Luís Godinho
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2024 – State of the World
Curatorial Selection – Garbage in paradise
Q: How has your personal background or life experiences influenced the global issues and stories you choose to capture through your photography?
I grew up in a very large and humble family. My grandmother had 16 children, I was always immerged in environments with a lot of people. When I grew up, I realized that photographing people, telling their stories, and the environment that surrounds them was my purpose. With that, I learnt that respect, humility, sharing and love must go hand in hand for a happier life. Then the travels that I do, they also open our minds and expand our consciousness.
Q: What inspired you to submit your work to The State of the World competition, and how has receiving this recognition from PX3 impacted your journey as a photographer?
Even though my photographic work is very focused on people, especially human rights and humanitarian causes, my university degree was in Environmental Engineering. Although I have been photographing since I was young and have been a professional photographer for many years, I worked as an environmental engineer in parallel with photography for 8 years. Notwithstanding, I came to realize that doing documentary photography and photojournalism is, as I said, my purpose. When I visited the Gili Islands and researched the topic in question, which involved people and the environment, it was immediately a reason for me to want to do this work and to be able to raise awareness to people that mass tourism has a negative impact on the population and the environment.
Receiving this recognition from PX3 is a source of great pride and satisfaction because having our work chosen among so many for such an important cause is very gratifying.
Having our work exhibited and recognized by PX3 allows a wider audience to see it and to gain more awareness, and that’s where the greatest gratification is.
Q: Can you take us behind the scenes of your winning series? What was the story you aimed to tell, and did any unexpected moments shape the final result?
I went on a job to Bali, Indonesia, and it was also part of this work to visit the Gili Islands. I stayed at the largest of the three Gili, Gili Trawagan, where there are no cars, only bicycles and carts. The majority of people visit this island for fun, whether it’s the beach, snorkelling, swimming with turtles, pool parties or night parties. I thought that behind all this madness, such a small island full of tourists, there must be something more fragile. Along the outskirts (coastline) there are about 400 hotels and 250 restaurants. If you think that the island is only 3 km by 2km, it’s real madness. I took the bike and got into the middle of the island and realized that everything was different: from how people live to finding the open-air dumpster right there behind 5-star hotels. Then I went to investigate and talk to people. This work was done on 4 different trips I made to Gilli throughout the year. Then I spent more time at night photographing and understanding people’s behaviour. Realizing that the madness of the night, sex, drugs and rock and roll, and the impact that this massive tourism had on the island were very devastating for me. 20 Tons of rubbish are produced daily, but the worst thing is that much of this trash is not even treated, it is thrown in an open dumpster and burnt.
I wanted people to realize with this work that we are all passing through here on this planet, we are like borrowed for a certain time, and that we all have the duty and responsibility to protect the place where we live. More and more cultures, habitats, and animals are lost because we, the human race, out of ego and greed, destroy everything.
Q: Your work highlights some of the most crucial and pressing issues in today’s world. How do you balance technical precision with the raw emotion needed to create a powerful, thought-provoking image?
I think that technique in these matters is the least important. In my opinion, the most important thing is to let ourselves be involved in the theme or moment. Working your mind daily for all kinds of situations, I think, also helps a lot in interpersonal relationships and in what you want with the proposed narratives. I feel that the closer and more connected you are to people’s motives, the more impact you will create. The more truthful and honest you are with people and with the work, the more people will connect with it. That’s where we can impact people and maybe, little by little, change the world.
It is often said that photojournalists are cold people who always keep their distance, but this is not true, and I am an example of that. Photographing conflicts and human rights is often devastating on an emotional level, but it is our job, and the more connected we are, the more authentic the story and impact will be.
Q: Photography has the ability to raise awareness, shift perspectives, and even inspire action. What role do you believe visual storytelling plays in addressing global challenges?
Photography has a huge power to impact and change people. The freezing of a moment or an instant, which will never be repeated because time never turns back, is truly wonderful. But it makes me think a little. Considering that time no longer goes back and runs by quickly: how long has it been since you said you loved someone? How long has it been since you stayed in one place? Photography has the power to stay in time, but if one day we will only be a photograph or a memory, so let it be an unforgettable memory. I mean by this that all the visual narratives that involve the human being and his impact on the world, whether the denunciation or the violation of human rights or environmental impact, are too important. It is these narratives that can make us think about that time and moment that I talked about earlier and that can make people realize that with each passing day we have more global challenges, of which we need everyone.
Q: Your winning image is a reflection of an important moment or reality—how do you approach the responsibility of documenting such impactful stories?
As I said, I think that when we are aware of what we are doing here, maybe we can change our thinking a little. I chose to be a photographer and documentary photographer, where I can tell stories of humanity. I feel that it is my responsibility and my role and duty to be able to do more for others. I know that alone I will not change the world, but that if I change someone’s world and someone else changes someone else’s world, together we can do much more. There are many people in the world who unfortunately don’t have a voice and who really need to be heard. If I can be that vehicle through my photography and the stories I tell with it, it makes me think that I am fulfilling my purpose, and that makes me very happy.
Q: Looking ahead, are there any social or environmental themes you feel compelled to explore further through your work?
Yes, always. I’m always thinking about future work, and I have a lot of them written. Unfortunately, on the one hand, I’m a freelancer and often don’t get the support I need to do a job in question. But I want to continue to tell stories of human rights, environmental impacts and climate change.
Q: What motivates you to continue capturing the world through your lens, and where do you hope to take your work in the future?
I love what I do. Being a photographer for me is a gift. Having recognition like this gives motivation to continue telling stories of social issues and environmental impacts.
I want in the future, to continue to photograph as much as I can and continue to show my photos to the world and be able to inspire people to be better human beings.