Photography

Unveiling the Power: Photography as an Emotional Journey

So the question is, what does photography mean to you? And I think photography started out for me as a way to help sure people's power and their importance with other people and also kind of like helpful in illuminate that within themselves and help those people feel important. But now I think after working on a lot of long-term stories you know working on a personal project that I did on background servers, which is about me growing up. I think photography is a way for me to explore the world in my own emotions and kind of contextualize myself in it. And I also think that it helps expand my mind and helps me come up with New Perspectives. And ways of thinking, I think that photography has made me infinitely more chill especially like documentary an editorial in journalism because like I've had to deal with so many inside. Insane chaotic things last minute that. Like I'm not now just roll with it.

Photography helps me explore the world, contextualize myself within it, expand my mind and come up with new perspectives, and has made me more chill.

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Photography, to me, initially served as a means to capture and showcase the power and importance of individuals, helping them feel valued and significant. However, as I delved into long-term projects, such as my personal exploration of background servers, photography took on a deeper meaning. It became a tool for me to navigate the world, understand my own emotions, and find my place within it. Through photography, I have been able to expand my perspective and discover new ways of thinking. The experiences I've had in documentary, editorial, and journalism photography have taught me to be adaptable and calm in the face of chaos. Photography has had a profound impact on me, allowing me to embrace the unexpected and go with the flow.

If you could choose between digital of today or going back to film, which would you go with?

Film vs. Digital: Why I'd Choose Film Cameras Every Time

If I could choose between digital or going back to film, what would I go with a film? Absolutely. Let's see, the film stocks are cooler. The colors are cooler, there's kind of more options for me at least in terms of like just how the images look film. Cameras are so sick, like, I use a contact G2 and a Fuji film 645, both automatic one and true cameras and I love them. The context is my baby. B and the it's so sharp. And like, I just feel like such a g using it and it was a photographer. It was fun fact. He was also, it's now used by fashion photographers and like commercial people. But like it's a war photographer like camera. And that's why I really like it because it shoots really fast and it's pretty accurate. So you know, I don't know. I just think film cameras are better. I think they're better constructed. That's probably like an unpopular and very wrong opinion, but I will stand by it and fight for It because I love film. So,

I would choose film over digital because the film stocks are cooler, the colors are cooler and there are more options for how the images look. Additionally, film cameras are better constructed than digital cameras.

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If given the choice between digital or going back to film, I would definitely choose film. There are several reasons why I prefer film. Firstly, the film stocks offer cooler colors and a wider range of options for achieving the desired look in my images. Additionally, film cameras, such as the Contax G2 and Fuji film 645, are incredibly impressive. I personally love using the Contax G2, which is sharp and gives me a sense of satisfaction as a photographer. It's interesting to note that the Contax G2 was originally used by war photographers and is now popular among fashion and commercial photographers. I believe film cameras are better constructed and hold a special charm that digital cameras may lack. While this opinion may not be popular or widely accepted, I will proudly stand by my love for film.

Is there one image that launched your career?

Powerful Protest Image Ignites Career Journey

So the question was, was there an image that helped launch my career? So when I took this photo this was at a protest with like pro-trump and anti Trump supporters, technically antifa before they went everyone basically knew about them and there was a time period in San Francisco where there was this weird back and forth before the election where these two groups of people would convene in Berkeley and Oakland and just beat each other up. And this was before, And of all the turmoil we experience throughout the 2016 election, all the way through the 20/20 election. So it was actually pretty interesting when I got to cover this. When it was just started happening, I was a student at San Francisco State at the time. And this was just kind of a one-off thing that I saw happen. There was lots of kind of skirmishes throughout the day and you have this kid, decked and antiphon person and it just was gnarly. I guess, I don't know. It was it was pretty crazy. Like it was crazy to see that like this kind of tension already existed and I remember coming away from this protest and being like man we're in for a really rough time coming ahead and I think that's kind of what we still kind of are experiencing today but anyways, so this picture like went on to get a lot of likes on Instagram and bunch of editors from the SF Chronicle started following me and I was a student at the time. So that was great because I was trying to get an internship there and has it all. So I entered it in. My college competition because called College photographer of the year and it won first place for gold for that category 4 News respond, you. So that was really cool. And that was kind of competitions, especially the students good for getting your work out there if you're trying to go to photojournalism Route. So yeah, this this picture is really helpful for launching my career. Oh and a funny story Berkeley PD ended up using this image to try to arrest these people which I just found really interesting and technically they're not supposed to be able to do so I remember me and my journalist friends wrote to the department be like that's not cool, but I don't really know if anything really came of it. So yeah, that's my answer.

I took a photo at a protest between pro-Trump and anti-Trump supporters which ended up winning first place in the College Photographer of the Year competition and helped launch my career. The Berkeley PD also used the image to try and arrest people, but it was not legal.

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The image that helped launch my career was taken at a protest between pro-Trump and anti-Trump supporters in San Francisco. It was a time of intense political tension before the 2016 election. As a student at San Francisco State University, I witnessed this event and captured a powerful moment of a clash between a young person and an antifa member.

The photo gained a lot of attention on Instagram, and editors from the SF Chronicle started following me. As a student, this was great because I was seeking an internship at the newspaper. I submitted the image to a college photography competition called College Photographer of the Year and won first place in the News category.

This photo played a significant role in launching my career. It helped me gain exposure and recognition, especially among those interested in photojournalism. Interestingly, the Berkeley Police Department used the image to identify and potentially arrest individuals involved in the clash. My journalist friends and I expressed concerns about this, but I'm not sure if any action was taken.

Overall, this image had a significant impact on my career trajectory and opened doors for future opportunities.

What was your scariest moment as a photographer?

Photographer's Scariest Moments: Targeted by Police at Protests

My scariest moment as a photographer probably has to do anything involving the police. So I'm black. I am very young. I look like the protesters and so any time I'm at a protest especially the black lives matter, one's any political ones, like I always get targeted because they just think I'm a protester and so 22 stories. First one is or maybe three Let's go for three. The first story is when I was covering the 2020, George Floyd riots in La, I was almost jumped by a group of protesters were taking a photo. And that was scary, which was not police-related. But the second it is because like that, I turned around and I realized like I was in a Alleyway with like, 300 protesters and like, all these LAPD officers were, like lined up with, like less than liesel's pointed at us. And I was like this isn't good. So like that's like a two in one combo story and then the third story, I have involving the police was when I was in San Francisco. As a student, I was covering this like protest at City Hall and six police officers, randomly, grabbed, me, and threw me to the ground and started to arrest me. And I had to scream, I was a journalist, they did not believe me until my friend stepped up and vouch. So, yeah, the police are scary. That's all my scary moments. I have plenty more, but anything I'm get pretty nervous around the police now. So

My scariest moments as a photographer involve the police. One was when I was almost jumped by a group of protesters while taking a photo, another was when I found myself in an alleyway with 300 protesters and LAPD officers lined up with weapons pointed at us and the third was when 6 police officers randomly grabbed me and threw me to the ground and started to arrest me before my friend stepped in to vouch for me.

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My scariest moment as a photographer often involves encounters with the police. Being a young black photographer, I am often mistaken for a protester, especially at events like Black Lives Matter protests or political demonstrations. I have three stories that stand out.

The first incident occurred during the 2020 George Floyd riots in LA. While taking photos, I was almost attacked by a group of protesters. Although this wasn't police-related, it was a frightening experience.

The second story took place during the same riots. I found myself in an alleyway surrounded by around 300 protesters, with a line of LAPD officers pointing less-lethal weapons at us. Realizing the potential danger, I felt a sense of unease and fear.

The third incident happened in San Francisco when I was a student covering a protest at City Hall. Out of nowhere, six police officers grabbed me, threw me to the ground, and attempted to arrest me. It was only after I screamed that I was a journalist that my friend stepped in to vouch for me. It was a terrifying moment that highlighted the inherent fear I now feel around the police.

These are just a few of my scary moments, and unfortunately, I have many more. It's disheartening that encounters with the police can be so nerve-wracking for me as a photographer.

What’s something you’ve struggled with professionally and how have you overcome it?

Overcoming Professional Struggles: The Power of Mental Health

So the question is, what something needs struggled with professionally and how have you overcome it? I think for me, mental health has been the number one thing that has affected my life professionally, just because I think the ability to keep yourself at a good Baseline is really powerful in helping, you not only Advance your career, but just get things done on a daily basis. So I think once I realized that my mental health and my sister, Ability is really helpful for my career. I was able to, you know, start to shoot better start to, you know, figure out better story. I started to listen better to people and myself and that has been the biggest move forward. I think I've made in my career, and it wasn't that, it wasn't. Until I went through the absolute ringer at working through a bunch of newspapers and working on really tough emotionally, tough stories that I Like dang, I really need to take care of myself, otherwise that this isn't going to be sustainable. So please go to therapy. There's lots of options for y'all for you to do that. So yeah.

Mental health has been the biggest struggle I have faced professionally. Once I realized that my mental health and wellbeing was important for my career, I started taking better care of myself and it helped me advance in my career. I started to shoot better, come up with better stories, and listen better to people and myself. I eventually went to therapy to get help and it has made a big difference.

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One professional struggle I've faced is related to mental health. I've come to realize that maintaining a good baseline of mental well-being is crucial for career advancement and productivity. Once I recognized the impact of my mental health on my professional life, I was able to improve various aspects of my work. I became more focused, improved my storytelling abilities, and became a better listener to both others and myself.

This realization came after going through challenging experiences while working on emotionally demanding stories for newspapers. It became clear to me that taking care of my mental health was essential for long-term sustainability in my career. Seeking therapy has been a significant step in addressing this struggle, and I highly recommend exploring therapy options for anyone facing similar challenges.

Photography Enthusiast Shares Love-Hate Relationship with Camera Brands

My favorite camera brand. Honestly, I don't really have a preference as long as it works and doesn't break on me. But I do love my contacts G2, even though it is extremely annoying sometimes and does not focus. It is so sharp and the pictures are so sexy when they come out and I feel like the hottest girl ever when I use it and I take good pictures. And it like, look. Nice when it's like on your shoulder and like people like sometimes come up to you and talk to you about it. But I also hate that the context is now like a knit camera especially the G2 now. So that's annoying. So these are all reasons why I love the contacts and I hate the contacts and why I don't really like the whole camera brand thing actually on my working cameras. I have all the Brand's taped up because I just like as a woman like I just do not like people coming up to me and asking me and trying to tell me about the cameras. So yeah, that's

I don't really have a favorite camera brand, but I do love my Contax G2 for its sharpness and sexy pictures. However, I don't like people coming up to me to talk about it.

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I don't really have a favorite camera brand as long as it functions well and doesn't break easily. However, I do have a soft spot for my Contax G2, despite its occasional annoyance and focusing issues. The sharpness of the images it produces is impressive, and I feel confident and empowered when using it to capture great shots. It also has a stylish appearance when hanging from my shoulder, often sparking conversations with curious individuals. On the other hand, I dislike that Contax is now considered a niche brand, particularly the G2 model. This love-hate relationship with Contax is why I don't particularly enjoy the whole camera brand scene. In fact, I tape up the logos on my working cameras to avoid unsolicited conversations and opinions from others.

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Gabriella Angotti-Jones is a photographer based in Los Angeles, CA, and is formerly a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. She was previously an intern at The New York Times, following internships at the Tampa Bay Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal and the San Francisco Chronicle. She graduated from San Francisco State University, where she earned a degree in Environmental Studies.