We were lucky to catch up with John Langford recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi John, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
When visiting Fiji, I happened to sit across the breakfast table from a guy who was overseeing an underwater conservation effort, and when he learned that I was an avid scuba diver and had an underwater housing for my camera, he invited me to accompany him to a private island where I lived for three weeks in a grass hut on the beach, diving multiple times a day in crystal blue waters where no one had dived before, in order to document the work his organization were doing. I was in heaven!
In Cambodia, I volunteered as a photography teacher in an after-school program. I was also involved in a photo documentary for Halo Trust, an organization whose mission is to find and detonate landmines that have been left behind in areas of conflict. To say that that was an adrenaline-pumping and profoundly meaningful experience would be an understatement!
Without a doubt, the moment that stands out above all the rest is photographing a Cambodian rice farmer whose legs had been blown off by a landmine. As I turned to walk away, the young woman who was our translator reached in her pocket and gave him a dollar…a huge sum of money for her. I was so moved and humbled…it hadn’t even occurred to me to give him a token of thanks for allowing me to photograph him…that I barely managed to hold back the tears. Even recalling that experience is incredibly moving to me.
When I returned to the States, I published a book of travel anecdotes and a book of my 50 favorite photos from my travels. Those are available for purchase at https://tinyurl.com/JL-travel-
John, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Photography was a hobby in high school, and I’m grateful to a couple of art teachers who were very encouraging and suggested that I pursue a career in photography. Before doing so, my previous incarnations include working on an offshore oil rig, radio disc jockey, waiter, pizza delivery guy, TV news reporter, and funeral home attendant. I’ve also dubbed Chinese kung fu movies into English and been an extra in a Jackie Chan film.
As a commercial/advertising photographer in Austin, Texas, I’ve created images for clients such as Dr. Pepper, Intel, Nike, Saks Fifth Ave., Sony, and Whole Foods. Although I’ve shot a little bit of everything…architecture, products, clothing, and food, my specialty is photographing people. If I have one superpower, it’s connecting with people and helping them feel at ease in front of my camera. Whether I’m photographing a CEO or a Buddhist monk in Myanmar, figuring out how to connect, how to pose my subject in a way that looks natural and relaxed, and how to elicit a smile is a dance I never tire of.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My answer? “Keep doing it anyway.” Be creative when you’re tired. When you’re stressed. When what you’re producing seems sh*tty or completely lacking in talent or expertise. Be creative in the way you live your life. Listen to different music than you usually do. Take a different route home. Walk up to somebody you don’t know and engage them in conversation. Be creative in the way you arrange the furniture where you live, what you hang on the walls. Just keep painting, drawing, writing music, making photos, animating, shooting films, designing games…whatever your creative pursuit is. It’s all grist for the mill and will make you a better artist if you just stick with it. Do you think Beethoven sat down at the piano bench and banged out his 5th Symphony in one try? Come on! And even if he did, most of us are mere mortals and have to develop our talent through repeated practice.
Drawing a blank? Do something different. If you’re a guitarist, pick up a crayon. If you’re a sculptor, bust out some scissors and paper. Or copy someone whose work you admire. If you keep on planting seeds of creativity and toiling daily, you will grow something. Trust me on this. Keep at it and you’ll enventually reach a sense of your own style, and the path ahead will become more clear. And if you don’t, that’s on you. Don’t wait for “a creative moment” to announce itself with a chorus of angels or the sound of a Mac computer starting up. When The Creative Muse shows up, let her find you working.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
The fact is that many if most creatives won’t receive a grant, or an exhibition, or recognition of their work outside a limited audience. Most artists will toil in anonymity and will probably not receive much in the way of remuneration. That’s always been the way it is, except for artists who are independently wealthy or have a patron, or are lucky enough, talented enough, and hard-working enough that they can make the most of being in the right place at the right time. And that’s probably the way it will continue to be.
It’s discouraging, daunting, and disheartening. Does that mean you should stop? Hell, no! The common trait in almost all people who succeed is tenacity. What is the definition of success? Only you know that. Surround yourself with friends and fellow creatives who are supportive but not in a consoling,“rock-a-bye” way. Choose friends who call you out on your bullshit and challenge you to be the best version of yourself. Those are true friends and they are few and far between.
Amen.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: johnlangfordtravelphotos
Image Credits
All photos ©John Langford