November 2007 Featured Member: Michael Ging

Michael Ging is a photographer living in the US southwest. He has spent the past 35 years as a photographer for the Arizona Republic newspaper. In this time he has covered virtually every photographic subject possible. Though he may have just met his subject moments before, and only have a few minutes to work, his images still show a wonderful respect and compassion. He has the people skills that virtually every talented documentary photographer must have. Those skills shine through in the access that his subjects give him and the images that he is able to create. Anyone who wishes to be able to create moving and powerful documentary images would be well served to pay attention to Michael's comments regarding how he interacts with his subjects.

"I think if you wish to be a successful photographer of people, you have to like being around people. As a 6'6" blonde haired, blue eyed photographer living in the Philippines I was not able to hide who I was in a crowd or in a village without being noticed by everyone. I decided that I would use this to my advantage although sometimes I felt like Gulliver in Lilliput when entering a Barrio or village. The Filipino people were very friendly at the time to Americans, calling me "Joe" after GI joe. The fact that they would fight over whose house you would visit when you went to a village; this taught me not to fear people you don't know. I also believe that personal integrity is the most important thing we own and if I promised a person a Print, I always delivered one." -Michael

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Image by photo.net member Michael Ging