Renowned Photographer Peter Van Agtmael Leads 3rd vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass

The 3rd vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass was deemed successful as attendees were joined by award-winning photographer Peter Van Agtmael. Read on!

vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass features Peter Van Agtmael

Peter Van Agtmael shared photography expertise at vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass

He was side-by-side with military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan

Peter Van Agtmael has been a photographer for more than 20 years. He has covered numerous wars alongside military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Van Agtmael has always been intrigued by the stories behind photographs and their historical, political, and economic repercussions. 

He discovered that while he was a young photography student, he was drawn to images that had a deeper meaning or value. Photos have a lot to say at first glance and even more when you look closer. Because of this, he favors photojournalism above the more creative, expertly created categories of images.

According to Agtmael, pictures are a worldwide language. These are crucial for helping people recall significant events in their lives, whether they are historical or personal. It doesn't matter if they are the best photos in his gallery, the journal is primarily about the process of remembering. He keeps an annual photo diary where he gathers the images he wants to remember the most or the ones with the most meaningful memories.

The act of keeping a journal helps him become more aware of the things going on around him, whether they are minor things like his niece napping or bigger things like a loved one's final days. Although they are not a replacement for memories, photographs serve as reminders of these occasions. These photo diaries have also given him a better understanding of editing, which is necessary for figuring out what kinds of photography he likes and for developing one's individual style as a photographer.

Agtmael ended the episode by giving advice to aspiring photographers and reminders to assist them in better understanding the craft of photography. The first is to always have an open mind and heart toward others. To be able to see through people and the lies they want to tell, you must have love and forgiveness. 

Secondly, he emphasized the value of educating oneself by viewing many images in order to grasp what is possible and to decide what matters to you as a photographer and why. After determining what is significant to you, he continued, you must develop ways to picture it. You must decide how you want to share the photograph with the world.

The importance of dedication and commitment cannot be overstated. In this field, undeveloped talent is helpful yet insufficient. In a discipline as limited and limitless as photography, the desire to learn new things on the job is quite helpful.

Finally, he emphasized the value of resilience. Like writers, photographers may encounter a creative block that prevents them from finishing their projects. Agtmael, though, reassures them that this stage won't endure forever and that there is always a way through and out of it.

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