Interview with Christopher Morris

Zach & Courtney interview Christopher Morris, a documentary photographer who has covered war, politics, and fashion since 1981.

In this interview, Morris talks about being mistaken for a CIA agent, living with the consequences of witnessing atrocities firsthand, working to make sure his vast archive lives on, and more.

Christopher Morris got his start with the Black Star agency covering conflicts in the Philippines, Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Yemen, Iraq, and more.

Largely leaving war photography behind in the early 2000s, Morris covered the Bush and Obama administrations for Time Magazine. He left Black Star in 2001 and was one of the founding members of VII Photo Agency.

In recent years, Morris has photographed for fashion magazines & brands, worked as the personal photographer for Princess Charlene of Monaco, and continued to take breaking news & editorial assignments around the world.

Index

0:00 - Interview with Christopher Morris

3:50 - TIME said stop photographing Republicans in black & white

7:25 - Going through 40 years of photo archives

16:47 - Chris was hired by the Princess of Monaco

18:40 - Keeping your copyright

22:30 - Stephen Shore as an influence

25:58 - 1981 on the New York Subway

28:22 - What he learned from Susan Meiselas

30:50 - Don’t stay in hotels as a documentary photographer

33:09 - Taking photos behind the handler’s back in Saudi Arabia

37:56 - Are photojournalists capitalizing on suffering?

44:16 - Winning awards for war photography

47:49 - The toll it takes on the family of a war photographer

58:05 - Taking portraits & maintaining journalistic integrity

1:03:14 - The influence of W. Eugene Smith’s Country Doctor

1:23:22 - How does a conflict photographer get to the front lines?

1:37:27 - Getting the best seat in the house without a pass

1:42:04 - How Morris got to the front lines in Iraq

1:47:14 - When photographing the government means you’re one of them

1:57:30 - PTSD: No one asked if he needed help

2:02:18 - Israel has killed over 200 journalists in Gaza

2:04:50 - Planning a visit to see the archives in person

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Find Zach

Website: https://zachdobson.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/

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Find Courtney

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happylifelessons/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessons

About the Podcast

Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting.

Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.

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