On the occasion of World Photography Day, Facebook interviewed the Lebanese photojournalist Hussein Baydoun and took the chance to showcase some of his work. Hussein Beydoun has been working as a photojournalist for 13 years now. He worked for many local news sites and international agencies. He participated in exhibitions at the International Red Cross, the United Nations Development Program, the Visa Pour L’Image, and many other projects.
1. With civilian photography on the rise, how do you see this era of civilian contributions to photojournalism?
The civilian contributions to photojournalism saw an increase as smartphones and social media platforms got popular with the public. Now, everything is available on social media in real-time including civilian photography; it is not a bad thing, however, people should have ethics when they are delivering an image. Empathy for what is happening in an individual’s life and knowledge about what is going on in the world is important when taking photos.
2. You cover humanitarian subjects and conflict and shoot very painful, dramatic moments. Do you sometimes find yourself in a dilemma that it may be inappropriate to take the picture or that it’s too sensitive?
Yes, that happens many times, as we as journalists are emotional too. We are constantly surrounded by intense scenes such as violence, but it is important to decide if the photo being taken really delivers a message, is it really helpful and useful for people – this is what we ask ourselves all the time. A lot of the photos that we take go through editing as some things cannot be shared as-is. In our job, having an ethical attitude is important.
3. How do you manage to bear through these emotions, and still manage to focus on your job? Any examples you can share?
I have been a photojournalist for the last 15 years and since the last 6 years, from time to time, I have been going to a psychiatrist for therapy to share my feelings and talk about the trauma I see often as part of my job. I also try to engage in sports such as basketball to distract myself. I know many photojournalists who are still in trauma from the photos they took during the August 4th Beirut explosion. Very recently, I saw someone get beaten up in front of my eyes; I couldn’t raise my camera to photograph the moment as I didn’t want his family to see their son getting beaten up. For photojournalists like us, it is very important that we take care of our mental health given the content we are exposed to and the fact that in the end we are all humans and have emotional feelings.
4. You have a very busy, often dangerous job. How do you manage to convince your family that you are keeping the job and also find time for them?
When something dangerous happens, the normal thing is for people to run away from it, but journalists must go towards it to cover it. That is probably the hardest part of the job as our loved ones are always worried about us, especially my mother – I try to talk to her every day and never miss my chance to see her in person every month. My odd work timings probably were a big reason for my divorce from my wife, however, I love my work and the chance I get to highlight human rights and show people what the world is suffering from.
5. What do you think of the role of social media in photojournalism – how is it helping the cause?
People come to social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram to connect with their passions and interests. These platforms give everyone the opportunity to tell their story, share what they care about, and find and build their audience. The creator community has been one of the biggest trends to arise from social media – millions of people have turned their passion or creativity into their livelihood. With the world relying on social media more than ever, not only budding photo enthusiasts but also professional photographers have the opportunity to have their work seen.
