that I was going. It’s something you can only do when you are young. After Indonesia, I had a “jones” to visit Bangladesh. I spent a month there in total awe. It is a stunning country, with amazing people, yet incredibly poor.

A small boat sails through the Hong Kong harbor at sunset (©2005 Justin Guariglia/National Geographic Image Collection)

Back in Hong Kong, I showed my work to an in-flight magazine publisher. The editor saw some of the work that I shot and told me that it was great work and that he wanted the pictures for the front, back and several for interior images. He gave me a price list. I was so excited; I thought, this is my first big break into photography.

I got on the tram to go home that night, and began reading the price list. I figured out that it was going to about fifteen thousand dollars! I kept thinking, wow, this is a lucrative profession, who knew? Then I realized that the payment was in Hong Kong Dollars, divided by 8. It was then that the reality of my job had set in.

TGP:  Your focus has been primarily in Asia, Why? What drew you to the East?
JBG: I went to Asia because I knew nothing about it Asia. I wanted to learn more. So I enrolled in a Chinese University to study Chinese.

TGP: Was it difficult to begin working as a photographer in Asia?
JBG: It is difficult to begin anywhere. I would work really hard doing part time jobs in the States, saving every penny to buy my film and equipment and pay for my trip, but I learned tons this way.

TGP: What makes a great photograph?
JBG: An image which moves somebody. It has to move you on a visceral level; from deep within. That for me is a good photograph. In the beginning most people’s work is usually superficial. Over time, the technical aspect of the camera just isn’t noticed anymore. It is once you get the technical stuff out of the way, that’s when you really can begin to focus on concept and context.

Photography is not a technical thing. I have no interest in the technical; apertures, lenses, equipment, or what type of camera. The camera doesn’t take the pictures, the photographer does. The vision creates the image, and that is what moves people. It’s hard with cameras and technology, which is constantly changing. But, once you reach a point where you don’t need to think about how to use the camera, only then are you really free to experiment.

I am not a photojournalist, I don’t try to educate as much as I am trying to move or captivate someone. I have pretty much stopped looking at editorial work that way. I try to go deeper with the subject matter. I want to explore things in depth. This is one thing which most editorial assignments cannot afford to do, in this day and age.

TGP: Did you study photography?
JBG: I took one course with David Wells who is a wonderful photographer and teacher. Also, while I was working at Magnum, I went through the archives and saw the work of these great photographers. There were binders upon binders of contact sheets that during my lunch break I would check out. Magnum has an amazing library. I would re-file the photographs that came back from magazines. I kept looking at all the pictures, slowly learning the fundamentals of what makes a compelling image. One day, one of the photographers asked me, “Do you want to be the world’s greatest photo-researcher or the world’s greatest photographer?” He goaded me out of the door of Magnum, encouraging me to follow my heart.

TGP: What kind of equipment do you use?
JBG: Literally, all different cameras, but most recently, my Hasselblaad. It really all depends on the work that I am doing. I shoot some digital, but I prefer film. Film has an extra subtle dimension. It is subtle, but there is a difference to me.

TGP: How has your photography changed since you began taking pictures; and where do you see it going?
JBG: My photography has primarily changed by realizing that as time went by, I wanted to go deeper into the subjects I was photographing. Most people, when they begin, work on a superficial level, and that is how I started. Today I see my work becoming more complex not just within the photographs themselves, but also with my immersion in the work that I do within a particular subject matter. I want to go more in depth with my projects and in a more meaningful way. That is the best way that I can explain it.

TGP: What are you currently working on?
JBG: I have been working on a project on the Shaolin Temple for eight years, that will be first shown at Fotofest in March 2006. I also just spent the last two months living in Shanghai, working on a really interesting project due out in 2006 as well.

TGP: When on assignment, with such quick turnaround times how do you focus on what to shoot and where to shoot?
JBG: Typically what happens is that I speak with the writer of the story to get the low down. I try to figure out, from the writer, what they have experienced, what moved them in the story. I find this essential in not only finding out where I will be shooting, but why I will be shooting, and what direction to approach the story visually in order to compliment the writer’s piece.

TGP: What photographers have influenced your work?
JBG: I collect photography books and look at all types of work, but it is hard to pinpoint the one single photographer that has made the single most impression on me. I’m a fan of Miguel Rio Bronce, a Magnum photographer based in Brazil, for his amazing use of color; there are loads of feeling and emotion in his work. Joseph Koudelka is just amazing. There are too many talented photographers out there. They all have some impact in some way, shape, or form.

TGP: What kind of advice would you give a younger photographer that is just starting out?
JBG: Shoot as much as you can, but before that know what it is that you love about photography, and why you love doing it. At an Eddie Adams Workshop I was a speaker and I met these young aspiring photographers. Their first questions were, “What do you think about my work?”, “Should I get a different camera?” I told them that I didn’t want to see their work, that their pictures were not important.

I asked them to tell me why they were getting into photography. It is a poor business where most people fail. I asked them what their goals were. I kid you not. These young men and women sat back in their chairs and they really had to stop and think. Only one guy knew that he wanted to do commercial work, the others seemed as though they were all jumping into something without really knowing what they were getting into.

I always tell young people to know who they are as individuals first and foremost. That should drive their decisions regarding photographic careers. Look within yourself and ask, “Why do I want to do this as a career?” At the end of the day do you want to make a lot of money? Very few make enough to survive. I don’t say this to discourage anyone, but I say it as a reality check. The competition is immense and intense. I work seven days a week, from 9am to 1 in the morning. You have to be dedicated to be in this profession.

Once you know why you want to do this work, it is important to pursue those subjects that you want to photograph. I went around flirting different cultures in Asia, because that was what interested me.  Go off and take great pictures that are meaningful to you first, and take lots of them. The more you photograph the better a photographer you will become, most importantly, have fun doing it!

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