{"id":41515,"date":"2017-12-13T18:00:09","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T23:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=41515"},"modified":"2018-04-11T15:57:08","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T19:57:08","slug":"women-with-cameras-qa-emmy-award-winning-producer-cinematographer-singeli-agnew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/women-with-cameras-qa-emmy-award-winning-producer-cinematographer-singeli-agnew\/","title":{"rendered":"Women With Cameras Q+A: Emmy Award-Winning Producer & Cinematographer Singeli Agnew"},"content":{"rendered":"

Join us here on ALC for <\/span><\/em>Women With Cameras<\/span><\/a> on Wednesdays, where Dorie Hagler will be highlighting the thoughts and experiences of a professional female photographer or filmmaker. Her goal is to share great work by great professionals who are not yet in the limelight. This week, she spoke with producer and cinematographer Singeli Agnew, on her recent work.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Singeli Agnew works at the intersection of journalism and cinema, and has been a photographer, producer, and cinematographer, covering some of the most difficult and poignant moments in history. <\/p>\n

Her work for Fault Lines won an Emmy and Peabody, and her work for an HBO documentary with director Steven Okazaki was nominated for an Oscar.<\/p>\n

\"Singeli
Photo courtesy of Singeli Agnew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, she’s sitting down with us to talk about her method and work. <\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> If you could only bring three pieces of equipment with you on a photo shoot, what would you bring?<\/em><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Right now my lowest profile video kit would probably be the Sony A7S II<\/a> (<\/span>), a good prime lens and a simple audio set-up. Audio is the killer on the three-item rule, so I’ll be vague and fudge it. I long for the day when it was just my FM2, a 50mm lens and lots of tri-x! Such simplicity! Switching to video has drastically increased my extra luggage fees.  <\/p>\n

Q: <\/strong>As photographers, we all get that “got it” feeling when we get the shot we are after. What needs to be present in an image for you to get that feeling or know you nailed it?<\/em><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> For an image to give me that feeling, it has to contain something that transcends the composition: the emotion, the timing and the light all conspiring to create something greater than a sum of its parts.<\/p>\n

\"Singeli
Photo courtesy of Singeli Agnew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Singeli
Photo courtesy of Singeli Agnew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a cinematographer, it\u2019s a feeling associated less with single images and more with scenes: I know when I’ve gotten the right collection of shots to tell the story of that scene \u2014 when I’ve captured it in a way to give an audience an experience of being there in some way. It’s so satisfying when you’re done and you know you got it! And so terribly unsatisfying when you don’t\u2026it’s like a drug, chasing that feeling.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> How do you balance your personal work with your client work? What percentage of your work is what you are passionate about and what percentage is produced to pay your bills?<\/em><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I\u2019m lucky to be doing work that marries the two. I\u2019d say I\u2019m passionate about all of the work I do! Rarely do the stories not interest me. The style or form might not be the same as what I’d produce if I was working entirely independently, but the challenge of storytelling, reporting and image-making for a particular audience is one I enjoy so I’m happy to adapt to various formats. <\/p>\n

\"Singeli
Photo courtesy of Singeli Agnew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Singeli
Photo courtesy of Singeli Agnew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Q:<\/strong> If you didn\u2019t have to worry about earning a living, what type of work would you do?<\/em><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> I\u2019d still want to do what I do!! Being a journalist is such a privilege. I\u2019m passionate about keeping wages real so it remains a viable career.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> I often feel that I keep making photographs because I don\u2019t know how not to. Why do you keep making photographs and films?<\/em><\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> Because I\u2019m still curious about too many things, and I haven\u2019t shed some innate idealism that makes me want to help people understand each other! I’ve learned I’m happiest when I’m making something, and I love being connected to the world through a craft \u2014 cinematography, in my case.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n