We have the pleasure of exploring the world with photographer Irene Abdou. Let’s get to it.
ephotos: Where are you based?
IA: I’m currently based in Germantown, Maryland in the Washington, DC metro area, though I still travel several times a year to Africa.
ephotos: When did you realize your passion for photography?
IA: I guess I have two answers for that: 14 years ago in 1995 and 3 years ago in 2007. In 1995, I had just graduated from college (with a B.A. in physics which I haven’t used since!) and immediately joined the Peace Corps. I wanted to go to Africa because I had a friend who was a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Benin who inspired me to join. I had this vision in my head of walking barefoot in the sand and learning to play handdrums. Of course, once I actually got there, I discovered that it really wasn’t like that. Anyway, I was assigned to Niger in West Africa. Before I left, my dad asked me if I would like a camera, and I said, no, why would I need a camera. So I left with no camera, and a month after arriving, I was back on the phone – dad, can you send me a camera? Well, he did. He sent me a Canon EOS Elan IIE with wide angle and telephoto zoom lenses. I think I always had a good – but definitely undeveloped – eye, but back then, my only photographic interest was documenting people and cultures. I loved learning other languages (I learned two Nigerien languages) and integrating and learning about other cultures, and that’s why I first became attracted to photography. But I really didn’t know anything about photography and only ever shot on automatic. When I came back to the US 3 ½ years later, I only pulled out my camera when I traveled, which for several years, wasn’t all that often.
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In 2005, I took a job with an NGO as their Malaria Technical Advisor in South Sudan. I sold my Elan IIE and bought a digital SLR along with my first book about photography. And of course, I loved photographing South Sudan – my passion for photography was developing. And then, along came 2007. I had just returned from South Sudan, and being back in the DC area, I suddenly discovered my TRUE passion for photography. I was no longer interested in only travel photography. I started to see pictures everywhere. I’d be riding along in the car and would be framing the scene in my mind, how I would make the picture. I started trying everything – nature, architecture, landscapes, events.
So, that was a long answer to your question. In short, my passion for photography developed over many years, but came to a head in 2007, when I plunged in headfirst!
ephotos: Are there any photographers that have influenced you?
IA: Steve McCurry. The photograph that is always stuck in my head is the one of the woman in Afghanistan, who he had photographed in a refugee camp when she was 12, and then went back and found 17 years later. I love to do those kinds of close-up, soul-seeking portraits. Otherwise, I think I’m influenced by everyone. I look at photographs in books, magazines, online, and I absorb a little bit of everything. I look at the photos I like, think about why I like them, and then try to incorporate that quality into my own work.
ephotos: You have done a lot of traveling. Where are some of your favorite places?
IA: Well, my first love is Niger. It was my first Africa experience. I lived there for 3 ½ years, speak the languages, and managed to fit in as much as I possibly could as a foreigner. I met and married my husband there too. Burkina Faso and Mali are my other old favorites, I suppose because they’re so similar to Niger. And my “accidental” trip to Dakar in Senegal last year was my best trip since Peace Corps. That was an amazing experience, which resulted in my photo narrative called “24 Hrs in Dakar,” which you’ve seen on my website. Really, I enjoy every place I go. I’ve also traveled a lot in South and Southeast Asia, but my favorite region of the world is francophone West Africa. Outside of the U.S., it’s where I feel most at home. Even though I’m of Asian origin, I don’t speak Taiwanese or Chinese and never lived there. On the other hand, I speak French and two West African languages. So my heart is really in West Africa.
ephotos: Since you have traveled extensively, how do you feel about the responsibility to document the places you’ve seen so others can learn from your experiences?
IA: You know, the Peace Corps has three goals – first, to help people in need; second, to promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of others; and third, to promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. So yes, I do feel that that’s a responsibility. Thinking back, I remember when I first came back after Peace Corps, I so wanted to share my experience with others, but found sadly that most people didn’t really care. Now, through photography, I’ve found a way to document my travels and share my experience in a way that’s interesting and accessible to the average person. Often, people’s vision of Africa is one simply of poverty and disease. I often get comments from people about how they appreciate that my photos also show the beauty and dignity of the African people.
ephotos: You’ve worked for several NGO’s. What are some of the humanitarian issues that concern you most?
IA: To me, improving health and increasing access to and quality of education are two of the most important issues that developing countries face. Education because – simply put - without education, people will continue to live in a cycle of poverty with subsistence lifestyles, lacking the tools to improve their futures. And health because without good health, there would be no education - parents would be unable to work and provide food for their children, and children would be unable to attend school – or even if they do attend school, malnourished children don’t learn as well. The two issues are interrelated.
ephotos: At your site you have architectural photos, landscapes and people. Is there a subject that you enjoy shooting most?
IA: After coming back from South Sudan, I shot everything I possibly could. But I think I’ve finally settled on three areas as my favorites: people, landscapes, and architecture. Even in my travel photography, it’s the people that I focus on. I’ve translated that people photography strength into portrait/wedding/event photography here in the U.S.
ephotos: We see that you have some stories at your site, 24 Hrs in Dakar and A Tunisian Diary. Is there a reason why one has words and the other is just photos?
IA: Well, there’s a very simple answer there. I have written a story for it, but it’s going to be published by an online publisher, and I have an agreement not to publish it elsewhere online for a certain period of time. In a few months, you can go back and check, and I’ll have it up on my site!
ephotos: Do you shoot any film or are you exclusively digital?
IA: I transitioned to digital in 2005, and shoot exclusively digital now. I’m very happy with the quality of digital photography and have no desire to return to film whatsoever.
ephotos: What equipment do you use?
IA: I have two Canon EOS 5D Mark II bodies, plus a variety of Canon lenses: 24-105mm f/4 IS USM, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM, 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, 100mm f/2.8 macro, 50mm f/1.4 USM, 2x II extender, and Canon Speedlites with the STE2 wireless transmitter.
ephotos: Your photos don’t seem to have any heavy retouching. What do you think about photographers who rely upon Photoshop in the presentation of their images?
IA: Actually, I have nothing against retouching. I stay away from Photoshop for my documentary photography (just doing basic processing of my RAW images in Lightroom), but I do use Photoshop sometimes in my fine art and other work. For example, I have a collection that I call “Africa Dreamed,” where I’ve used Photoshop to modify the original images to give them a dreamlike quality, and which I sell as fine art. I also love high dynamic range imaging and use it a lot in indoor architectural shots and sometimes for landscapes.
ephotos: Do you work with any stock photo agencies?
IA: Yes, I currently work with four agencies, but my focus is with Alamy and The Image Works.
ephotos: What do you think will be some of the next trends in photography?
IA: Video is what immediately comes to mind, especially with the integration of video into digital SLRs like the 5D Mark II.
ephotos: Do you keep a camera with you most of the time?
IA: Last year, I bought a Canon Powershot G10 with the idea of carrying it with me all the time. But I found that I just wasn’t happy enough with the image quality of a point-and-shoot – even though it was Canon’s best - so I didn’t carry it around for very long. And I can’t lug my Mark II around with me everywhere, so, no, only when I have a shoot planned. (I hear the G11 has made big improvements in image quality though…)
ephotos: What do think about ephotos?
IA: Ephotos is great! I love Chi’s mission/vision in the “About” section of the ephotos website, but I’m especially taken by this part:
“As a wise friend of mine says, "you must put your stake in the ground and stand for something." Well, here is my stake in the ground for the photo community. I am not going to use this great url to create another page full of Google adwords for my own profit. I pledge to feature good work and talented people here and provide those artists that can't afford a major presence on the web a free and inexpensive way to bring exposure to their work.”
I think this contribution to community is wonderful and sets a great example for the rest of us to also live up to. I’ve really enjoyed looking through all the photography and reading about the other photographers. And of course, I’m very thankful to be listed on ephotos myself and honored to be selected for this interview. Thank you!
ephotos: Thanks Irene! Remember to keep the focus!
To read more about Irene, vist her website http://ireneabdouphotography.com
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