Ami Vitale is an American photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, educator and speaker. In 2018, she published a photo book titled Panda Love which captures pandas within captivity and being released into the wild
U.S.A. –
Two-time World Press Award winning photojournalist and Nikon Ambassador Ami Vitale found herself among the jury of the prestigious award this year. Ami has been working with the Executive Advisory Committee of the renowned Alexia Foundation for about six years now. Having personally documented everything from human culture, wildlife and climate change to conflict, Maoist revolutions and issues of maternal health, Ami Vitale talks about her achievements and journey as a photographer with Emaho Magazine.
Manik : How did you develop an interest in photography?
In the beginning, it was merely a passport to meeting people and learning about other cultures but now it’s much more that that. I feel a responsibility to tell stories that are often out of the headlines and to tell them with the same integrity that they have been told to me.
Manik :You were the first recipient of an Inge Morath grant for your work in Kashmir; what was that like?
As a photojournalist, I was deeply affected by the Himalayan region of Kashmir. I wandered into the poetry of Kashmir in November of 2001 and could not let go. This place filled me with affection. It took time to understand the motivations of a people and the beauty of their land and culture. It also left scars after spending more than four years, documenting the brutality of humanity and being personally affected by the senseless deaths of close friends and innocent strangers. The work is meant to create a narrative of the people who have been shaped and changed by this conflict and hope to inspire in others the feelings that Kashmir has given me, particularly the enduring power of the human spirit.
Manik : After winning the World Press Photo award twice, what’s it like to be on the jury in 2012?
Being a judge was a fascinating experience. If I had one bit of advice for photographers who are thinking of entering, here it is. Do not enter stories which have won in previous years. It will NOT make your story more likely to win. Probably the opposite is true. The judges are looking for original content, stories that surprise or even stories of the ordinary. It does not have to be sensationalistic to win and you do not need to send images of horror and blood to get the judges attention. We witnessed a constant stream of the most sickening images of cruelty and I was grateful to see anything that showed hope.
Some of the best stories came from photographers who worked in their back yards and were able to find the joy and value in the mundane. If you can do that, you’re going to be a success.
