“It’s all about sheer, hard work. This cannot be overemphasized. You must have the eye, the drive, intellect, ethics and maturity but [be] willing to invest every bit of your life and soul to this.” -Ami Vitale
National Geographic contract photographer and Nikon Ambassador, Ami Vitale discovered photography in high school with a Pentax K1000. She photographed strangers living in her neighborhood. The camera helped her overcome her shyness. She learned to engage with everything and everyone around her. That camera and its successors became her passport to meet and photograph people from many cultures.
Measured approach
The Pentax K1000 camera used film. Ami Vitale learned important lessons by starting shooting film. “The era of photographic film had a lot to teach us photographers; about approaching people slowly, the importance of building trust, and crafting a story even as you fire the shutter,” she said. “Limited by the number of shots, we waited to get deeper into the story before blowing our film. And we were not defined as much by one amazing, accidental image, but rather [by] the tapestry of a great and complex story we could illuminate.”
Storytelling takes time
“There are of course huge advantages to using a digital camera, she said. “It can help us tell a story better, but the important thing to remember is that anyone can take a picture. It takes a good storyteller to be a great photographer. And that always takes time.”
Creativity
Ami Vitale knows that creativity is the smallest part of being a professional photographer. She said, “Most of the work is researching, writing, planning, and finding funding for long-term projects.”
Process
Ami Vitale describes her work as not being about her style or making beautiful images. “It’s about telling stories and giving the people we photograph dignity and respect.” She continued by saying, “Of course I want the images to be beautiful, but it’s extremely important for me to be sensitive to the people I’m photographing, and to be true to my understanding of what the story is all about.”
Ami Vitale describes what she believes are the qualities a photographer needs to have to be successful, “Empathy, hard work, patience and imagination. Imagination is the ability to see beyond the surface and to see things other people don’t see right away.”
All Nikon
Ami Vitale uses Nikon cameras and lenses. Her go-to bodies are the Nikon D4 and D800. She has a Nikon Coolpix 7800 too. Her lenses include the Nikkor 24mm f/1.8. the 24-70mm f/2.8 and in her words the “amazing” 80-400mm.
To be a professional photographer
“Success rarely comes instantaneously and for most of us, takes years and years of hard work, dedication and passion.”
Ami Vitale explains that her biggest challenge is figuring out how to pitch a story. She understands how important it is to write a strong proposal. That is as important as being a good photographer. She said, “Very often I will write proposals and they can be rejected initially. It takes a lot of patience and resilience to come back and pitch a story successfully after it’s been rejected.”
Accolades
Ami Vitale is a six-time honoree by the World Press, winning its first prize in 2016 for her work with giant pandas and again in 2017 for her National Geographic story about elephants. She has earned the Magazine Photographer of the Year from the National Press Photographers Association, Photographer of the Year International, the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding Reporting and the Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Journalism.
She has recently published Panda Love, a best-selling book about the secret lives of the cuddly-looking creatures.
Sources: The Art of Creative Photography, National Geographic.
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