The
first time Mads Nissen set foot in the Amazon Rainforest he was 19 years old.
He was not a photographer; or an anthropologist; or a linguist, but simply a
curious young man.
“I
didn’t know much about pictures,” says Mads, “But I’ve always had three big
interests in life: Creativity (mostly drawings), social awareness/ engagement
in society (I was active in grassroots organisations), and a curiosity for the
rest of the world. Growing up in the boring countryside of Denmark, from an
early age I had a big desire to discover more).
“In
Venezuela I walked the streets, met local people, chatted, took pictures of the
contrasts that I saw and felt – and then one day I suddenly realised that with
photography I could combine all three interests. Since then, that’s what I’ve
been doing.”
It
sounds like a familiar scenario. Many photographers begin their professional
lives like this: Curious about the world and wanting to find a way to turn
their curiosity (and creativity) into a living.
Mads
Nissen has done just that. Aged just 33, he has won a number of awards for his
photography (too many for one mantelpiece), including a clutch of POYi awards
(2007, 2010, 2010, 2012) a World Press Photo Award in 2011 and Photographer of
the Year 2012 in the Danish Press Photo Awards. Now, what began as a gap year
excursion is about to be become a book.
After
that first trip into the Venezuelan Amazon, Mads began studying Photojournalism
at the prestigious Danish School of Media and Journalism, in Aarhus. There was
no question what his final year project would focus on.
Colombia,
Brazil and Peru were the three countries Mads visited for his bachelor’s
degree, and right from the very beginning, his Amazon work took the shape of a
book in his mind.
This is
what first struck me, looking through the early photographs, and later, book
dummies. There was a certain clarity of vision. My personal interest in the art
of the photobook has led me to the, not particularly insightful, understanding
that a high-quality photobook is not just (or even) a collection of
high-quality photographs. It is something else. It is something in itself. And this is what led me to
pick up the phone to Mads to speak to him about how his work from the Amazon
got to where it is now.
“I
wanted to tell my story from this place,” recalls Mads “not just to present a
collection of images, but a singular vision, so each picture should work within
that framework [of the book] or not be included at all, no matter the quality
of images… It’s a personal essay not a piece of journalism. For me a good
photographer needs to be able to work both very rationally, or intellectually,
and also very irrationally, or based on something close to pure instinct.”
As
with most photographic work worth talking about, nice pictures aren’t enough.
The photographer needs to have something to say about their subject. They need to
strive for an understanding that goes beyond the aesthetic.
After
graduating from Aarhus, it was a question of balancing paid, often short, assignments,
with trips to the Amazon to keep working on the book. Not the easiest of tasks
for a young photojournalist based in Shanghai. But he managed. Making a number
of trips to six countries in the Amazon region, all the while refining his
technique and style. The decision to shoot in B/W was made right from the
beginning:
“I
move, compose and shoot very differently when using B/W. Therefore I have to
know 100% before. B/W can be more abstract – which I liked for this project. I
basically tried very much to shoot with my gut. On more journalistic stories
there’s a lot of things to take into account. A lot of things you want to point
out and maybe combine in one frame. This project was different and based more
on my personal instinct. I also made some rules that I wouldn’t compose my
pictures too much – try to avoid too many layers, unlike most of the ‘Danish
wave’ from that school. I would try to cut straight into the flesh in a more
impulsive and direct way of taking images.”
No
matter how personal a work, no matter how instinctively it is shot, when it
comes to making a book, you have to open up and let others in. Book making is a
collaborative process, and it can often be a lengthy one too. Deciding on
edits, design, and ultimately ways of funding the book, on top of the actual
production, can be an arduous process.
“Especially
in the beginning of a project I spend a lot of time tuning in to what I call
the tone or mood, or just the feeling of the story. I might select a couple of
images that will serve as guidelines for this – this is what I need to look for
– these pictures point out the direction to follow. I look at these pictures
again and again even out in the field when I’m not shooting.
“Back
home, I start selecting alone, then selecting together with a trusted group of
colleagues. Too many opinions will confuse more than direct. And then there’s
the editing, the layout and flow of the book. For this I worked either alone or
with picture editor Per Folkver [one of the most respected photo-editors in
Denmark] who is the wisest man I’ve ever met.”
The
hard work of photographing, editing and designing are all for nothing however
if you can’t fund the book. It’s the perennial problem. Not just for books, but
for documentary photography projects in general.
Mads
told me one of the many challenges “is that not many grants support
‘documentary photography’, so instead I looked for those who support ‘art’.
Only problem is that many of the boards have a very narrow definition of what
‘art’ is. Having a World Press Photo award on the CV might actually turn
potential art funders off, just because of the words ‘press photo’.”
One
thing Mads admitted to – which is easier for some, and harder for others – is
shameless self-promotion. You have to use every opportunity available to draw
attention to your project. After picking up the Danish Press Photographer of
the Year award towards the end of last year, Mads was invited onto a morning
television programme to talk about his work in Libya. When asked by the interviewer,
“what will you be working on next?” he mentioned the Amazonas project and said
that this year would be spent trying to raise funds for the production of the
book. A few days after the interview a cheque arrived in the post for 50,000
Danish Kroner (GBP 5000). Not every photographer has the opportunity to talk
about their work on national television, but the more people that know about a
project, the more likely you are to find someone who believes in the work.
Amazonas
will be published by Gyldendal in June 2013 by
Josh Lustig, SOCIAL Editor
All images © Mads Nissen
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