Hi everyone! My name is Aline Deschamps and I'm a French-Thai type photographer and a Canon Ambassador.
In my work I mainly focus on the subject of identity, which includes gender, migration, exile
and cultural heritage. In this video I'll talk about how to try to challenge the
dominant representation that we have of a specific topic. I think it'll be nice to
take advantage of this time we have together to maybe question the construction and the impact
of the images that surround us, especially in the in the press. I think by stepping aside from the
main narrative it can actually lead to more creativity. As an example I will talk about
my last project called "I'm Not Your Animal". It started as a classic documentary project about
migrant domestic workers in Lebanon. I went to meet these women who were all stranded in
one house because they had escaped from abusive households and they had found refuge in his house.
Where there were 15 together all sleeping on the floor and that's basically how
I met them. And I feel that those photos are necessary because they tell the reality on how
they were dumped on the streets and how they were then trying to survive in Beirut.
But I feel that you cannot sell those pictures and talk about human trafficking and modern slavery
without giving a broader perspective on the life of these women. Why? Because your photos
have an impact. They have consequences. You know it as a photographer: an image stays in your mind.
It shapes your vision of the world, it tells you about a specific topic and it influences
our collective psyche. And because the world is not binary so neither can be you for the story.
So it leads to one question: how to challenge the dominant representation we are confronted with?
The first thing I think is to try to build a meaningful relationship with the person
you're photographing. So it can be just by putting the camera aside for some time to get to know the
person you're talking to, exchange with him or with her and basically make him or her feel confident around you.
One other thing that I would recommend also is to try to make this project on the long term.
So you may go to visit this person for a few days or for a few weeks or even for a
few years, but I feel it is important to try to capture them and capture the evolution
of their living conditions. It can be also the evolution of the way they cook or
the way they dress but I feel that the more time you spend with those people the more you become
invisible to them. And so the more you'll be able to capture things on an intimate level.
Also another important fact to consider is that the world is largely seen through the male gaze,
because only 15 per cent of professional photographers are women. So if you're a woman
and you want to help reverse the narrative, here's a good chance to start. So there is a huge gap to
fill in. And your vision of the world counts, it counts because it can capture or it can see what
a male lens will not be able to see. In this last project, I was spending nights with these women
when they were resting, when they were sleeping or just putting makeup on or taking care of the hair...
I believed that it would have been impossible for me to see it if I was a male because I would not
have been accepted in their intimate circle. So maybe some people see it as a weakness or as a
drawback to be a woman and especially to be a female photographer but take it as a strength
and create your own narrative with your own sensibility
and make us see what a male lens will not be able to see or to capture.
And the fourth point I would like to talk about is also the fact to be accountable to your subject.
Because I feel that as a photographer we always have to ask ourselves about the consequences
of our images towards the subject. Because even though we don't want it
maybe our images have a negative impact on the life of the person we're capturing.
So I feel that like one way to avoid that is by always trying to send the pictures to the person.
That way they can give us the feedbacks they can give us
the way they feel about it. If they feel proud, if they feel ashamed of it. By showing empathy,
by respecting their integrity, you're breaking the stereotypes attached to these people.
And I believe this is a key point to actually create some new narratives.
How to feel those new narratives? So we've seen that by building
a meaningful relationship with your subject that can actually lead to a more comprehensive story.
They can share with you their moment of pain but also their moments of joy. The women shared with me
things that I would have no idea about otherwise. Letters that they have written to their kids
photos of their family and also songs that they have written about their experience as micro domestic
workers in Lebanon. And I feel that those things are so important to capture because they really
give a more comprehensive account of their journey. And they just highlight our collective humanity.
When a subject is usually represented in pain or in a vulnerable position but you capture them
with dignity or feeling confident or just dancing or texting a friend or going to
the beach or listening to music or just doing normal random things, it creates a visual shift.
Because those images suddenly reverse the whole stigma that has been attached to your subject.
For this whole project, I only use two lenses. The first one is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens and the second
one I can't show you because it's the one I'm using to film, but it is the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM lens.
And I love the first one because of the depth of field it creates. Just the blurriness of the
image is something that I really like with the portraits. And the second one I love it because
it's so versatile. It allows me to be in a confined space and to capture either one
person or a group of people. It's just very practical. So while you're confined at home
I think it's a great moment to try to think about how to create these new narratives.
And it can be about any specific topic: about some group of people, a part of the world, the country.
Just show us how you can capture things differently.
Also you can take advantage of this time to not only think about these new narratives but also how
you would like to present them. For this project, it started as a documentary but i ended up making
a music film clip. So it really shows that your creations don't have to fit in a box. Maybe you're
a photographer but that's a good time for you to start a clip. Who knows? I'll be just super happy to
see your creations during this time and you can use the hashtag #CanonConnected to show
me your work or mention me on Instagram and I'll have a look at it with pleasure.
So thank you so much everyone for watching and take care!