Picture this: Justin Jin on being a documentary photographer in Brussels

Documentary photographer Justin Jin has travelled the world from Mongolia to Russia to Europe to the Arctic and brought back thought-provoking images that help us recognise the human element in major world issues.

Born in Hong Kong and educated at Cambridge in the UK, Jin began his career as a Reuters reporter, trained in London and was initially sent out to Asia. He would soon trade his pen for a camera and move to Amsterdam on a new path as a freelance photographer.

Five years reporting on Russian events from Moscow followed before he moved to Brussels, where he is currently using videography and photography to shoot journalistic and corporate projects.

Why did you decide to switch from writing to photography?
I always wanted to be a photographer, because image is a universal language that can reach beyond culture and across the social spectrum. But Reuters wanted me to be a writer. They thought my education and skills were better applied to writing about political and social issues. So I did that, and it was during that time, when I teamed up with photographers and videographers, that my conviction became stronger and stronger that it’s the image that speaks the loudest. When my contract at Reuters ended, I packed my bags and left for Amsterdam with my future wife, a Dutch video journalist, and began an independent path on which I’ve persevered until now.

How does freelance photojournalism compare with a staff position?

When I told my editors I was to become an independent photographer in Europe, he said, “Look, there are 3,000 freelance photographers lining the streets of Paris. A new guy from Hong Kong? It’s just not going to work.” I went ahead anyway and had some early success. My first story was published in a dozen international magazines, including the National Geographic. The great motivation this gave me eventually seemed more like a false sense of security, because it’s really challenging to stay consistently on top of the game. It took being independent for me to realise how powerful the corporate media machines are. However, by staying small, you can apply a bespoke approach to visual projects, explore stories with a unique point of view, and craft them in a powerful way to make them stand out from the crowd. As a freelance, you are your own boss, marketeer, sales, webmaster and bookkeeper. You motivate yourself to go out and shoot stories – one trip freezes your nose off in the Arctic, the next places you at risk in an authoritarian country. You come home exhausted, have a shave and deal with business matters. You stay ahead of technical advances. You constantly generate ideas and meet people. You provide for the family. You fall, and stand up again.

Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

It depends on how far you push it. Often, I put more energy, preparation and resources into getting one crucial image than I would writing a thousand words. There’s not much margin for error in capturing the essence of an event. To get it right, the photographer has to be totally present, the light has to be right and the timing has to be perfect. So, in terms of effort, yes, it is often worth a thousand words or more. In terms of result, that’s for the viewer to decide.

Do you prefer the title ‘storyteller’ to describe what you do?

Yes, because it doesn’t matter whether I’m shooting a video or photograph, the essence of my work is storytelling. However, one important qualification: what I do is telling stories of real people, real life and real places. The context might be an article in Time magazine or BASF’s annual report, but the point is to use stories to help readers understand and feel the impact of a certain event, invention or situation through stories.

Do you put your storytelling skills to work in other spheres?

I’m doing more commercial work using the same techniques to help brands tell their stories. That, of course, supports the personal work. It’s a recent development in the business. Banks, engineering firms and many other companies are looking to reach out to the public in a human way. The more scientifically sophisticated or data-driven the industry, the more storytelling can help bridge the gap between professional expertise and human experience.

Has the ease of digital manipulation cast a shadow over the integrity of the image?

Yes, but it’s not a fatal blow. While even iconic photographers have been caught manipulating images they declared were real, ultimately it comes back to trust and reputation. A writer can easily write falsehoods, but still, you would trust the reporting of Der Spiegel or the Financial Times, because these organisations and reporters have a reputation to lose. Likewise, I have staked my reputation on integrity and not manipulating reportage images or stories. A good story is authentic, well-researched, relevant and emotional. In my mind, there are three layers to getting to the essence of a story: facts, reality and truth. Facts are what many journalists focus on. You have tp report accurately. As you gain more experience, you report reality. You begin to understand bias. Your story must be balanced and fair. Ultimately, when you’re working on something bigger and more thorough, you start to search for truth. The key part is to distil these quite complex issues – geopolitical, financial or scientific – into powerful testimony that can help readers understand not only the facts but their significance and, ultimately, universal relevance. Those are the stories that stand the test of time.

How else is technology changing the industry?

The walls between different media are coming down. Now you can use the same camera to record very high quality video and stills. Photographers are tasked with shooting video, and I’ve embraced this trend with zeal. Then there’s the mushrooming presence of social media, which changes the way we both collect and spread information. I don’t think any of this changes the fundamental nature of the job, which is to capture the human essence, the reality, the meaning of a story. For all their possible drawbacks, having these technical tools is great. Each new advance – whether it’s virtual reality, drones or just better cameras – raises the bar. It’s up to the committed storyteller to rise to the challenge.

You’ve lived in major cities around the world. How does Brussels measure up?

We love the fact that it’s so culturally diverse, allowing us to speak all the languages we’ve learnt without leaving our street. The layers of bureaucracy and cultural split among its people and administrations can be maddening, but we are learning to live with it. Then there’s the contrast between urban living and nature. My wife and I love the outdoors, and from our home we can be in the forest in minutes. There’s even more outdoor possibilities further afield in Belgium, where we regularly take our mountain bikes. We took the children skiing in the Haute-Fagnes. It’s not the Alps, but they loved it. In terms of travel and logistics, even though Brussels is not a hub for intercontinental flights, airlines seem to price travel with a stopover to Brussels more competitively than their direct flights to attract Belgian business

This article first appeared in ING Expat Time magazine