When was the last time you paused long enough to ask ‘why’? Why do we do the things we do? What is it that drives us and gives us purpose? If you like taking photographs, what is it that makes you to pick up your camera and capture what you see and experience?
Images have the power to start a butterfly effect – a whole chain of emotion in the people who capture them and the people who experience them, taking away their own unique perspective of a single visual story. Imagine how inspiring it could be to take the time to dive deep into one single image and learn the story behind it – the real story. Not just the moment itself, but every moment that led to it. This is exactly what our Canon VIEW Ambassador Series does. Throughout 2019, we began asking our Ambassadors to choose one of their favourite images and tell us its story – and theirs.
What we found was often surprising, frequently touching and never ever dull. They led us deep into their minds, loves, lives, relationships, beliefs and, ultimately their purpose. We discovered the real motivation behind these amazing photographers and storytellers, be it true passion, insight into self, a desire to document history or drive change.
Canon has always known that photographers are the eyes of the world. They are the visual storytellers who document the world around us. And we are privileged to watch their stories unfold in places we have never been and under circumstances that may never happen again. Our eyes on their stories give us an opportunity to feel some of their experience and by adding their heartfelt words we hope we have given you a small insight into the creative souls of our incredible Ambassadors.
You can call me, Al
Clive Booth recently photographed his childhood hero, the Apollo 15 Astronaut Al Worden. Afterwards, he wrote to Al, explaining how much it meant to him. Read it here
Where is the soul?
Antonio Gibotta uses his photography to answer the greatest question of the human condition. Read it here
More than just a mountain that makes the earth tremble
Just days before a major eruption, Joel Santos travelled to Guatemala to photograph volcano 'Fuego'... and made a new friend. Read it here
Connecting two worlds
Audun Rikardsen shares one of his most personal photographs of his disabled father capturing a salmon in the river Alta in Norway. Read it here
Reclaiming the Narrative
Sarah Waiswa challenges perceptions of her native continent, but her work also brings her closer to the African history that was omitted in her early education. Read it here
Being Wanda: Love, identity and other celebrations
Wanda Martin talks about her personal journey, exploring identity, gender, and sub-cultures and how this influences her photography. Read it here
Rugby history at the flip of a coin
A simple toss of a coin meant that Eddie Keogh was in the right place at the right time when Japan beat South Africa at RWC 2015. Read it here
Before they go
Christian Ziegler talks of passion for photographing endangered species and why we need to leave some areas of the planet untouched. Read it here