Recently, I had a chance to catch up with photographer, Marissa Roth. We had a short and fun photo shoot on Venice beach, just after sunset. I am grateful to know Marissa, not only is she an amazing photographer, she is also a genuine, sincere, and wonderful person. Roth is a native of Los Angeles and a UCLA alumni. She has been working as a photojournalist since 1981, her clients have included, “The Los Angeles Times” and “The New York Times”, additionally, she has a myriad of personal projects, and in between all of it, finds the time to teach photography. To view her work, biography, and personal projects, go to her website: http://marissarothphotography.com and blog: http://opentobeyond.blogspot.com
What initially sparked your interest in photography and how old were you?
I was always aware of photojournalism having come of age in the 1960′s and early 1970′s. Life, Look and National Geographic magazines would arrive weekly and monthly on our doorstep and I was always rapt looking at the images of the Vietnam War, political events, global social and anthropological subjects and wildlife. I (permanently) borrowed my mother’s Kodak Brownie camera when I was about 10 years-old and started taking pictures around the house of my family and friends in action. I take the same pictures today, tho with much more sophisticated cameras, but the subject of people active in their environments still drives my interest.
Is there a particular photography assignment or personal project that is dear to you? If so, why?
I’ve done a lot of projects, such as my book on The Philippines and the 2 book projects that I’m currently working on. The first is a 25-year project that addresses how women are directly affected by war, and the second is a book on Tibet. These are very dear to me, but also, specific photo assignments over the years have also left an indelible imprint, often with fond memories. Since Hollywood is a subject that even serious-minded photojournalists must cover in Los Angeles, I spent many years on that beat in between gang shootings and car crashes. A particularly lovely memory was a photo assignment for Entertainment Weekly Magazine, where I was sent onto the set of “E.R” for the final episode that George Clooney was in. The P.R. flack gave me a shopping list of do’s and don’t for 3 days before the shoot, and made it clear that under no circumstances was I allowed to go up to or address Mr. Clooney without his personal introduction. After a couple of hours on set, there was a hush and apparently Mr. C, had arrived. I stood quietly in a mock hospital corridor waiting to be introduced, when all of a sudden the man himself walked up to me, stuck out his hand and said, Hi! I’m George!”.
What are some of your biggest challenges working as a freelance photographer?
As everyone knows, it’s tough to make a living as a freelance photographer, especially in today’s marketplace where there is a glut of imagery because of the internet and the fact that everyone seems of have some sort of image recording device. But that said, true photographers who have both the technical skills and talent, will I believe, prevail. Also, if a freelancer doesn’t have an affiliation with a publication or a steady client, it makes it harder to navigate into specific milieus. But, I also think, a big challenge is being disciplined enough to be tenacious, productive and reliable, in order to ensure that one keeps getting work.
Describe ways that you maintain clients and attain new ones as well.
How I get new clients is to determine who I would like to work for, i.e. The New York Times. Then I would make plans, in this case, a trip to New York, and try to meet with the appropriate photo editors. It’s the same in different fields such as entertainment, advertising, corporate or wedding photography. Figure out who you’d like to work for; research the contact people and try and make an appointment, follow up afterwards and be pro-active.
What are some challenges you have had to overcome throughout your career as a photographer and how did you do it?
The initial, expected challenges for me were part of the career growth curve; finding work, learning how to use my cameras, and in the days that I began, processing film and making prints quickly for deadline. But the subtle, emotional challenges were unexpected as I worked the hard news beat. The first tough lesson was when I was just starting out working for the Los Angeles Times in 1984. About a year later, I was on the city Metro beat and the assignment was to go to the home of a Filipino family that had lost 2 children over the week-end in a terrible accident, where a blow dryer that was plugged into the wall fell into a tub where the children were bathing, and they were electrocuted. The hardest moment came as the reporter and I arrived, as I felt so intrusive entering this families’ home as they were in deep grief. But, I also had the challenge to make a photograph to illustrate the story. A young cousin who had just gotten out of the tub and survived, was sitting on the front lawn next to a small child’s chair that was empty. I took a photograph of her and the chair – which of course, symbolized the lost children. The story and this image ran in the paper the next day and ended up inspiring state legislation making it mandatory for blow-dryers and other electrical appliances to have warning labels affixed to them. I still have a hard time thinking of this assignment, even though I’ve done hundreds since then.
If you could photograph anyone or anything from any time period, who would that be?
Ingrid Bergman, Montgomery Clift, Che Guevara, Chief Sitting Bull, Madame Curie, Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo.
Who/What inspires you? Who has been the biggest influence in your work? What lessons did that person teach you?
The world and everything in it inspires me. My greatest influences were my parents, my mentor Lou Stoumen, all the photographers and painters who came before me – especially, Margaret Bourke-White, Julia Margaret Cameron and Paul Gauguin. My beloved photographer friend Ruth Mayerson Gilbert always said, “You’re only as good as your worst photograph”. I think of this often when I’m editing and am quite hard on myself. The many strangers I’ve met on the road taught me the most valuable lessons, as they reflected a mirror back at me, and forced me to face myself.
How would you like your work to be remembered?
That is was good and meaningful work, and that it helped to teach about our world during the time that I traversed it, through images evoking tolerance, beauty,humor, war and peace.
Are there any words of wisdom that you would like to pass along to other photographers, especially ones just getting started?
Learn and create a firm technical base, follow your intuition, be safe, have fun and don’t chimp!
