Fortnightly in-depth interviews featuring a diverse range of talented, innovative, world-class photographers from established, award-winning and internationally exhibited stars to young and emerging talents discussing their lives, work and process with fellow photographer, Ben Smith. The most recent 50 episodes are on this free feed, 200+ more are in the archive!

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Mohamed Bourouissa is an Algerian-born French artist (b. 1978) who lives and works in Paris. Mohamed's practice moves between photography, video, sculpture, and installation, often blurring the lines between these mediums. His work explores social issues, power dynamics, and the representation of marginalized communities.He often engages with or embeds himself into specific communities for extended periods, spending significant time with individuals and groups to understand their experiences and perspectives before then creating collaborative works that challenge societal structures and explore the complexities of identity. Mohamed's work frequently addresses the tensions between different social contexts, particularly those related to race, class, and immigration, often questioning how different social groups are represented in media and art, challenging stereotypes and seeking to offer alternative narratives. His work has been exhibited in major museums and biennials worldwide, and in 2020 he received the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize for his retrospective exhibition featured in the Arles Festival the previous year.Mohamed currently has a <a href="https://www.mast.org/mohamed-bourouissa-communaute">major solo show at Fondazione MAST</a> in Bologna Italy, curated by Francesco Zanot. The exhibition is entitled Communautés and features four notable works produced over a twenty year span between 2005 and this year - <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/peripherique/" target="_blank">Péripherique</a>, <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/horse-day/" target="_blank">Horse Day</a>, <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/shoplifters/" target="_blank">Shoplifters</a> and Hands. In episode 259, Mohamed discusses, among other things:<ul><li>The sense of community growing up in the Parisian suburbs</li><li>His early experiences as a graffiti artist</li><li>His first project, <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/nous-sommes-halles/" target="_blank">Nous Somme Halles</a></li><li>The 2005 riots that preceded <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/peripherique/" target="_blank">Péripherique</a></li><li>Why he decided to stage images… and why he sketches the images out first</li><li>The theme of masculinity and his own experience of growing up without a father present</li><li>The challenges of being a dad</li><li>Knowing that he wanted to be an artist</li><li>How artists must value their own work and learn to say no</li><li>His project <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/horse-day/" target="_blank">Horse Day</a> and how it came about</li><li>Art as a playground</li><li>His new project, Hands</li><li>How he arrives at the choice of medium and the factors that inflence that choice</li><li>Why he is, in his own words, an ‘extremely bad photographer’</li></ul> Referenced:<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/anoushkashoot" target="_blank">Anoushkashoot</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamel_Shabazz" target="_blank">Jamel Shabazz</a></li><li>Emma-Charlotte Gobry</li><li><a href="https://www.setantabooks.com/products/fletcher-street">Fletcher Street by Martha Camarillo</a></li></ul> <a href="https://www.mohamedbourouissa.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mohamedbourouissa/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> EPISODE SPONSORS:<a href="https://www.charcoalworkshops.com/" target="_blank">CHARCOAL WORKSHOPS</a>.  THE ‘SUMMER SERIES’ TAKING PLACE IN PORTLAND, MAINE, SEPTEMBER 15-19, 2025.  FEATURING: ANTOINE D’AGATA, TODD HIDO AND CHRISTIAN PATERSON. SIGN UP AT THE LINK!<a href="https://www.picdrop.com/web" target="_blank">PICDROP</a> THE EASIEST WAY TO SHARE PHOTO AND VIDEO SHOOTS. CREATE HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL PHOTO GALLERIES IN SECONDS AND LET YOUR CLIENTS DOWNLOAD, SELECT AND COMMENT ON THEIR FAVOURITE SHOTS. SIGN UP WITH THE CODE “ASMALLVOICE” FOR A TWO-MONTH FREE TRIAL!
 Become a A Small Voice podcast member <a href="https://a-small-voice-conversations-with-photographers.pod.fan">here</a> to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com">here</a> for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides. Follow me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bensmithphoto/">here</a>. Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com/course">here</a>.

A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers

259 - Mohamed Bourouissa

Paul Seawright is Professor of Photography and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. His photographic work is held in many museum collections including The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Tate, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, International Centre of Photography New York, Arts Councils of Ireland, England and N.Ireland, UK Government Collection and the Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. In 2002 he was commissioned by the Imperial War Museum London to undertake a war art commission in Afghanistan and his photographs of battle-sites and minefields have subsequently been exhibited in North America, Canada, Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Korea, Japan and China. In 2003 he represented Wales at the Venice Biennale of Art and in 1997 won the Irish Museum of Modern Art/Glen Dimplex Prize. He is represented by the <a href="https://www.paulseawright.com/Kerlin%20Gallery">Kerlin Gallery Dublin.</a>Paul was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to higher education and the arts. In episode 258, Paul discusses, among other things:<ul><li>The influence of studying at Farnham..</li><li>and Martin Parr…</li><li>…And being at <a href="https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/50-years-documentary-photography-course-at-newport-and-usw/" target="_blank">Newport</a></li><li>Not taking a position</li><li>‘Allusive documentary’</li><li>The danger of losing the meaning</li><li>The ethical considerations of working on foreign soil</li><li>The essential business of research</li><li>How do you find your next project?</li><li>His USA projects Volunteer and Things Left Unsaid</li><li>The importance of titles</li><li>His work from Rwanda, Beasts of Burden</li></ul> Referenced:<ul><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Joshua_Cooper" target="_blank">Thomas Joshua Cooper</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/anna-fox" target="_blank">Anna Fox (Ep. 166)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/ken-grant" target="_blank">Ken Grant (Ep. 128)</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Shaw_(photographer)" target="_blank">Chris Shaw</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/martin-parr" target="_blank">Martin Parr (Eps. 91 & 197)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/peter-fraser" target="_blank">Peter Fraser (Ep. 172)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/paul-graham" target="_blank">Paul Graham (Ep. 149)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/jem-southam" target="_blank">Jem Southam (Ep. 174)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/chris-killip" target="_blank">Chris Killip (Ep. 94)</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Burgin" target="_blank">Victor Burgin</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-williams-3570b115/" target="_blank">Anne Williams</a></li><li><a href="https://amateurphotographer.com/latest/photo-news/50-years-documentary-photography-course-at-newport-and-usw/" target="_blank">Newport</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/daniel-meadows" target="_blank">Daniel Meadows (Ep. 116)</a></li><li>Clive Landen</li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/ivor-prickett" target="_blank">Ivor Prickett (Ep.204)</a></li><li><a href="https://bensmithphoto.squarespace.com/asmallvoice/anastasia-taylor-lind" target="_blank">Anastasia Taylor Lind (Ep.68)</a></li><li><a href="http://www.richgilligan.com/" target="_blank">Rich Gilligan</a></li><li><a href="https://www.jamesmollison.com/" target="_blank">James Mollison</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Virilio" target="_blank">Paul Virillo</a></li><li><a href="https://www.martinparrfoundation.org/product/the-photobook-a-history-volume-i-signed/" target="_blank">Parr and Badger</a></li><li><a href="https://steidl.de/Books/The-New-West-0923354061.html" target="_blank">Robert Adams, The New West</a></li><li><a href="https://ianwalkerphoto.com/documentary/sophie-ristelhuber-fait/desert-stories-or-faith-in-facts/nggallery/image/desert-stories-1/" target="_blank">Ian Walker, Desert Stories, or Faith In Facts</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Baudrillard" target="_blank">Baudrillard</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Cities" target="_blank">Calvino, Invisible Cities</a></li><li><a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/conflict/gilles-peress-the-silence/" target="_blank">Gilles Peress The Silence</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Jaar" target="_blank">Alfredo Jaar</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fergal_Keane" target="_blank">Fergal Keane</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Keenan_(writer)" target="_blank">Brian Keenan</a></li></ul> <a href="https://www.paulseawright.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paul_seawright" target="_blank">Instagram</a> EPISODE SPONSOR: <a href="https://www.charcoalworkshops.com/" target="_blank">CHARCOAL WORKSHOPS</a>.  THE ‘SUMMER SERIES’ TAKING PLACE IN PORTLAND, MAINE, SEPTEMBER 15-19, 2025.  FEATURING: ANTOINE D’AGATA, TODD HIDO AND CHRISTIAN PATERSON. SIGN UP AT THE LINK! <blockquote>“‘Allusive documentary’ is probably a good way to think about it. For me, it’s really about - and this is the bit that goes back to my experience of photography in Northern Ireland, which was all about dramacentric imagery - how you can make photographs that have a documentary subject (that might be the closest I come to being a documentarian, that I work with the subject of documentary photography) but with the methodology of an artist. That’s kind of the way I like to frame it, and I think that follows through to the work which is nearly always conceived for the gallery wall.”</blockquote>
Become a A Small Voice podcast member <a href="https://a-small-voice-conversations-with-photographers.pod.fan">here</a> to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com">here</a> for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides. Follow me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bensmithphoto/">here</a>. Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com/course">here</a>.

258 - Paul Seawright

Featuring:<ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/hodgsonf/" target="_blank">Francis Hodgeson</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/mariasukkar/" target="_blank">Maria Sukkar</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/__sophie.parker__/" target="_blank">Sophie Parker</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/leemillerarchives/" target="_blank">Ami Bouhassane</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tomhunterphotography/" target="_blank">Tom Hunter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/silvanatrevale/" target="_blank">Silvana Trevale</a> (but not <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pintogabriel__/" target="_blank">Gabriel Pinto</a>).</li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/zed_nelson/" target="_blank">Zed Nelson</a></li></ul> Featured in the Positions exhibition:Adam Rouhana (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/adam.rouhana/">@adam.rouhana</a>), Aikaterini Gegisian (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/aikaterini_gegisian/">@aikaterini_gegisian</a>), Babak Kazemi (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/babakkazemi1/">@babakkazemi1</a>), Bibi Manavi (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/bibimanavi/">@bibimanavi</a>), Ippolita Paolucci (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ippolitapaolucci/">@ippolitapaolucci</a>), Kalpesh Lathigra (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kalpeshlathigra/">@kalpeshlathigra</a>), Karim El Hayawan (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/karimelhayawan/">@karimelhayawan</a>), Mieke Douglas (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/miekedouglas/">@miekedouglas</a>) and Roberto Conde (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/robconde33/">@robconde33</a>) Photo London <a href="https://photolondon.org/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/photolondonfair/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> Peckham24/A Bigger Book Fair <a href="https://www.peckham24.com/a-bigger-book-fair" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peckham24photo/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>
 <ul><li>Become a A Small Voice podcast member <a href="https://a-small-voice-conversations-with-photographers.pod.fan">here</a> to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month.</li><li>Subscribe to my weekly newsletter <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com">here</a> for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.</li><li>Follow me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bensmithphoto/">here</a>.</li><li>Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com/course">here</a>.</li></ul>

257 - Photo London 2025 Special

London-born British photographer Marc Wilson’s images document the memories, histories and stories that are set in the landscapes that surround us. His long term documentary projects include The Last Stand (2010-2014), A Wounded Landscape - bearing witness to the Holocaust (2015-2021) and The Land is Yellow, the Sky is Blue (2021-2023).Marc’s aim is to tell stories through his photography, focusing at times on the landscape itself, and the objects found on and within it, and sometimes combining landscape, documentary, portrait and still life, along with audio recordings of interviews and sounds, to portray the mass sprawling web of the histories and stories he is hoping to tell.Marc has published 6 photo books - Travelogue 2 (2024), The Land is Yellow, the Sky is Blue (2023), Remnants (2022), A Wounded Landscape - bearing witness to the Holocaust (2021), Travelogue 1 (2018), and The Last Stand (2014).Solo exhibitions include those at Impressions Gallery, Bradford, Side Gallery, Newcastle, The Royal Armouries Museum and Focal point Gallery in the UK and Spazio Klien in Italy.Marc’s work has been published in journals and magazines ranging from National Geographic, FT Weekend, Leica LFI, Source, Raw Magazine, Wired, Dezeen and others, he also works as a visiting lecturer at various universities in the UK and has given talks about his work both in the UK and abroad.In episode 256, Marc discusses, among other things:<ul><li>What he’s working on</li><li>Getting arrested in Moldova</li><li>His work in Ukraine</li><li>New book Travelogue 2 - A Thousand Days of Longing</li><li>Travelling 25,000 miles for his project The Last Stand</li><li>His initial failed attempt at shooting his holocaust project A Wounded Landscape</li><li>His adventures in self-publishing and tips for those considering it</li><li>His route into photography</li><li>Loneliness and ‘wandering lost’</li><li>His project Remnants</li></ul><a href="https://www.marcwilson.co.uk/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marcwilsonphoto" target="_blank">Instagram</a>
 <ul><li>Become a full tier 1 member <a href="https://a-small-voice-conversations-with-photographers.pod.fan">here</a> to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of previous episodes for £5 per month.</li><li>For the tier 2 archive-only membership, to access the full library of past episodes for £3 per month, go <a href="https://a-small-voice-conversations-with-photographers-archive.pod.fan">here.</a></li><li>Subscribe to my weekly newsletter <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com">here</a> for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.</li><li>Follow me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bensmithphoto/">here</a>.</li><li>Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course <a href="https://bensmithphoto.com/course">here</a>.</li></ul>

Ben Smith

A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers by Ben Smith

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