Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
As humans, but also as artists, all of us have felt anxiety and fear. No matter how skillful we are and how long we’ve been doing something, there’s always that little “what if?” somewhere in the back of our minds.
In this 12-minute TEDx talk, photographer and activist Benjamin Von Wong talks about fear. Precisely, he talks about fear of irrelevance and how you can turn it into fuel for creating powerful and impactful art.
Benjamin (Ben) Von Wong is more than a photographer. He’s also an adventurer, a conceptual artist, and an activist who uses his work to raise awareness of many important issues. One of them is certainly plastic waste, and Ben has already reflected on it in his previous projects.
Sadly, with the pandemic, single-use plastic waste has increased by up to 300%. Saying that it’s alarming is an understatement, and as always, Ben wanted to draw our attention to the issue by using photography, a massive installation, and a call to action. And this time, there’s also a contest for you to enter!
The death of George Floyd this May sparked protests across the USA and even internationally. These events make us reevaluate many things, including the ethics of storytelling and photography. In this week’s episode of Impact Everywhere’s podcast, Benjamin Von Wong spoke to Danielle Da Silva. She is an award-winning photographer, and a founder and CEO of Photographers Without Borders (PWB). Danielle spoke with Ben about her own experience with discrimination, and elaborated on PWB’s guidelines for ethical photography. If you’re a photojournalist, this is something you must listen. But honestly, I recommend it to everyone.
Benjamin Von Wong is known for his adventurous photo shoots which have taken him all over the world. With the lockdown order in place, he couldn’t even go out much, let alone travel. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t create adventurous photo shoot, with his pregnant sister and her husband as models. With some fruit and veggies, help from his family, and lots of imagination, Ben created a series of photos that will definitely put a smile on your face and remind you that everything is possible with some imagination.
After “parting the sea” with 168,000 used plastic straws, Benjamin Von Wong has created another epic installation. This time, he and his team collected 18,000 plastic cups and turned them into a “crystal cave.” Other than letting you take Instagram-worthy shots inside of it, this “cave” also warns about the excessive use of disposable plastic in our everyday lives.
Photographer Benjamin Von Wong is known for his ambitious projects which often point to serious environmental issues we’re faced with. In his latest project named Strawpocalypse, his models “parted the sea” made of 168,000 used plastic straws. It took a lot of time and effort to build the installation. But it paid off: Ben took some fantastic images which send a message that we can do something to decrease pollution of the sea with plastic.
When Benjamin Von Wong approached me to make a video for him I thought to myself that it would be like any other project. It was not. This one had an added twist; We have to deliver and showcase a full product before we left the location. This meant that we’d have six days of filming, and on the seventh day, we need to present the video of our work at the Nexus Global International Youth Summit.
A project like this sounds impossible on paper. Even more so when I realized that some of the days would be 40-hours long filming days. (That’s right, 40 hours, on your feet, filming). However, with a little a lot of planning and organization, you can succeed in delivering such a challenging product on time, and to the best of your abilities. Here are my top tips for succeeding in delivering a finished two-minutes video after a six-day construction project, with less than 24 hours for editing:
According to statistics, the equivalent of a truckload of plastic is dumped in the ocean every 60 seconds. Sounds kinda scary, right? Since the statistic may be difficult to visualize, Benjamin Von Wong has decided to demonstrate it with a series of photos, hoping to make a change. So, he gathered a team and a truckload of plastic, and created a set of impactful images, along with a project that aims to help decrease the pollution at the source.
In his work, photographer Benjamin Von Wong often points out issues present in our society. In his latest impressive project, he shows the true impact of the clothing industry on the environment. This industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet, and through his photos, Ben wants to show you “where your clothes were really born.”
Electronic waste is a fast-growing waste stream. Photographer Ben Von Wong set himself on a mission to make people become more aware of it – using his art. He gathered 4,100 pounds of electronic waste and built sets for an incredible series of portraits to raise awareness of this growing issue.
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