‘What drew me to documentary photography’
Tersoo Gundu is an Abuja-based documentary photographer and co-founder of PhotoCarrefour, a photography organization that brings together photographers and lovers of photography for the advancement of the art. The Gboko-born photographer opens up about his works, his recent participation in the Bamako Biennale and his photo walk project designed to open photography to a larger […]
Tersoo Gundu is an Abuja-based documentary photographer and co-founder of PhotoCarrefour, a photography organization that brings together photographers and lovers of photography for the advancement of the art. The Gboko-born photographer opens up about his works, his recent participation in the Bamako Biennale and his photo walk project designed to open photography to a larger number of people.
You were in Bamako recently. Can you tell us what you went to do there?
Wow! Bamako was not part of my plans this year. It’s something that just joined the sequence of my activities in 2017. After the PhotoCarrefour Exhibition and Photowalk, which was successful on many levels and also given that it was the first of its kind in Abuja, this got the French Institut in Abuja interested in what we were doing. Coincidentally, this year was the 11th edition of the photography biennale in Bamako called “Rencontre de Bamako”. So I got call from Madame Aude Urcun, inviting us to Bamako for the biennale, which was sponsored by the French Embassy in Abuja. It was their own way of encouraging what we are doing. They wanted us to explore possibilities outside of Nigeria by connecting with other photographers from around the world. The biennale brings a lot of photographers from around the world for five days in Bamako. My goal was to connect with photographers, gallery owners, museum directors, collectors and journalist and see how we can improve on what we have started here in Abuja.
What was the experience like for you?
The experience was eye-opening and fun. I was overwhelmed by what I saw, from the opening day of the biennale to the closing ceremony. Activities were back to back. There were over 40 exhibitions happening during that period in different locations in Bamako. There were Artist Talks (for instance, one given by Legendary Ghanaian Photographer James Banor) and Master classes. So I saw a lot and I got to learn a lot as well. I met with several photographers, curators, gallery owners with whom we are in talks on possible collaborations on projects for next year.
What led you to documentary photography when a lot of photographers would go for something like wedding photography?
I think it’s the intimacy of documentary photography. Documentary photography is always probing and asking a lot of questions. It brings a lot depth to the subject, strips it off layers to bring out what we can see on the surface. It’s a way of seeing, it provokes our thinking. This is partly what drew me to documentary photography as well as the simple technique of giving proper visibility to seemingly mundane things that sometimes affect the way we live and think. I personally think you cannot get as close to a subject when doing weddings because the images are not for you (the photographer) or the public, they are private and have more meaning to the client. Not to say wedding cannot be a good subject for documentary but weddings are important to keep your head above water in this crazy business.
Smart thinking. You mentioned that documentary photography is challenging in Abuja. Why do you hold this view and why do you think documentary photographers have been centering in Lagos?
I think the first reason is that there are no platforms in Abuja. I mean, if you are a photojournalist, you can get work published in print media and that is just about how far you can go when you talk about documentary. There is no single gallery dedicated to photography in Abuja that I know of and also, I think the kind of work photographers are interested in Abuja is commercial, wedding and fashion. I will like that they are aware that photography is beyond that. I know that there are some exceptionally talented photographers in Abuja who are looking for opportunities to show what they have got, and we have identified a few who we are currently working with. In the past photographers were relocating to Lagos but now people know that it is possible here in Abuja, with all the challenges.
Photocarrefour is your brainchild alongside your partner Blaize. How did the idea come about?
PhotoCarrefour was born out of necessity basically. Having lived in Abuja, I have to admit I did fold my arms and waited for someone else to start what we are doing with PhotoCarrefour. When we got tired of waiting, we made a decision to do something. It was that logic of “if you want something to happen, you do something.” I wanted to have a solo exhibition and so did Blaize, so we decided to do a collective and then we realized that the only way to be consistent was to institutionalize PhotoCarrefour and keep working, organizing exhibitions, helping find good materials for collectors of photographs, helping photographers find Market for their works and also get published in our book.
What successes have you recorded since setting it up?
Wow! That I cannot quantify. My biggest success was in the validation of my thoughts that Abuja does not only need photography exhibitions and photowalks, but they also want it. There are a lot of photographers here who want to be serious with their craft. Abuja is filled with a lot of talented documentary photographers, working with these people, exchanging ideas, creating, improving our craft and also creating market for our hardwork, knowing that possibility is a huge success for me. It is very possible that we have a biennale in Abuja, where photographers from around the world could come to Abuja, connect, make works, exhibit and explore. I must mention PhotoCarrefour is the reason I was in Bamako.
Speaking of ‘photo walk’ you had one in November to encourage people to pick up their cameras. What is the idea behind that movement?
Well, photography is like any other craft. If you are a tennis player, you will have to practice week in week out, improving your serves, backhand, speed and other techniques. There are techniques in photography as well. If you don’t practice, you lose your skills. Motivation and discipline are key to working and staying creative. So we thought going out for photo walks will keep photographers in that “work” frame of mind to continue creating projects or generally experimenting without the pressures of a client. We will also be publishing some of the works in our annual Photobook.
When did you fall in love with photography?
My earliest memory of photography was looking at pictures from this box of family pictures my parents kept. Looking at those pictures was like watching a movie, recreating the events and circumstance in the pictures in my head. It was very engaging But I never really thought about the process of making pictures but I was intrigued by them. Over the years, I played with other forms of art like drawing, while in secondary school. In 2008, I was collecting and looking at pictures in the Economist magazine, that was when the awakening started. I was also inspired by Nigerian photographers like Andrew Esiebo, Tom Saater and a few others. Photography is a language, a medium for expressing one’s thoughts, viewpoints and beliefs.
And your first camera, what is the story of that?
In 2008 I had one of those point and shoot, non-professional cameras, which I used to make pictures of families, insects, dogs etc. Usually taking pictures of your close circle is where you start. I built some confidence and techniques over time, learning from some photographers who educated me on ISO, shutter speed, aperture etc. and the only way I could improve was to get a professional camera. In 2010 I was in France and that was when I got my first professional camera, a Canon 50D. I remember the very first image I made. It was of a friend, Mr.Ade, we were seated in a bar in Paris, he was seated across from me on the same table, his body was leaning towards the right and he was laughing over something I said before I clicked. There was a half-bottle of wine and a wine glass on the table, it was a back lit picture, because of a giant window behind him. For some reason I remember that picture very well, even though I have lost the image
That is sad. You must have grown from that first Canon over the years. What camera do you use now? Why that choice?
Right now I use a Canon 60D, quite old, but always with a fixed 50mm lens. Cameras are very expensive. I will like to have the Canon 5D MarkIII, but my Camera still gives me what I want for the moment. I think investing in lenses is more urgent for me, like a 35mm lens.