“Each episode is its own film,” National Geographic Photographer executive producer Chai Vasarhelyi explained during a TCA press conference for the new series, which kicks off tonight with a double premiere. Chai and her husband, Jimmy Chin, are the Oscar and Emmy-winning duo behind Free Solo and Wild Life, once again collaborating to shine a spotlight on their friends and colleagues. “We basically set people up on dates a little bit,” Chai revealed about the pairing of directors and photographers for the series, with each episode shadowing a different National Geographic shutterbug. “It was important that each episode be true to that particular photographer. I think all of us had a pretty good time working with the respective directors and photographers to allow the episodes themselves to be true to the photographer.”
(National Geographic/PictureGroup)
“I went through my Rolodex of who are the most iconic image makers that I could think of, and Chai flexed her Rolodex and was like, okay, who are some of my favorite nonfiction filmmakers,” National Geographic Photographer and Explorer Jimmy Chin added about the process. “That pairing for us was actually a really fun part of the process. We talked to the filmmakers and asked them who they were most passionate about and who they thought they would fit best with. I think that’s where some of the magic happens. We have these incredible collaborators, and they're all creatives. They all have a vision, and putting them together is what made this series.”
Chai and Jimmy serve as directors on the premiere episode of Photographer, which trails another couple in “Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die.” “I've been friends with Chai and Jimmy for a long time,” Paul Nicklen revealed, adding that he was reluctant to let them follow him around for the series. “Cristina and I were just starting our relationship. I was like, ‘No, no thanks, I want to just be out there and do my job. I've got to capture these stories, it's going to get in the way.’ And then, it was sort of a moment where Cristina and I were doing all this work together, and then Chai and Jimmy were doing all this work together. I mean, it's helped that they've won Oscars and they're amazing at what they do, but finally, the moment felt right. I respect them so much, and I know that they're very respectful of what we do. Jimmy and I are kind of a couple of dirtbags, and he's out there trying to capture my life unfolding, and now it's with Cristina. The time was right to have this moment where they could follow us, verité, in our day-to-day, out doing our thing, living our life. Whether it's our relationship, whether it's our life at home, whether it's on the boat or really in the heat of the moment, it felt great to know that they had assigned one of their most talented and respectful cameramen to follow us around.”
“Being a National Geographic photographer opens doors,” Cristina Mittermeir explained when asked about the value of stepping in front of the camera for a project like Photographer, or on social media. “All of a sudden, the president is curious about how you took that picture, and you get to share with them a couple of thoughts about what deep-sea mining might do to the ecosystem, or whatever it is. It opens you to have access to people that have decision-making power and to the media, and so the responsibility of the photographer is to use that notoriety for good.” Christina and Paul have learned to use their social media platform to inspire change they’d like to see in the world, often bringing followers along on live streams.
(National Geographic/PictureGroup)
One of the series’ participants who you won’t find on social media is Anand Varma. “I see the power of social media to scale a message and an image,” Anand explained about his decision to remain less visible. “The weakness of social media is the inability to experience depth. In my view, to have a durable ability to shift someone’s curiosity, to change their assumptions about what is interesting and what’s not interesting, what is worth saving and what’s not worth saving, that takes time. It takes a quality of attention that I don’t see on social media. I focus my attention on in-person experiences, exhibits, or classroom activities, things like that where I feel like not only does it take time, but it takes a mediator. It takes another human, whether that’s an educator or a translator, that can take an image, as powerful as that can be, but then give that context and say, ‘Okay, how do we mediate questions about this new, fascinating, beautiful thing?’ I’m more interested in exploring that space, personally.” Anand is the focus of the second episode, “Anand Varma: Hidden Wonders,” directed by Marshall Curry.
“Being queer, Ghanaian, and a British photographer, growing up, I didn’t see a lot of myself in the media,” shared Campbell Addy about the easy decision to say yes to being featured in the series (in episode 4, “Campbell Addy: Feeling Seen” – directed by Crystal Kayiza and Sam Pollard). “I became friends with one of the greatest Ghanaian photographers of all time, James Barnor. And about five years ago, he implored me, ‘You have to exhibit, you have to be seen, because one day you’ll get to 90 and they’ll know your work, but who is Campbell?’ And for me, being asked to be part of this documentary was simply that, because one day I’m going to be old, but there’s going to be the generation after me and after that. And to see a black queer man here doing whatever I want to do, telling my own stories, it’s very important. I think whether it’s about climate change, or racial identities, or anything, we all have to understand that we haven’t been allowed to see everything. History has always been controlled, and the lens is a way to crack that cage. The importance of being seen is very hard, I’m never really in front of the camera. But I got over myself and thought about Campbell in 2050, or Campbell in 3050. It would be very important for me to see me. It gives you a sense of reality and confidence that a lot of us may not be able to get or have been able to get since the dawn of image-making.”
Go behind the lens with National Geographic’s Photographer. The double-episode premiere kicks off tonight at 8/7c on Nat Geo, with new episodes on subsequent Mondays through April 1st. The entire series will also be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Tuesday, March 19th.