Conversations from Q: telling a story that’s never been told
Imagine never having been photographed before. It’s almost unthinkable in the world in which many of us live, but what about worlds in which we don’t live? My lens into that world came from a friend, with whom I spoke recently about his work in portrait photography and how he uses this unique language to tell stories.
Jens Uwe Parkitny has had the remarkable privilege of taking photos of people who’ve never been photographed before, and is the author of two books — Blood Faces and Marked for Life — Myanmar ‘s Chin Women and their Facial Tattoos. He’s been a CEO, photographer, journalist, author, ethnographer, and cancer survivor, and he owns and operates a hotel in Kayah State, Myanmar. I’ve never been to Myanmar, but the stories he tells me about his research and work make the country come alive. He calls it Asia’s last frontier. When I hear what he has to say about the people and places he’s encountered, I believe him.
“Portrait photography is said to be the most difficult genre of photography as the relationship between subject and photographer matters so much.”
When Jens embarked on an ambitious project to document the facial tattooing tradition of Chin women in Myanmar, he wanted to tell the story not just of individuals but of a whole people, and he wanted to do this through portrait photography.
“Portrait photography,” Jens tells me, “is said to be the most difficult genre of photography as the relationship between subject and photographer matters so much. Many of the Chin women had never been photographed before. Most of them had never seen a white man, let alone one with a big camera; there was a high degree of initial mistrust and uncertainty about how to behave. What helped to break the ice was smiling and laughing. I had guides with me that helped with basic communication. However, in the moment of taking a portrait, it was just me and the subject. It was a very intimate moment as the trust has to built in a limited time window using non-verbal communication only.”
It seems to me that, to create this trust, both the subject and the photographer need to open up a part of themselves and allow the other into their worlds. Other than being intellectually and physically demanding, the process seems emotionally draining. And yet, Jens dedicated 14 years to this — 14 years of effort, exploration, and dedication to take stories from inside people’s minds and hearts, and transform them into unique portfolio of portraits that got published in books and displayed on gallery walls.
Nobody can be an expert on everything, so when we want to tell meaningful stories, we need to look for the intersections between disciplines.
“The biggest challenge I set for myself was to develop my own visual language to tell the story. It actually took me years to create a visual language that conveyed the story I wanted to tell: a story of unique beauty that is so different from Westernized beauty perceptions and concepts.”
Beauty is difficult to define, and Jens sought the help of experts from varied disciplines — from fashion to anthropology. This approach helped him to understand critical aspects of the topic that helped connect the dots. Nobody can be an expert on everything, so when we want to tell meaningful stories, we need to look for the intersections between disciplines.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons Jens’ story resonates with me. Other than being a good friend, Jens works with me at Quantico, and brings ideas and expertise that I don’t have to the table. Connecting with people’s stories and experiences, whether you’re consulting with an expert, taking a photograph, or building a product, is a transformational experience.
It’s also an inspiring one. Jens’ book is the first and only comprehensive work ever published on Chin facial tattooing in Myanmar. “I tried to tell the untold story of Chin women in Myanmar and their centuries-old tradition of tattooing their faces,” says Jens. “It is a story of belonging, of transformation, of enduring pain at an early age, of belief in an animated nature and, last not least, of beauty. This story has never been told, never been documented, never been researched.”
It is an immense responsibility, translating an entire cultural history and imagination into portrait photography. Jens has spoken of many struggles and disappointments along the way, but also moments of feeling connected with people, feeling alive, and seeing the rewards of courage and tenacity. Storytelling is so profoundly human an activity in both its challenges and rewards; we cannot help but do it. It is what we do, so let us do well, with integrity, and with respect, the way Jens has told the story of a vanishing way of life.
