14.01.10
A charitable contribution
Geoff Langan spoke to two photographers who’ve been taking shots for a number of very different charities and asked for their advice and tips.
Gavin Evans is an Edinburgh-based portrait photographer whose controversial and dynamic work is often used by international charities wanting to convey a strong and direct message.
Can you tell us a little about how you choose the charities you work with?
They have all contacted me directly. If the ethos or objective of the charity is one that I support, I will give their request careful consideration before committing my time and energy to the cause. I am compelled by a campaign; not attracted by a charity. The current campaign for ActionAid needed little deliberation, as the subject was of urgent global concern.
What were your expectations from the project?
When I work with registered charities, what interests me is the potential for social change and social justice. If my images can act as a catalyst for people to ask questions of their politicians – and of themselves – then it’s a perfect use of my time and skills.
Do you get paid?
Commissions come with a fixed budget; one that cannot be exceeded. If I’m lucky, the budget will cover the costs. I try to give the charity as much production value as possible. In the case of the Amnesty campaign, I experimented with more than a dozen themes and executions to arrive at images that satisfied all parties. For the National Theatre, I filmed more than 30 actors with a budget of a few hundred pounds. For my most recent ActionAid campaign, I pitched 14 ideas, then spent 10 days prop-making, shooting and in post-production. These projects aren’t for my financial benefit – that’s implied in the word ‘charity’. I’m not working full-time for them, so a wage isn’t an issue. The reward is learning about issues that affect our world and applying my understanding to the creative process itself.
Who retains copyright?
I retain my copyright, but I grant the charity an open-ended license renewable year-on-year.
Can you talk me through how you go about creating a campaign?
First, I have to do background research so that I’m very clear on the aims of the campaign. I read the facts, figures and opinions of the NGOs [Non-Governmental Organisations] working in that field. Budget and timescale are also factors. I know the image has to grab people’s attention, but it has to resonate; it must provoke thought and discussion. The idea must be written or visualised so that all departments involved can approve the final image before execution.
Are you allowed freedom and creativity in your work for charities?
Absolutely – but conditionally! The creative process starts with the pitch; once approved, the rest is down to creative execution. I pitch for each campaign, basing my ideas on the brief, the facts and the charity’s goals. Before an idea is approved, it must be approved by every department. This creative process by committee – where every idea must be filtered and distilled – is where your creativity is truly put to the test. I am given a brief and a budget that covers everything, including art direction. Charities are always looking at ways to maximize budgets and with me, they get to know that I can perform most roles: art director, photographer, camera operator, 3D artist, film editor, production,
post-production, tea boy.
What do you gain from working with charities?
It’s grounding – it leads people to think about issues beyond their immediate day-to-day concerns. I’d like to say that it’s totally altruistic, but by talking about it in a magazine, I may already be making personal gains from it!
Can you say what it is that you bring to the photograph?
I hope that it arrests attention, but has more to it than that – I hope it brings about discussion and, most importantly, action.
Can you say something about your photographic style?
Aesthetics vary according to the needs of the brief, but I’m recognised, some would say, by my uncompromising approach to a theme.
www.gavinevans.com
Gavin’s top tips
Do not pitch if you do not subscribe to the charity’s aims and ethos.
Familiarise yourself with the charity and its objectives.
Read all background information on the topic – this can mean submerging yourself in an ocean of facts and figures.
Pitch as many ideas as possible – the first gets the ball rolling but never ticks all the boxes.
Pitch ideas that you can deliver within the budget. Do not go above budget unless you are willing to cover the costs.
Be aware of how other charities brand themselves. Be sure that your photograph doesn’t get confused with the style or branding of other charities.
Be prepared to see your cherished ideas rejected for one that is best suited for the campaign; one that fulfils their brief.
See the project through – charities cannot afford reshoots.
Nancy Durrell McKenna is the founder and director of the charity SafeHands for Mothers. In 2007, she was awarded The Royal Photographic Society Combined Royal Colleges Medal for her outstanding contribution to medicine and surgery.
Can you tell me a little about how you choose the charities you work with?
As a freelance photographer specialising in pregnancy and sexual reproductive health, the charities I choose relate largely to those charities working in maternal and child health. Unfortunately, as a freelance photographer, I don’t have much control over how my images are used. I come back from a trip, my work is catalogued and if I’m lucky, I may get a spread in a colour supplement, a book or an exhibition. But often it is only one photograph that gets used for the cover of an annual report or, at best, several reproduced very small to highlight a large body of text. However, I was commissioned by the Canadian International Development Agency to produce a body of work on the theme of safe motherhood, which took me to Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Through this body of work, I showed the delays that led to pregnant women dying and how by investing in maternal health, one could prevent this in the future. The shocking fact is that one woman dies every minute somewhere in the world due to pregnancy-related causes – a tragedy and one that can be largely prevented. This harsh reality was the inspiration behind me founding SafeHands for Mothers in 2003.
What did it take to set up the charity?
You have to have a passion, a vision and be indefatigable. There are 178,736 charities registered in the UK competing for funds, which are limited in these difficult financial times, so charities must operate like a business. I took on a huge task starting one and it was a steep learning curve.
How do you decide what subjects you are going to film or photograph?
Working as a freelance photographer, I would take ideas for a story to a commissioning editor of a magazine or to a publisher, or deal directly with NGOs. In the case of SafeHands, we respond to the needs of our partners in other countries and apply for grants. You do what you can before you go, you have your ‘fixers’ on the ground and your driver/translator ready. My trips are, on average, about two to three weeks in duration. You must remember that each day away, you are paying for those members of the crew. As a small charity, you must be efficient and use your time in the country to get the job done. I do rely greatly on face-to-face meetings and know that if I am clear in what I want to achieve, I can always find people very willing to help.
You are a mother and a wife. Do you get affected by what you encounter?
I have cried and I have laughed, but overall, I am inspired by the courage of so many and that keeps me going. It’s true there is nothing sadder than to be with a mother whose newborn has just died – in fact, it is devastating and words cannot describe the pain. I remember when I was working in Ghana, when I photographed a young woman who had given birth to a still born baby. The midwife said these consoling words to the grieving mother: ‘You are like the pot. We have to keep the pot strong so it will continue to pour water. If the pot breaks, we will not have any water.’
Has your view of humanity been affected by what you have experienced on the trips?
The human spirit is extraordinary, as is our will to survive. My father used to ask me: ‘What have you done to make this world a better place to live in today?’ These words still resonate. I cannot change the world but, if through my work, I can bring attention to the plight of pregnant women and their newborns all over the world, and the need to invest in their wellbeing, then I am using my visual creativity to the best of my ability.
www.safehands.org
Nancy’s top tips
Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve.
Ask yourself why you want to photograph for this charity.
Stay passionate.
Know who your audience is; it will determine how you are going to approach the subject.
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