By Holly Stuart Hughes
Courtesy Jeff Hutchens
Jeff Hutchens has been traveling his whole life. His father was an
English teacher and then a U.S. state department employee; Hutchens
grew up in China, South Africa, the Philippines. Now when he
travels, however, he's less interested in documenting the world
than in capturing "a mood that I find in the places I'm traveling,"
he says. "I'm not too concerned with the journalism, storytelling
part of it. It's more about self expression for me." When
MacLean's assigned him to document Khmer Rouge tribunals in
2007, for example, he convinced his editor to run surreal
black-and-white shots portraying Cambodia as a country haunted by
its tragic history.
When Hutchens was still in high school, he and his older brother, a
filmmaker, tried pitching documentary ideas to the National
Geographic Channel. "We had no track record whatsoever, but I think
we stuck out in their minds for that." After some post-college
newspaper internships, Hutchens was hired by the Channel to shoot
stills. Hutchens photographed a fertility ritual in South Africa
and ice climbing in Alaska, but when the job became "more of a
logistical challenge than a creative challenge," he struck out as a
freelancer. He used his savings to make a portfolio, taught himself
Flash, built a Web site, and funded his own travel assignments. He
soon landed representation with Reportage by Getty Images.
Since 2007, he's been shooting stills for CNN's "Planet in Peril"
series. He and his filmmaker brother produced a six-hour Discovery
Channel documentary about their return to China.
His goal, he says, is "to make sure my assignments and my personal
work are one and the same, so I create something where I'm
artistically satisfied, but it works for the clients as well." He
notes, "That's a little scary at first, because I'm trying to show
something different. But at the same time, when you are showing
work that matches up with the clients' needs, it's
wonderful."
PDN'S 30 GALLERY
Profiles on this year's selection of 30 new and emerging
photographers to watch… |
PDN's 30 2009: Jeff Hutchens
Our Choice of New and Emerging Photographers to Watch
March 2, 2009
By Holly Stuart Hughes
Jeff Hutchens has been traveling his whole life. His father was an English teacher and then a U.S. state department employee; Hutchens grew up in China, South Africa, the Philippines. Now when he travels, however, he's less interested in documenting the world than in capturing "a mood that I find in the places I'm traveling," he says. "I'm not too concerned with the journalism, storytelling part of it. It's more about self expression for me." When
MacLean's assigned him to document Khmer Rouge tribunals in 2007, for example, he convinced his editor to run surreal black-and-white shots portraying Cambodia as a country haunted by its tragic history.
When Hutchens was still in high school, he and his older brother, a filmmaker, tried pitching documentary ideas to the National Geographic Channel. "We had no track record whatsoever, but I think we stuck out in their minds for that." After some post-college newspaper internships, Hutchens was hired by the Channel to shoot stills. Hutchens photographed a fertility ritual in South Africa and ice climbing in Alaska, but when the job became "more of a logistical challenge than a creative challenge," he struck out as a freelancer. He used his savings to make a portfolio, taught himself Flash, built a Web site, and funded his own travel assignments. He soon landed representation with Reportage by Getty Images.
Since 2007, he's been shooting stills for CNN's "Planet in Peril" series. He and his filmmaker brother produced a six-hour Discovery Channel documentary about their return to China.
His goal, he says, is "to make sure my assignments and my personal work are one and the same, so I create something where I'm artistically satisfied, but it works for the clients as well." He notes, "That's a little scary at first, because I'm trying to show something different. But at the same time, when you are showing work that matches up with the clients' needs, it's wonderful."
PDN'S 30 GALLERY
Profiles on this year's selection of 30 new and emerging photographers to watch… |
