When I saw Richard Wainwright’s Counting the Cost of Gold story on the BBC website, I was curious to find out more about the photographer and his trip to the Ituri District of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This African country has been in the grip of war for many years, and I wanted to find out a little more about how Richard got involved with the story and the practicalities and hardships of working in such a remote and dangerous place. I asked him to participate in an interview, and he kindly agreed. Here it is:

How would you describe your photographic vision? What kind of look/atmosphere/feel do you try and create in your photos?

I’m a journalist at heart so the combination of image and text means everything. I use photography as an effective tool to communicate a situation, to help people visually understand what is happening in a place. I rarely take pictures that don’t have context, meaning or an underlying message. Most of my international work is for aid agencies so getting their message across is key. Sometimes it’s emergency work like the Asian tsunami where immediacy is imperative, and then there are campaigns like Pure Gold where the images have to see the project through over a number of years. Whatever the subject or client, journalistic integrity is paramount.

When did you start taking photos and why? What made you decide to become a photojournalist?

I came to photography later in life after I was backpacking. I realised I was more interested in the political situation in Cambodia than the beaches and how the miners of Potosi in Bolivia lived rather than how big an explosion the dynamite on sale made.  My final decision came in Beirut when I was caught up in a demonstration about freedom of the press and found myself taking pictures alongside photographers from Reuters and AP.  After that, at 25, I decided to go to University to study Documentary Photography and began work on a newspaper soon after graduating.

What are the three most important qualities that a photojournalist needs to succeed?

A passionate interest in the story and the people you’re reporting on. A determination that what you are about to do will work and be prepared for any eventuality. It’s very rare a foreign assignment works out the way you envisaged it whilst researching in the comfort of your own home.  Thirdly,  luck..the harder you try the better it gets..an old adage but spookily true..!!

Name three photographers you like and why.

A bit clichéd maybe but first of all Don McCullin. I saw his exhibition at the Barbican in London and almost missed my sister’s graduation ceremony as I was so enthralled. His book Unreasonable Behaviour was the first photo biography I read and it gave me nightmares thinking about the situations he got himself into.

James Nachtwey, and why not. For someone to consistently produce amazing pictures and remain seemingly uncynical in his reporting after being exposed to the world’s most horrendous and politically dubious situations is amazing.

Paolo Pellegrin…It’s a bloody out of focus dog to represent the tsunami..!..why is it so intriguing..!! I recently saw his exhibition As I was Dying at Fotofreo in Australia. A whole new vision for photojournalism.

To me these three photographers show the changing face of photojournalism through the ages and I’m incredibly jealous of their talent..!!! (I’m not usually into fine art/photojournalism but was blown away by Simon Norfolk’s work in Afghanistan)

Counting the Cost of Gold

How did you get the involved with this story?

I was in Melilla in Spain doing a story about African illegal immigrants when I got an email from the aid agency Cafod asking me if I wanted to go to Congo to report on the gold mines. This is an email most photojournalists dream about. Without a defined story, serious backup, finances etc any trip to the Congo is going to be difficult so I jumped at the chance.

I’d worked with Cafod before in Aceh on the tsunami and a story on child soldiers in Liberia so they knew how I worked. It’s a big investment for them to send a photographer all the way to Congo and be sure they are going to get all the material they need for a major campaign. It was a real privilege that they trusted me enough to take on the task and shows how building relations and confidence with picture editors is essential.

How do you work on a story like this? How much did Cafod help you or were you working on your own?

In a place like Congo that has been at war for decades, contacts and access are everything. There are few roads, little communication, intense but sporadic rebel activity and a deep held suspicion of outsiders so without the assistance of Cafod and their local partners it would have been very difficult. Transport and logistics were sorted out by people on the ground before I arrived so before I left I read as much as possible so I could hit the ground running.

How did you make initial contact with the subjects of your photos? How did you get so closely involved with them, and how did you overcome any initial distrust or hostility that they may have had towards you?

Because we were with the local Priest, Father Michel, the miners weren’t overly hostile, just curious. Mongbwalu has had a horrendous time, being overrun more than 5 times by various rebel groups and invading armies and the people have really suffered. Father Michel has remained in Mongbwalu supporting the people throughout all the fighting so he has the community’s utmost respect. It’s also amazing what a few good quality cigarettes will do to break the ice…!! Generally, if you’re open and up front with people they respect that and become indifferent to you being there allowing you make the best pictures.

What challenges, hardships and dangers did you face while shooting the story? How did you handle them?

The most common dangers photojournalists face are illness, harassment, fatigue and frustration. The danger with somewhere like Congo is you never really know when you may/may not be in danger. The situation can seem calm but can very quickly change into something nasty so you are always in contact with other agencies working in the region and plan for a quick exit.

Then there is the unreliability of air travel in Africa. Flying with MAF or Air Serv maybe expensive but would you really want to fly into a mountain on the local Hewa Bora Airways to save few $$$. There is always the usual problems of dodgy food, water, lack of medical care but these can be mitigated by planning ahead and not getting caught out. I swear by always keeping an emergency bottle of water and power bars to get you through a few days should things go unexpectedly wrong.

How much time did you have to shoot the story?

A very short 5 days in the field. It took over a week from leaving London to actually shooting a picture in the mines. Flying from London to Nairobi then to Kigali, overland to Goma in Congo, a flight from Goma to Bunia then private Cessna to Mongbwalu. Then it is the obligatory meet and greets with the local dignitaries and chiefs. This can be frustrating, sitting in a dark room talking for hours with the local governor, police chief, village elder etc but is absolutely essential to the success of your project. Without their permission nothing can be done. Finally you get into the mines themselves and you keep looking at your watch..!!

How does shooting a story like this affect you personally? How much do you get involved with the lives of the people you meet? What are the personal rewards that you get from this job?

When you’re sweating profusely and stuck thigh deep in mud looking up at ‘fellow miners’ grinning away after telling you it is safe to cross a mud pit you realize you have made some sort of connection. I met incredibly articulate miners who told me about their lives and how war, corruption and gold has decimated their lives. Then there are people like Father Michel who have dedicated their lives for others. It’s a real privilege and humbling experience meeting these people.

Having an exhibition at such a prestigious location at the Oxo Tower makes it all worthwhile. Not only will people already interested in this subject come along to learn something but more importantly for me are the passers by who ordinarily would never look at this sort of work or subject. Sometimes with photojournalism I feel we are preaching to the converted. It’s great to see so many people come to an exhibition who are generally not interested in photography but are willing to engage with the subject.

What advice would you give an aspiring photographer that wants to work for a charity on this type of story, or for charities in general?

Be personally interested in the subject you want to document. Do a story because you want to do it. Research and find out as much as possible about the subject. It’s very rare for an NGO to commission an unknown photographer but they are generally interested in hearing from photographers who are keen to photograph their activities.

Links

Richard Wainwright’s website: www.richwainwright.com

Email: rich [at] richwainwright [dot] com

Cafod: www.cafod.org.uk

The Pure Gold exhibition is traveling to cities throughout the UK over the next few months. Please see the website for details. www.cafodpuregold.net

Photo Gallery

Artisanal gold miners at work in Kanga-Isine, one
of the richest gold mines in Africa in Mongbwalu,
Eastern Congo.

They have to dig on average one tonne of earth and
rock to find just one gramme of gold worth $15.

A miner shows about 1 gram of gold they keep
wrapped up in cigarette paper before selling to the
traders.

Every shop in Mongbwalu trades in gold which is
then sent illegally out of the country, mostly via
Uganda. The local community sees no benefit from the
vast profits made abroad.

Porters carry the raw quartz rock mined from
Makala mine in Mongbwalu to the village of Sayo where
gold is extracted by crushing and filtering the rock.

All photos Copyright © Richard Wainwright. Please ask the photographer for permission to use in any way.