CPOY 74 Director Jackie Bell lays out the importance of CPOY, and why you should submit your own work next year! 

Jackie Bell, CPOY Director from CPOY/POYi on Vimeo.

Genaro Molina is a staff photographer at the LA Times, and a CPOY 74 Stills Division judge. Watch this video to get to know him a little better!

Genaro Molina, CPOY Still Image Judge from CPOY/POYi on Vimeo.

Scott Strazzante is a staff photographer at the San Franscisco Chronicle, and one of our still image judges for CPOY 74. Watch this video to get to know him a little better! 

Scott Strazzante, CPOY Still Image Judge from CPOY/POYi on Vimeo.

Our dedicated staff spent hours setting up Tucker Forum on the weekend before CPOY 74. Here it is, in just one minute.
Video by Jason Vance
Video Editing by Liv Paggiarino
Music: "Flight of the Bumblebee" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

CPOY 74 Setup, in One Minute from CPOY/POYi on Vimeo.

CPOY 74 Judge Adriana Teresa Letorney is the founder and CEO of Visura, a digital platform that specializes in visual storytelling. Watch this video to get to know her a little better! 

Adriana Letorney, CPOY Still Image Judge from CPOY/POYi on Vimeo.

Maritza.This is a collodion tintype photograph, made on location using chemical processes. Photo by Zachary Krahmer

Q1. Why did you choose the collodion tintype photograph?

I chose the medium that I worked with for several reasons. One reason is because of the intentionality and time required for each picture. Each image represents a 5 to 15 minute effort between photographer and sitter for the image to be created. In learning about this part of the world, I found that the majority of voices being broadcast were from the dominant urban narrative where the largest news broadcasters are located. The collodion process requires a level of hands-on communication between the person photographing and the person being photographed. I knew this would provide structure to ask and learn about these individual’s lives and confront my own preconceptions about the group and this conflict. I knew that the medium would really force me to confront that and actually have real conversations with the people that I would be photographing and working with. More so, there are a lot of issues with how the current peace process is being implemented and I thought it was important to make something different from anything I had seen recently made. In some ways because of the medium, more people have been able to see the work, and this means more people have learned and potentially asked questions about what is happening. Additionally, wet plate images are grainless, which means they can be reproduced at very large sizes. I hoped to create life size reproductions of the plates to frame constructive conversations around the peace process. In addition to the tintypes, we returned printed copies of the images to the individual members and coordinated photography workshops with several groups from the demobilizing front, as well as youth within the community where they would be reintegrating so they could document their own transition to civilian life.

Q2. Do you always think hard about what formats to choose for your projects?

I'm beginning to. The ubiquity of imagery requires all photographers to reflect on 'what is it that I hope people will take away from my work? What is it that I'm actually hoping to accomplish with these pictures? And then thinking 'is this the right medium or combination of mediums?' At the end of the day, I believe as image makers we're creating experiences. Lately, I’ve been drawn to creating video with a photography mindset because it provides context, and a chance to convey deeper structural issues. Perhaps augmented reality, or maybe a quick snapshot camera is the best way to tell a story? There are many exciting new technologies out there that can be used to communicate. I think it's the elements of the story and what you're hoping to convey to the viewer that should dictate the medium you choose. We should be receptive when the elements of a story lend themselves to a certain delivery.

Q3. What advice would you give to people trying to do their own interpretive project?

Spend time reflecting on your motivation for doing a project and think about what you can offer from your own life that is unique. This could be a certain perspective, technique, process, or anything. Think about what you’re creating, and why you are photographing. Think about the audience you hope to reach and how you would like to affect them. How does this story relate to other things that people might already know about this topic? The topic itself could be interpretive.

Find something you're really passionate about and think about how you can convey that passion through your process. And just fail. Take a lot of chances and fail a lot. Also, I would say study what's come before you to inform your work. Unlike art in general, photography has been around for less than two hundred years. It’s not impossible to learn the history of photography. Study what has come before you and develop an understanding of how your work might fit into the larger photographic legacy of our shared experience on this planet.

Q&A by Yehyun Kim. Supervising Editor is Liv Paggiarino.

Uwa Iduozee (University of Tampere) Anton Thompson Coon (Arcada University of Applied Sciences) Sandra Itäinen (School of Visual Arts)

Q1. You said that you were doing a photo story for the project, but changed to a video. How did that happen?

One of the first moving images that I took for the project was Leena at the hospital. I took this tripod shot of her just sitting in the chair and just thinking. I just felt it was so much more telling than just a single image because you can see that time passing and the stillness of it all. So many elements could be portrayed in a single image too, but I felt it was stronger by having movements even if it was really minimal. From then, I started adding to that. I don't think there was a single moment where I went, 'No, I have to tell the story through moving images.' I just started using moving images and then I found myself gravitated more and more towards that end.

Q2. How is the still image and video different to you?

I'm interested in telling the stories of people. I've felt with photography, you're always imposing your subjective view on that subject matter. But (with video), given the additional elements of audio or the moving image, I was able to tell and show more aspects of the individual and their life. I was somehow struggling with photography because a lot of times if you're working on a subject like cancer, a lot of the pictures I was taking, I felt they were loaded with my preconceptions and how I understood because I haven't been a cancer survivor.

For me in especially telling portraits of people, video formats give so much more nuances when you're able to add elements and sound. Since then I've been gravitated to more of an observational approach to filming.

Q3. What did you keep in mind while you were filming the project?

Most of the times, I was trying to be respectful and not intrusive. I was also trying to do my best not to impose anything that I expected to get or wanted to get. I was trying to be open to how things are going to unfold, which might not necessarily be exactly how you had envisioned. But I just wanted to be aware of my position and my limited understanding of the issue. I do this with every project. Basically, be open to what happens and go with the direction that's given.

Q4. Your subject looked really comfortable with your presence. How did you do that?

There's a feeling of connection from the start. Of course, you're going to get to know a person, talk about your intention and talk about how you are to get to know each other. But after that, you quickly get a sense of, 'are you on the same wavelength? Do you understand each other? Do you trust each other? Especially do they trust you and your motivations?'

I felt she was really open and she wanted to tell the story. So that was also important. I felt like she wanted me to tell the story. I felt like she trusted me.

And the way that I work is often that the camera is like a safety net. You can hide behind it. I often minimize myself. People don't really forget you, but it doesn't show your presence as much. Or they might forget you for 10 seconds here and there and that ten seconds might be diamond.

Q5. What else did you do to minimize your presence?

You can always say that 'try to act like I'm not here.' But it doesn't work that way. It takes time. I was going back time and time again. By the time I was filming the video, I had already been with her many of times taking pictures so we had already built the relationship. She was also naturally an easygoing person. It also has to do with if the person has something to do. She was reading to her child and they were together. They had the possibility to delve into something other than thinking of my presence in the room. So, I think that's always important. It's much more difficult to get a person to relax or to not acknowledge your presence when they have nothing to do. But when they're doing something, it's always easier.

Q6. Can you give advice to people working on documentary short videos?

Make sure you’re working with a theme you’re passionate about. Be patient in building the trust between yourself and your subject and be open about your intentions to them. Also, nerd out by watching all the docs you can find that in any way relate to your subject matter!

Q&A by Yehyun Kim. Supervising editor is Liv Paggiarino. 

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Check out more of our behind-the-scenes photos here: https://www.instagram.com/collegephotog/

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Check out more of our behind-the-scenes photos here: https://www.instagram.com/collegephotog/ 

Check out more behind-the-scenes photos here: https://www.instagram.com/collegephotog/ 

Check out more behind-the-scenes photos here: https://www.instagram.com/collegephotog/