Chapter 9: What Motivates Photojournalists

Jo-Anne McArthur's motivation behind her photojournalism seems to be animals and their environment. She is a powerful woman who has used her skills, creativity, and passion to create a brilliant organization called We Animals.As Jasmine Singer explained, "Her startling images of animals, both enslaved and no longer oppressed, carry inside of them a deep dark truth, but also a glimpse of hope into what is possible when warriors. Both Jo-Anne as well as many of her human subjects refuse to be complacent about the suffering of other beings." He organization is now in it's 13th year, since the beginning she has photographed animals in about 40 countries. Jasmine Singer states, "My objective has been to photograph our interactions with animals in such a way that the viewer finds new significance in these ordinary, often unnoticed situations of use, abuse and sharing of spaces." I think it's beautiful that she has taken her passion of animals and photography and brilliantly put them together. Her organizations website describes, "We Animals has become an internationally celebrated archive, and over one hundred animal organizations have benefited from her photography, many of which continue to work closely with Jo-Anne on stories, investigations, campaigns and humane education." Jo-Anne continues to exceed expectations and share her passions with the world. Stacy Pearsall was injured in combat photography but her passions gave her drive to continue, "If I can't be a combat photographer maybe at least I can share their stories because they are so extraordinary." Stacy was a combat photographer and Jo-Anne photographs mainly animals but what the two have in common is their drive for exposure and education related to their publishings. Their work brings awareness, it may be on different subjects but in the end they both do what they love.

Photo by:Unknown
Photo source:http://www.weanimals.org/about

Photo by: Jo-Anne McArthur
Photo source: http://www.weanimals.org/gallery.php?id=27#ph1

Camille Lepage was motivated to capture “the story”, she was described as a fearless young woman by Nicholas Kulish. He stated, “Optimistic, generous, hard-working and relentless are all qualities I would come to associate with Camille.” Camille was a rising photography in just the beginnings of her career when she was killed while working in the Central African republic. Jeroma Delay called her, "a journalist who really went the extra mile and took the extra time to really tell a story the way it should be told. And now where many people get the news from Twitter and Facebook, she decided that no, that was not the right way, and that she had to spend time to understand." A lot of brave photojournalists like Camille Lepage have passed away or been injured in the field. Gad Gross was killed in Iraq, "Peering over the edge of our ditch, Alain and I saw a group of Iraqi soldiers walking away from the scene, one soldier holding Gad's blue camera bag over his shoulder. We continued to hide until about an hour later, when a soldier saw Alain, who jumped up and surrendered. The Iraqis seemed ready to shoot us, too, until an officer, evidently newly arrived at the scene, intervened." There motivations and goals were a part of what they loved, unfortunately the dangers of the field end in many lives lost to soon, but there photographs remain. Another photojournalist, Lynn Johnson stated, "I think its important for young women who are coming into the profession, it matters its and issue but you cant allow it to intrude on your growth, what you decide to cover, or your process...your gender is a factor you can't ignore it." I feel like Camille Lepage was doing just that not letting her gender get in the way of what she wanted to accomplish.

Photo by: Unknown

Photo source: http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/remembering-camille-lepage/15018#.WCuwrGQrLR0

Photo by: Camille Lepage

Photo Source: http://camille-lepage.photoshelter.com/index

Maggie herself has stated, "I could die tomorrow, and I would have had the grandest life I could have imagined". According to National Geographic, "Maggie Steber’s commitment to her work stems from her desire to connect with people and celebrate life. Steber’s work has taken her to 63 countries and she considers each photograph a gift." She is a photojournalist I have really enjoyed researching, I believe our motivations are the same yet we use them in different ways, down different paths. I love life, I enjoy people, and most of my motivations stem from helping others, and making people happy. I feel as though many photojournalists desires come from their empathy towards other humans, animals, and the list continues. Xyza Cruz Bacani's journey started with a canera and borrowed money and her motivators align quite well with Maggie Steber's. Bacani stated, "That's what I want my photography to do, to be able to help people...to me photography is a very powerful tool to change someone's perspective toward an issue." Maggie's celebration of life attitude reminds me of another photojournalist named Ruth Prieto, what they have covered during their work is different but the motivations are very similar. Ruth Prieto once stated, "Furthermore I want to communicate in a level that is common to all: the bittersweet journey of life in which moments of struggle and joy take place." The reference of the journey of life reminds me a lot of Maggie's works in her Rite of Passage book as she focused on her mother with dementia as a subject.


Photo by: Unknown
Photo Source: http://mediastorm.com/contributor/maggie-steber/1119

Photo by: Maggie Steber

Photo source:http://www.maggiesteber.com/main.html

When comparing my motivational piece with these photojournalists I feel like there are many similarities. I feel like all of these women were motivated to make a difference. They were not motivated for just success but to help the other people around them and spread awareness through what they love. That is what my poem essentially means, my motivation is generally stimulated by helping other people. My motivation through nursing school has stemmed from eventually being able to help people who are ill. Camille Lepage was spreading awareness through her work, Maggie Steber loved to connect with others, and Jo-Anna McArthur loves animals as well as humane education. I feel like I share a very empathetic quality with these women, they are very inspirational.