The worldly photojournalist - Michael Bou-Nacklie isn’t your average twenty-something photographer. When I met the Swiss photographer, who literally dresses in his occupation — complete with the standard, beige photography vest stuffed with lenses and flashes — I’m surprised at his cultural insightfulness of a country that isn’t his own.
“I have been working in the Middle East for close to 10 years now,” he explained with a candid air of professionalism that doesn’t come off so much as arrogant than it does frank. “I have worked for several years, both in the Kingdom and outside, for newspapers and magazines as a senior member of staff as an editor/photographer/writer. You could say I've spent a bulk of my working career telling other people's stories both in print and in photographs.”
This habitual voyeurism into the lives of others may explain the photographer’s almost dry demeanor, perhaps a learned skill to remain as unobtrusive and objective as a fly on the wall.
With an impressive list of accolades and awards under his equipment belt, including two first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) and a second place Lone Star Award for a sport photography category, the expatriate photographer proves that he doesn’t just look the part of accomplished photographer.
“I’ve also worked on projects around the world, but most notably when I went to Oaxaca, Mexico with National Geographic and Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey where we photographed the Day of the Dead,” he added with a practicality that would be used to describe someone’s morning routine rather than a rare and incredible feat like the one he just revealed.
Bou-Nacklie is working on a master’s degree in photojournalism at Ohio University, which is ranked as one of the top photojournalism programs in the world. Currently, he is exhibiting among local and regional talent in The Urban Courtyard photography exhibition in Jeddah.
“As part of the theme of social responsibility, I will be donating a portion of any of the funds, made from the sale of my images at the exhibition, to the Youth Initiative Group (YIG) foundation to further their work in helping those in need in the Kingdom,” he added.
Yet, Bou-Nacklie’s real contribution to the social realm of Saudi Arabia are these beautifully captured images, ones that show not only the Western world, but even ours, of the humbled altruism the young generation is so generously volunteering to their community.
With your expansive portfolio, why did you decide to participate in an exhibit about social responsibility?
Photojournalism is about telling stories, generally stories with a purpose. We all know life is about compromise and making tough choices, but in every country there are people who have a significantly harder life. Even in Saudi Arabia, many people are still oblivious to the fact that there is still a very large population of people living under the poverty line. So, when it was suggested by a friend to tag along with a group of young people working as part of a YIG project helping families, I jumped at the chance. Telling the story of these young people is vital to showcasing just how rich and diverse the Kingdom really is, which I believe is the Kingdom's real strength as a nation and not the oil it pumps out of the ground.
How were you able to capture the images you’re exhibiting?
Photography is about seeing something and waiting for a moment. Most people don't understand that a big part of my job isn't taking pictures, but in fact it's quite the opposite. Waiting for a moment and snapping a frame at that crucial moment makes up about 80 percent of what a good photographer really is. None of the world's greatest photographers became great by snapping 50 frames a second without paying attention to the quieter details happening around them. When I arrived to the home in Al Balad, where the YIG volunteers were working, I knew what I wanted to show — not the destituteness of the situation, but young people working to make a difference by donating their time to help those in need.
What is your favorite type of photography?
To me, photojournalism is a way of life. It’s more than just picking up a camera and taking photos. At its core, photojournalism is about seeing things and being able to tell a story. The cliché of “an image is worth a thousand words” holds true because if you look at the greats like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon or even studio photographer Irving Penn (who is one of my personal heroes), their images have soul, a real voice that you can hear just by looking at the different elements of the images.
B&W or Color?
I personally prefer black and white photography. However, color is just as poignant. Many times, color can tell a story much more vividly than a black and white image can, simply because it adds a separate level of depth.
Dark room or digital printing?
I started photography as a film photographer and slowly migrated over to digital. I still prefer to shoot with a film camera even if I’ll never use the images; it’s just an issue of comfort.
Film still has much better quality in my opinion. I go back into archive images of great publications like National Geographic and see the power and depth that film images have, which digital ones still don’t — and I don’t think ever will. The difference is how the colors are determined in post processing. The element of true black is the strongest reason for the difference, mainly because the color black in film is created by an absence of light meanwhile in digital, black is created by inserting black pixels. Both processes create a far different outcome and in turn affect how each color becomes exposed.
Do you Photoshop your images, as is the trend these days, or are you more of a raw man keeping it real?
I believe that if you need to work on an image in Photoshop beyond basic principles, then you've taken a bad image. A truly great image doesn't need to be manipulated. When it comes to Photoshop, I do very little to nothing at all to my images, outside of removing dirt, which may have settled on my sensor or on my lenses. Even in studio work, I only use it to tweak colors and clean up skin imperfections like acne or excessive wrinkles.
I believe that if you spend more time editing the image than when you shot it, it's not photography anymore and it moves into the realm of graphic design. This is of course a personal aesthetic difference and has no relevance when it comes to other people's work. What I mean is that photography is entirely subjective, so the opinions of other photographers only matter if you want them to. I shoot the way I would enjoy seeing them, not for what other people would enjoy seeing. At the end of the day, if someone isn't going to like your work, they will find something wrong with it, so trying to make everyone happy just isn't realistic.
Any advice for aspiring professional photographers in Saudi Arabia?
Starting photography in Saudi can be difficult, especially because the best photography comes out of walking around and experiencing things, which in most parts of the Kingdom doesn't really exist. Understanding the balance of proximity and intimacy a subject and photographer have together is vitally important to creating a good picture. Like Robert Capa said: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." However, at the same time Richard Avedon said, "If I knew how to take a good picture I would do it every time."
Understanding that as a young photographer made me realize many things about my own work as well as how I view my work through the viewfinder. The greatest tool any photographer can have is being able to look at their own work and ask themselves: "What's wrong with this image? How can I make it better? Did I miss anything?" If you can’t do that, then you certainly shouldn't be involved in an industry, which revolves on the concept of having other people see your work. Having thick skin is important and being able to explain why you shot something a certain way or explaining why you like a certain image separates amateurs from professionals.
What upcoming projects are you currently involved in?
Currently I'm working on a project, which will document the vanishing tribes of the Kingdom. The work will be a complete document of their oral history, as well their tribal dress, weapons, tools, art and architectural style. The project itself will take close to two years to complete and I am in the process of searching for funding from organizations, like the Fullbright and Soros, as well as others.
“I have been working in the Middle East for close to 10 years now,” he explained with a candid air of professionalism that doesn’t come off so much as arrogant than it does frank. “I have worked for several years, both in the Kingdom and outside, for newspapers and magazines as a senior member of staff as an editor/photographer/writer. You could say I've spent a bulk of my working career telling other people's stories both in print and in photographs.”
This habitual voyeurism into the lives of others may explain the photographer’s almost dry demeanor, perhaps a learned skill to remain as unobtrusive and objective as a fly on the wall.
With an impressive list of accolades and awards under his equipment belt, including two first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) and a second place Lone Star Award for a sport photography category, the expatriate photographer proves that he doesn’t just look the part of accomplished photographer.
“I’ve also worked on projects around the world, but most notably when I went to Oaxaca, Mexico with National Geographic and Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey where we photographed the Day of the Dead,” he added with a practicality that would be used to describe someone’s morning routine rather than a rare and incredible feat like the one he just revealed.
Bou-Nacklie is working on a master’s degree in photojournalism at Ohio University, which is ranked as one of the top photojournalism programs in the world. Currently, he is exhibiting among local and regional talent in The Urban Courtyard photography exhibition in Jeddah.
“As part of the theme of social responsibility, I will be donating a portion of any of the funds, made from the sale of my images at the exhibition, to the Youth Initiative Group (YIG) foundation to further their work in helping those in need in the Kingdom,” he added.
Yet, Bou-Nacklie’s real contribution to the social realm of Saudi Arabia are these beautifully captured images, ones that show not only the Western world, but even ours, of the humbled altruism the young generation is so generously volunteering to their community.
With your expansive portfolio, why did you decide to participate in an exhibit about social responsibility?
Photojournalism is about telling stories, generally stories with a purpose. We all know life is about compromise and making tough choices, but in every country there are people who have a significantly harder life. Even in Saudi Arabia, many people are still oblivious to the fact that there is still a very large population of people living under the poverty line. So, when it was suggested by a friend to tag along with a group of young people working as part of a YIG project helping families, I jumped at the chance. Telling the story of these young people is vital to showcasing just how rich and diverse the Kingdom really is, which I believe is the Kingdom's real strength as a nation and not the oil it pumps out of the ground.
How were you able to capture the images you’re exhibiting?
Photography is about seeing something and waiting for a moment. Most people don't understand that a big part of my job isn't taking pictures, but in fact it's quite the opposite. Waiting for a moment and snapping a frame at that crucial moment makes up about 80 percent of what a good photographer really is. None of the world's greatest photographers became great by snapping 50 frames a second without paying attention to the quieter details happening around them. When I arrived to the home in Al Balad, where the YIG volunteers were working, I knew what I wanted to show — not the destituteness of the situation, but young people working to make a difference by donating their time to help those in need.
What is your favorite type of photography?
To me, photojournalism is a way of life. It’s more than just picking up a camera and taking photos. At its core, photojournalism is about seeing things and being able to tell a story. The cliché of “an image is worth a thousand words” holds true because if you look at the greats like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Richard Avedon or even studio photographer Irving Penn (who is one of my personal heroes), their images have soul, a real voice that you can hear just by looking at the different elements of the images.
B&W or Color?
I personally prefer black and white photography. However, color is just as poignant. Many times, color can tell a story much more vividly than a black and white image can, simply because it adds a separate level of depth.
Dark room or digital printing?
I started photography as a film photographer and slowly migrated over to digital. I still prefer to shoot with a film camera even if I’ll never use the images; it’s just an issue of comfort.
Film still has much better quality in my opinion. I go back into archive images of great publications like National Geographic and see the power and depth that film images have, which digital ones still don’t — and I don’t think ever will. The difference is how the colors are determined in post processing. The element of true black is the strongest reason for the difference, mainly because the color black in film is created by an absence of light meanwhile in digital, black is created by inserting black pixels. Both processes create a far different outcome and in turn affect how each color becomes exposed.
Do you Photoshop your images, as is the trend these days, or are you more of a raw man keeping it real?
I believe that if you need to work on an image in Photoshop beyond basic principles, then you've taken a bad image. A truly great image doesn't need to be manipulated. When it comes to Photoshop, I do very little to nothing at all to my images, outside of removing dirt, which may have settled on my sensor or on my lenses. Even in studio work, I only use it to tweak colors and clean up skin imperfections like acne or excessive wrinkles.
I believe that if you spend more time editing the image than when you shot it, it's not photography anymore and it moves into the realm of graphic design. This is of course a personal aesthetic difference and has no relevance when it comes to other people's work. What I mean is that photography is entirely subjective, so the opinions of other photographers only matter if you want them to. I shoot the way I would enjoy seeing them, not for what other people would enjoy seeing. At the end of the day, if someone isn't going to like your work, they will find something wrong with it, so trying to make everyone happy just isn't realistic.
Any advice for aspiring professional photographers in Saudi Arabia?
Starting photography in Saudi can be difficult, especially because the best photography comes out of walking around and experiencing things, which in most parts of the Kingdom doesn't really exist. Understanding the balance of proximity and intimacy a subject and photographer have together is vitally important to creating a good picture. Like Robert Capa said: "If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." However, at the same time Richard Avedon said, "If I knew how to take a good picture I would do it every time."
Understanding that as a young photographer made me realize many things about my own work as well as how I view my work through the viewfinder. The greatest tool any photographer can have is being able to look at their own work and ask themselves: "What's wrong with this image? How can I make it better? Did I miss anything?" If you can’t do that, then you certainly shouldn't be involved in an industry, which revolves on the concept of having other people see your work. Having thick skin is important and being able to explain why you shot something a certain way or explaining why you like a certain image separates amateurs from professionals.
What upcoming projects are you currently involved in?
Currently I'm working on a project, which will document the vanishing tribes of the Kingdom. The work will be a complete document of their oral history, as well their tribal dress, weapons, tools, art and architectural style. The project itself will take close to two years to complete and I am in the process of searching for funding from organizations, like the Fullbright and Soros, as well as others.
The other project is my complete works in the Kingdom over the last 10 years. It is designed to show the strong contrasts we can find in the Kingdom. ( arabnews.com )
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