"I PREFER BEING BEHIND THE CAMERA TO BEING IN FRONT"
Published in In-Nazzjon, Lifestyle Supplement, 6 January 1995.
By Doris Spiteri (original text is in Maltese)
NB I've corrected a few misunderstandings between the interviewer and myself.
If all the cameras in the world were to disappear or their use were to become obsolete, I'd become obsolete too. If photography were banned, I'd carry on shooting till I'm caught."
This is how Darrin Zammit Lupi, a young photographer who trained seroiusly for his profession, answered me when I asked him what a camera means to him and what would happen in a hypothetical situation where all cameras are confiscated.
Darrin, 27, was born in Sliema and is the second of three brothers. So far so good, but I have to say that whilst Darrin is the adventurous type who has on occasions taken grave risks to get the pictures he wants, he is a difficult person to interview. I would go as far as to say that of the over fifty people I have interviewed for this series, Darrin has been the most difficult to do.
Darrin's childhood dreams were influenced by the cinema. "I always wanted to be an actor playing James Bond. I didn't want to be James Bond himself, but to play the part in films. I've always loved cinema and television, although I've got lots of other interests."
"During my school years, I didn't really know what I wanted to study towards, career-wise. Or rather, I wanted to do things which were impossible to do. Even at University, I did all sorts of things. But I was never able to do the things I really wanted."
"My ambition became one to be a journalist ... using a camera, not a pen. I got that chance when the newspaper The Malta Independent was launched in 1992."
I was interested to learn how Darrin first came into contact with his first camera and how this 'bond' was formed.
"When I was still a child, I received a camera for Christmas. Nothing special, more of a toy, but it did take pictures, sort of. I can't say I was particularly interested in it."
"In 1980, we started receiving National Geographic magazine at home. I became mesmerised looking at the pictures. Their beauty was incredible. In one issue there were pictures of a volcano erupting which left a lasting impression on me. That's when my love affair with photography began."
THE FIRST CAMERA
"I bought my first camera when I was 16. I've still use this camera occasionally. At that time photography was just a hobby. But slowly I began to take it more seriously - I became addicted."
"Having good equipment is not a prerequisite to being a good photographer, though it obviously helps. What is far more important is patience, and lightning reactions. You also need perseverance. If you're working for a newspaper, for instance, and the editor wants a particular picture, you have to get it, no excuses allowed. You have to be able to create a good photograph even when nothing's happening."
"Versatility is an important element in photographic technique. An eye for a picture is obviously essential, and you have to be the type who doesn't lose heart, or doesn't let an embarrassing, uncomfortable or downright nasty situation, discourage you."
Darrin doesn't have a particular favourite photograph. "...But I keep all my negatives, and there are some photos which are more special than others, such as those I shot in Albania and during the London riots."
"Being a news photographer means being in the right place at the right time. Luck and experience come into it a lot. There are occasions when an incident occurs under your nose, and other times when you're too far away to arrive on site in time. But in the latter case, you still have to get a picture, which is where the photographer's creativity and imagination come in."
"Like many photographers, I always carry a camera on me. I can't take the risk of having something happen in front of me and not being able to photograph it."
INCIDENTS
Have you ever asked a photographer whether he ever took out-of-focus photos, or if his pictures didn't come out. I have, and Darrin was sincere in his answer.
"I remember one time when I had to cover a football match and only had the first ten minutes to get a decent shot, as it was for an early page. I took my pictures, rewound the film, opened the camera back and found the film had cut. It took me another twenty minutes to get a good shot."
"Another time I was shooting some portraits of a very prominent personality. I shot loads of pictures, then suddenly wondered why I hadn't reached the end of the film - very simple really - there was no film in the first place. An unforgivable mistake. What could I do? I meekly apologised and we started again, the subject repeating his whole repertoire of poses one after the other."
As I wrote earlier, Darrin takes his photography so seriously that he did a course in photojournalism abroad.
"I went to England with my parents support, both moral and financial. I learned loads there. I refined my technique, but most of what I learned was about attitude, how you must always be prepared for any eventuality."
"I had some wonderful experiences there. I spent some time gaining work experience at The Guardian and had some pictures published. I worked alongside top Fleet Street photographers, rubbing shoulders with people who were my idols, such as The Guardian's Frank Martin and John Downing of The Daily Express."
"I also worked at The Daily Telegraph, where I learned a lot. But the most interesting experience was covering the riots which broke out in London in October 1993. It was an anti-Nazi demonstration which turned nasty when the police prevented the marchers from passing the neo-Nazi British National Party headquarters in Welling, South-East London. There I learned what fear was. At the time I wasn't bothered, but afterwards I realised I was risking my neck. Next time I'm in such a situation, I'll definitely be more conscious of the dangers."
IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
Darrin faces a lot of adverse conditions to achieve his ambitions. At the moment, in fact, Darrin is far away from our shores. He is in war-torn Bosnia, on assignment for this newspaper. This is without doubt one of his most important experiences. It all began when Darrin was at the pub with a friend.
"I learned this friend's brother was in the British Army - Major David Vassallo was in Bosnia, so I thought it would be interesting to get in touch with him. After loads of running around, I got the go-ahead to make the trip. I'm travelling to Bari on HMS Invincible. From there I'll fly to Rome then on to Croatia. Once I get there I'll be joining a Feed the Children convoy to Bugojno in central Bosnia."
"I've assured my parents it will be safe so they're supporting me on this venture. Once there I'll see for myself the horror that war leaves. I do not intend to go on the battlefields. So it's actually not as dangerous as some people think. What I do know is that I'm going to come face-to-face with some harsh realities - refugees, people who have lost everything - their homes, their families. I will try to approach them not only with a camera, but with an open heart. I do not know how I will react to everything I shall see around me."
"Without wanting to, I will still get involved. You can't do otherwise. I know I will be affected. Once there, I do not want to write about strategy and general facts, but rather about what I see and experience."
From Darrin's adventures we moved on to something lighter. I learned Darrin hates being photographed. He gets embarrassed and conscious of the camera. "I hate being on the wrong end of the camera, posing."
Darrin's favourite pastime activity is the theatre, acting and directing. Recently, however, he hasn't had much time for rehearsals because of the irregularity of his working hours.
"I hope to get back into theatre soon. I need to organise my time better. I love reading too. I devour books, especially if they're about current affairs or good novels."
Darrin's only regular appointment at weekends is Saturday evenings at the University Film Club.
"I try not to miss a single film. As I said earlier, I've always lived the cinema and the films screened at the film club are always art-house stuff. I also enjoy playing tennis. Apart form that, weekends are for relaxing."
The last question I asked Darrin was whether he ever wished or thought he could do something else instead of photography.
"I love this work. But I have at times thought I'd like to be involved in something like cinematography. After all, that too is a visual art."
Last year Darrin did some assignments for In-Nazzjon, for which he won the Journalist of the Year Award (BPC Award to Journalists). His latest adventure is also backed by In-Nazzjon. Darrin left Malta with over fifty rolls of film, the results of which will be published upon his return.
Right now, there's no doubt that Darrin is in his element, because once he's got film in his cameras and a good subject, he doesn't need anything else.
Copyright Doris Spiteri 1995
© Darrin J. Zammit Lupi 1998