One of the best documentary photographers working today,
David Turnley, a Detroit Free Press staff photographer from 1980 to 1998, has
photographed the human condition in more than 75 countries around the world,
many a times putting his life at risk. He has published seven books of his
photographic work including ‘Mandela: In Times of Struggle and Triumph’ and has
directed and produced three feature-length documentaries. He is presently
Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design and
Residential College.
Talking about his first photography project, which he shared with twin brother Peter, also a photographer, the Pulitzer Prize and two-time World Press Photo award winner said, “Our first camera, which we shared for the first year, was a Mamiya camera with a 50mm lens. That project was special for me because it was in a very poor community but though their socio economic conditions were poor, the people were not. There was a sense of connection, a kind of rawness that was special to me.”
He adds, “Since I have been in Goa, it reminded me many times of what I felt on that street. Life isn’t defined by material value and you can certainly experience that here. The number of people I met in these few days, their smiles, the twinkle in their eyes, the power of life that you feel is what I remember of my street. I must have been Indian in my previous life. I feel very much at home.”
David has covered moments of history like the Persian Gulf War, South Africa under the Apartheid rule, revolutions in Eastern Europe, student uprisings in China and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. “A conflict is always when someone or a group of people have aspirations and dreams that they are struggling for. It is a privilege to be around people who have that kind of life force. Many a times, I have been in situations where the question of my own safety pales next to the lives of the people who are in danger. Nelson Mandela was one of the extreme examples in a country where people of colour were sacrificing their lives every day for their children. To be part of that is extremely special.”
This is David’s third visit to India, “I came to India in 1984 to photograph Indira Gandhi’s funeral. Seven years ago, I lived with the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala for a short week to make a film, ‘The Dalai Lama: At Home and in Exile’. This time around, at the Goa Photo Festival here in Goa, I am excited to meet so many extraordinary Indian photographers and have the opportunity to be exposed to the diverse sensibilities that are happening on this vast continent. The photographs reflect the richness of culture in this country which is just amazing.”
David, who now uses a Leica camera which he describes as a very small and quiet camera that makes beautiful photographs, is working on a retrospective of his life that will be in a book.