A picture they say is worth a thousand words. Photography and traveling are deeply interwined, but it takes special skill to not just capture a memory but also the soul,the moment.A good picture tells a story, and this is the belief also suported by Mr.Matt Brandon ,who has a special eye for  portraits of people set in their natural environment.
Meet Mr.Brandon ,photographer , in our interview with him.
Matt’s photographic pursuits have taken him to India, Indonesia, Thailand, Maldives, Philippines and Malaysia.And he has lived in India for 13 years! He has lived in Kashmir, documented the Gujjars extensively ,worked for NGOs and also has published two books.

Read on for more details  from Mr.Brandon [MB] in the interview taken by SuperHypersonic.

1. What initially motivated you to take up photography?

MB:I think I get my ability to tell a visual story from my father. He was an oil painter and a hobbyist photographer. He bought me my first few cameras as I was growing up and I was hooked. Later dad and I used to develop photos together in a darkroom we built under our stairs. I shot a lot of pictures growing up but it was costly. When I moved to India in 1994, I put the camera away as there were not that many labs that processed Kodachrome and that was what I shot back then. But once I got my hands on a DSLR, I was hooked and it was all over. There was no turning back.

2. How in your opinion traveling influences the art of photography?

MB:I think traveling has had a significant influence in photography over the past 10 to 15 years. The fact that people can travel more, longer and further is a huge factor. People are going places today that were once thought only accessible by National Geographic Photographers or highly funded adventurists. It used to be that a unique image was good enough, now very little is unique so an image has to be exceptional. It needs to tell a story, communicate the vision of the photographer.There are a lot fewer barriers today for a traveling photographer than 15 years ago.Almost everyone has a digital camera and a photo lab in their computer. All these things have had a huge impact on photography today.
Not all of it is good. We have a lot of people obsessed with technology and gadgets and not as many concerned with vision and value in an image. A lot of pictures are being taken and posted on the web, but many tell no story, they do not communicate.These photographers have never cultivated his or her vision.

3. Your documentation of Kashmir is unique in capturing the soul of the place rather than the oft-reported violence. What motivated you to present the humane side of the place?

MB:There are so many photographers covering the conflict in Kashmir and doing a much better job than I could. I look at the work of Ami Vitale and am moved to tears. Her work is amazing, so why should I cover what is already being done so exceptionally well? I have always felt I wanted to show a compassionate side of the Kashmiri and Gujjar people. I am from the US and over the past few years since 911, many people in the West have developed a negative view of Muslims. I have lived with Muslims for many years and see them as kind, compassionate and loving people and I want to break down these stereotypes where I can. I see my images as a sort of visual bridge between our cultures.

4. Tell us something about your work with NGOs.

MB:I was fortunate to be in Kashmir during the earthquake. Within hours after the quake, a good friend of mine who runs Partner Aide International, India, Titus Gall, asked me to go with him to survey the needs. Needless to say, there were many. I think it was that night, maybe the next, he literally had a dream about a simple and effective shelter design.  He called me the next morning and I was able to document what was the beginning of one of the most used shelters in the relief effort on both sides of the earthquake zones, India and Pakistan. I documented PAI, World Vision and many other agencies using that shelter all over Kashmir.
In the US, I have been able to shoot for NeighborWorks, a growing NGO that has attracted the attention of the folks in the US Capital. They do some amazing work in lower income neighborhoods. They renovate homes of people that otherwise would never be able to afford it. They get most of the labor to renovate from the neighborhood around the project. It is a great way to help people and still maintain their dignity. My work with NGOs is really just getting off the ground. I really love it and would love to do more, it's just a matter of getting my name known and being available. Most of the large international NGOs have work all over Asia and so this is why I chose to live in Penang, Malaysia, so I could be available and travel would be less expensive.

5. You have also documented the Gujjars, any interesting anecdote from that experience?

MB:I love these people. I have spent hours and hours with them. I have many old friends among them from years back. Over the past few years in the Lidderwat Valley in Kashmir, the Gujjars in that area have begun to call me "their photographer" .Now it is hard for me to enter that valley and not take photos of them, they expect it. I was actually asked by one of the Gujjar leaders back in 1989 to "exploit them". Now, in American English the word "exploit" has bad connotations. It means to take advantage of them and make money off them. But what he meant was make them known to the world. To be honest, I think I may have done a little of both. I think more people know about Gujjars from my websites, galleries and books and I have probably made a few dollars off an image or two, but not much.

6. You also speak  Urdu and Hindi. Does it make it easier to connect with your subjects in Asia?

MB:I do speak Urdu and Hindi, though not fluently. Yes, it does help me connect with my subjects in the Northern Subcontinent. But more importantly, it helps me understand my subject more. When you learn a language you  learn a lot about the culture as well. So I feel very strongly that a photographer needs to be very respectful and compassionate towards the subjects s/he photographs. Knowing a good amount of Urdu has helped me do that.

7. Usually Southern India is documented in books and photo-journals. How did you decide to capture Northern India in your
book 'Catchlight'? Also what is the significance of the title?

MB:Catchlight is a compilation of images I shot over the years in Kashmir and Delhi. Many of the images were also taken on a workshop Lumen Dei that I conduct with another photographer, David DuChemin.It was a simple matter of using what I had.I have lived in North India and as a result that is where I had taken most of my images.
The title "Catchlight" comes from a term used in photography. It is the light that a photographer wants to catch in the eyes of his subject. Usually it is a white sky or a light colored building reflecting in the eyes. A portrait with a catchlight comes alive. Without it the image feels flat and the subject lacks "life".  I work hard at getting this light in the eyes of my subjects because I want them to have life and speak to those who see the images. I really wanted this book to do the same thing, I wanted these images to come alive and step out of the pages.
 By the way, I would love to spend time in the South, I just need an excuse to get down there.

8. Your new book "Kashmir, Mystery" is recently released. Tell us something about it.

MB:This book was not my book originally. It really evolved into my book.  At first, Mr.Bahri,the publisher asked me if I could contribute some images to a book on Kashmir that would help tell people that normal life has returned to Kashmir. I told him
that I wasn't sure what normal life in Kashmir was. I had lived there all through the violence and it was all pretty normal to me. But if he wanted to tell the story of the Valley and of the people with images and maybe tell some antidotes, could I help? So I submitted a few images and Mr. Bahri,liked them so much he asked me if we could do the whole book based around my images. I thought about it for all of 3 seconds and said, "Well I suppose it would be ok." Like I would even consider turning down a book deal! The book took a long time to arrive. We had a hard time agreeing on the text. They had the old text of the book before it was mine and I didn't like it. He asked if I would write something, but I am not a writer. So Barhi found
Miriam Rishi and we hit it off right away. Miriam is a great story teller. She has a real love for Kashmir and I guess she really liked my images, because she put her whole heart into this project. We work well together. The irony in all this is that the text almost follows my tour I used to lead, story by story. So I think this is another reason my images and her words work so well together.

9. Tell us something about your experience in India and with the people.

MB:I love India, it was my home for 13 years. It remains a photographer's paradise. The people are beautiful and easy to photograph. Nothing remains the same, change is constant. I can shoot the same bazaar for six days straight & get new fresh images each day,like it's a new place every day.

10.Which are your favorite destinations?

MB:My forte is photographing people. I love faces. But the best is when I can get a great face in a great place.  So I love to shoot places like the Nizamudeen Darga in Delhi or almost any Muslim shrine in Kashmir. I really love shooting Islamic
shrines, because there are so many stories being lived out right in front of me. People stretched out praying and pleading to God to listen to their struggles, ladies weeping and kissing a tomb. The flowers and offerings tossed about, the small
strings tied to the jollies ignifying a promise made to the saint. All these things come together for some great images.

11. What is your advice to aspiring photographers?

MB:Cultivate your vision. Work on what you are trying to communicate. Go out and shoot and keep shooting, it is free! Go out and make some mistakes and learn! Use your digital camera to its full extent. Also, use the web. I have learned more about photography over the web than I ever did in a classroom in college.

Note: Photographs by Matt Brandon

Check out Matt's personal page :thedigitaltrekker.com

For details on "Catchlight" , read this.

Comments (2)

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written by LnL99 , July 15, 2008

Great to see someone writing something positive about Islam for a change...Loved it when he said theres so much to learn by shooting Islamic shrines...

Overall, a nice informative piece...And a great pic as well that!

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nice
written by arnavbanerjee , July 15, 2008

Great flow of the interview.And the information given is presented really well. Good way to capture the work in photography, ngos and book-writing.
Give us more such interviews.

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