Ed Kashi | Extra Credit | Mao

It must take a lot of patience and discipline to work on a project for an extensive amount of time. But when you enjoy your work as much as Ed Kashi, time is no more a foe than it is a friend. For someone who spends years if not decades devoting himself to a single project, Kashi is able capture a lifetime's worth of culture in just a 5 minute multimedia production. He personal vision is enlivened through his journey as a photojournalist, a father of three, and as a daily spectator of the world he lives in.
In Kashi’s world, photojournalism is not about taking cool pictures, but rather a “wake up call”. There is a tremendous amount of power behind images when presented well. Kashi explains that his photographs serve as a "voice for people who don't have a voice". His projects focus on critical issues such as the carnage of the Kurdish people or the Niger Delta Slaughter advocating the rights of victimized people whose thoughts are otherwise unheard. And all that is done through clicks of a button. Kashi's narrative on Aging in America, an 8-year project is a living archive of materials that not only resonate on a personal level, but with our nation’s elderly community. I found this project particularly endearing as someone who constantly worries about her grandparents and the proper care they receive at their age.
As a designer I am inspired by photography not only as a visual mechanism, but as a way to speak for my texts. I believe there is an intimate relationship between ourselves and the photographs we produce--a photograph can stand alone with or without text, it can be understood without further exploitation. In many ways photography is self explanatory; often times expressing meaning in ways words cannot.