http://www.digitalcameraworld.com OCTOBER 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^107hat was the motivation for
you to start this project?
We won an award from The Royal
Geographical Society to do the River
Xingu. In 2007 we took a very small
boat and for six months we went along
the Xingu River, which is 2,500 kilometres long.
We visited 48 tribal communities and every
community said to us, “Please tell our story.”What was the biggest challenge you faced?
We had to get permission from the Brazilian
government, and they changed their minds
every five minutes. We spent six weeks in Brazil
the year before the expedition, setting it all up.How did you choose what to photograph?
I document what I see. I never ask anyone to
pose. I’m a photojournalist; that’s what I do.
The light there is so special and the people
were at ease with me, so it was a joy.What cameras did you use for this project?
A Nikon D2X and a D700. We had two flexible
solar panels on the roof of our boat so we
could charge all of our equipment.How many images did you shoot
during the trip?
10,000, but each image is one instant.What was the project’s timescale?
Two years from the initial concept to finishing
it. It was the continuation of what wasalready 20 years of working as
a photojournalist in that area.What was the biggest lesson you
learnt from the trip?
We need to change our ways. [The indigenous
people] have a lot to teach us that we should be
listening to, but we’re too arrogant to listen.Is there any negative to highlighting
the lives of indigenous people?
I hope not, because they wanted it. It’s not
a ‘begging bowl’ book. It’s something that
can show humanity what we’re losing.What’s the best advice you’d give?
If you’re in any environment that’s alien to
you the most important thing isn’t your camera:
it’s setting your preconceptions aside, looking
with new eyes, opening your heart and taking
your sense of humour with you.What’s the most fun thing about being
a photojournalist?
Laughing with the people you’re photographing.
It’s really great shooting digital, because you
can show them your pictures immediately.SUE CUNNINGHAM
Photojournalist and
environmental campaigner
Behind
the lens
W
TOP: After loggers have
felled the valuable trees,
the remaining vegetation
is burned. The ashes
provide limited nutrients
for coarse cattle pasture
but these are quickly
depleted, leaving the
sandy soil infertile.ABOVE LEFT: Tribal
chiefs from North and
South America came
together in 1989 for the
first Tribal Gathering,
organised by the Kayapo
to fight against the
construction of the Belo
Monte hydroelectric
dam. In front sit Chief
Raoni Metuktire,
Bepkoroti ‘Paulinho’
Payakan and Sting.ABOVE: Chief Jakalo
Kuikuro brought a team
of competitors to 2016’s
World Indigenous Games
because he wanted to
show the world how
strong the indigenous
culture in the Xingu
continues to be, despite
growing pressures from
agriculture, mineral
exploitation and
infrastructure.Spirit of the Amazon
by Sue Cunningham (text
by Patrick Cunningham)
is published by Papadakis,
RRP £40.
http://www.papadakis.netAll^ images:^ ©SueCunningham