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ARMENIAN ROOTS AND TRAVELING WITH OBAMA - INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOJOURNALIST SCOUT TUFANKJIAN
http://news.am/eng/news/129171.html
November 19, 2012 | 23:50
A photo posted by President Barack Obama on his Twitter and Facebook
pages after his victory in the elections was taken by American
photojournalist of Armenian origin Scout Tufankjian. Scout was one of
the photojournalists working with Obama during his campaign. Armenian
News-NEWS.am presents an exclusive interview with photojournalist
Scout Tufankjian.
One of your photo projects is called "The Armenian Diaspora Project."
Can you tell a little more about it?
I am trying to create a portrait of the global Armenian community
through photographs and interviews, looking at large and small
Armenian communities around the world. So far I have photographed
communities in Brazil, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jerusalem, Ethiopia,
and the United States. I'm hoping to go to Russia, Bulgaria, France,
India, and Argentina next.
You took photos of American Armenians. Have you ever been to Armenia?
Would you like to take photos of people living in Armenia?
I have been to Armenia in 2002 with my father. It was a wonderful
experience and I'm hoping to return soon!
Please, tell a little about yourself. Where were you born and where
did your ancestors come from?
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts to an Armenian-American father
and an Irish-American mother. My father's grandparents almost all
came over to the United States as orphaned children. We know that one
of his grandfathers was from Harput and that two of his grandmothers
from one of the villages near Musa Dagh, but that is all we know.
How did it happen that you start working with Obama? Which was the
most impressive about working with him?
I first started covering President Obama before he started running
from President in 2006, when I covered a book signing he was doing in
New Hampshire. I then spent the next two years covering his campaign
for publications like Essence Magazine and Newsweek, and eventually
did a book on the campaign entitled Yes We Can. This year, when the
campaign was started up again, they called me and asked if I was
interested in working for the campaign.
Do you think any person can become a photographer? Do you consider
taking photos is a job or an art?
I think photography is a little bit of both. Anyone is capable
of making one or two amazing pictures. The thing that separates
a professional from an amateur is not so much talent, but rather
is the ability to produce good pictures consistently, and this is
something that can be learned if you work at it hard enough. So I
would say that anyone who is willing to put in years of hard work
(often with little reward) can become a photographer.
You have photos from Western Armenia (currently Turkey). Tell please
what have you felt when made them.
I loved traveling through the parts of Anatolia that are historic
Armenia. Because I grew up hearing stories about Harput and Musa Dagh
from my grandparents, it was amazing to be able to actually be there -
to see Harput Castle and to meet the Armenians who are still living
near Musa Dagh. On the other hand, it was heartbreaking to see the
rubble from the Armenian neighborhoods in Harput, and to realize
how completely we had been erased. There were moments of light,
however, such as an organization in Diyarbakir (Dikranagert) that
is teaching Kurdish girls Armenian history and the Armenian style of
silversmithing, so that our memory will not be forgotten.
You said you speak a little Armenian. Would you like to learn more?
Anshoosht! (Certainly!) I have a friend who teaches Armenian at
Columbia in New York, and she has given me some lessons.
Unfortunately, I travel too much to be able to commit the time I
really need in order to learn.
http://news.am/eng/news/129171.html
November 19, 2012 | 23:50
A photo posted by President Barack Obama on his Twitter and Facebook
pages after his victory in the elections was taken by American
photojournalist of Armenian origin Scout Tufankjian. Scout was one of
the photojournalists working with Obama during his campaign. Armenian
News-NEWS.am presents an exclusive interview with photojournalist
Scout Tufankjian.
One of your photo projects is called "The Armenian Diaspora Project."
Can you tell a little more about it?
I am trying to create a portrait of the global Armenian community
through photographs and interviews, looking at large and small
Armenian communities around the world. So far I have photographed
communities in Brazil, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jerusalem, Ethiopia,
and the United States. I'm hoping to go to Russia, Bulgaria, France,
India, and Argentina next.
You took photos of American Armenians. Have you ever been to Armenia?
Would you like to take photos of people living in Armenia?
I have been to Armenia in 2002 with my father. It was a wonderful
experience and I'm hoping to return soon!
Please, tell a little about yourself. Where were you born and where
did your ancestors come from?
I was born in Boston, Massachusetts to an Armenian-American father
and an Irish-American mother. My father's grandparents almost all
came over to the United States as orphaned children. We know that one
of his grandfathers was from Harput and that two of his grandmothers
from one of the villages near Musa Dagh, but that is all we know.
How did it happen that you start working with Obama? Which was the
most impressive about working with him?
I first started covering President Obama before he started running
from President in 2006, when I covered a book signing he was doing in
New Hampshire. I then spent the next two years covering his campaign
for publications like Essence Magazine and Newsweek, and eventually
did a book on the campaign entitled Yes We Can. This year, when the
campaign was started up again, they called me and asked if I was
interested in working for the campaign.
Do you think any person can become a photographer? Do you consider
taking photos is a job or an art?
I think photography is a little bit of both. Anyone is capable
of making one or two amazing pictures. The thing that separates
a professional from an amateur is not so much talent, but rather
is the ability to produce good pictures consistently, and this is
something that can be learned if you work at it hard enough. So I
would say that anyone who is willing to put in years of hard work
(often with little reward) can become a photographer.
You have photos from Western Armenia (currently Turkey). Tell please
what have you felt when made them.
I loved traveling through the parts of Anatolia that are historic
Armenia. Because I grew up hearing stories about Harput and Musa Dagh
from my grandparents, it was amazing to be able to actually be there -
to see Harput Castle and to meet the Armenians who are still living
near Musa Dagh. On the other hand, it was heartbreaking to see the
rubble from the Armenian neighborhoods in Harput, and to realize
how completely we had been erased. There were moments of light,
however, such as an organization in Diyarbakir (Dikranagert) that
is teaching Kurdish girls Armenian history and the Armenian style of
silversmithing, so that our memory will not be forgotten.
You said you speak a little Armenian. Would you like to learn more?
Anshoosht! (Certainly!) I have a friend who teaches Armenian at
Columbia in New York, and she has given me some lessons.
Unfortunately, I travel too much to be able to commit the time I
really need in order to learn.