#60 - Paolo Woods on photography, research and building long-term projects | De Donkere Kamer Podcast

What do you do when a subject simply isn't photogenic? Paolo Woods, born in The Hague and raised in Florence, built his entire career around that question. From an investigation into the oil industry to a book on tax havens and the five-year project Happy Pills on the pharmaceutical industry, he keeps choosing subjects where his first reaction is "oh no, what am I actually going to photograph here." In this episode, recorded during Les Rencontres d'Arles, Paolo talks about why research is his most important tool, how his mother unknowingly shaped his obsession with text and image, and why he spent four years as artistic director of the photography festival Cortona On The Move. IntroI recorded this episode during Les Rencontres d'Arles, with Paolo Woods: photographer, researcher, and artistic director of Cortona On The Move since 2022. His projects never take the obvious subject. He seeks out exactly the things he first thinks are impossible to photograph. From oil to tax havens to the pharmaceutical industry, he keeps finding a language to make the invisible visible.What you'll learn in this episodeWhy research is Paolo's most important tool for turning non-photogenic subjects into photographable ones.How he led Cortona On The Move for four years, and why he chose one strong yearly theme instead of "the best of photography."Why a lack of access, as with Federico Vespignani's work on Gaza, can actually produce stronger work.What the five-year project Happy Pills reveals about our obsession with control and happiness.Why, after years of collaboration, he's now working on his first fully personal, solo project.About the guestPaolo Woods was born in The Hague in 1970 to Dutch and Canadian parents, raised in Florence, and later lived in London, Paris, Haiti and Ivory Coast. He started out running a photography gallery in Florence and then built a career around long-term, research-driven projects: from Un Monde de Brutes (2003, on the oil industry) and American Chaos (2004, on the Western intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq), to Chinafrica on China's expansion into Africa, translated into eleven languages and sold more than 40,000 copies. That was followed by Veil On My Eyes on Iran, The Havens on tax havens (named one of the best photo books of 2015), and Happy Pills, a five-year project on the pharmaceutical industry that grew into a book, a touring exhibition and his first film. Since 2022 he has been artistic director of Cortona On The Move. His work has appeared in eight books and in The New York Times, Le Monde and The Guardian, with exhibitions from the US to China, and he has won two World Press Photo awards.Links and resourcesPaolo Woods, websiteCortona On The MoveLes Rencontres d'ArlesPrevious episode with Kira Pollack (on AI and photojournalism): #267 on De Donkere KamerOur partner: CameranuThis episode is brought to you in part by Cameranu. For your own photography gear, whether it's a new lens or a camera you can rely on during a client shoot, their specialists think along with you and give honest advice. As a listener of De Donkere Kamer, you get 10% off your next purchase with code DDK10Free webinarWhat growing photographers consistently do differently from everyone else: that's the subject of a free webinar, based on patterns Kaat has seen over the years in top photographers through this podcast, in masterclasses and in 1:1 mentoring. Five things, and how to apply them in your own way. Sign up here MasterclassesEvery month, De Donkere Kamer organizes an online masterclass with an international top photographer.August 27, 4:00 PM – Ebrahim Alipour (Iranian documentary photographer and World Press Photo winner) on how to build a project without budget, without access, and without a network.Coming up – Magnum photographer Peter van Agtmael, topic to be announced.You can join live or buy the replay for a small additional fee. All the info here