Biography
For many years, Gwenn Dubourthoumieu employed his bachelor’s in Business Administration and a master’s in Humanitarian Affairs in work for NGOs, at home in France and then in Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After two years living in Congo, Gwen decided to begin using his camera to document the issues he’d observed as an aid worker, and he now works full time as a freelance photographer. He has been awarded several photographic prizes, including the Getty Images Grant for Good in 2011.
5 questions for Gwenn Dubourthoumieu
What is the one
thing that gets you out of bed in the morning?
A cup of coffee.
What would be your perfect day?
My perfect day is full of events. I have a hard time managing emptiness,
which can quickly become boredom. To fulfill this perfect day, I also need my
partner, Caroline, my best friends, a trip, and some random encounters.
What is the longest trip you ever took to
make a photo?
Working as a photographer in Congo means a lot of long and difficult trips.
Sometimes it can take many days on terrible roads, or getting on an airplane,
boat, or helicopter just to take one photograph. Of course, I rarely take only
one!
What was the hardest image you ever had to
make?
In Democratic Republic of Congo, there are two taboos that are hard to
photograph: money and soldiers. I had to take lots of risks and sometimes work
illegally to make my series “Etat d'armes” (Weapons status) and “Pour quelques
sacs de cuivres” (For a few bags of copper), which illustrate the proliferation
of light weapons inequalities in copper production. I also had the chance to
visit Congo prisons on my birthday in 2010!
What is your favorite thing about being a
photographer?
Photography is a great way for me to satisfy my curiosity and my passion
for travel and adventure. It also allows me to continue my engagement with
humanitarian issues (I worked for eight years in NGOs in France and abroad
before becoming a photographer), as well as to express my artistic fiber (I
studied violin and singing for a long time and shortly tried painting).
My partner Caroline Six. She shares my life and as a journalist, we do most of our documentaries together.
Even if I live in a city (a big city: 10 million people), I spend most of my time as a photographer in the Congo forests...
My street (30th of June boulevard: independence day of Belgium Congo) in Kinshasa.
After many years using various cameras and fixed lenses, I had to decide on light and polyvalent equipment, adapted to my adventurous way of life without compromising on quality: a Canon EOS 5D MarkII and a Canon lens 24-70mm f/2,8 L
More photograph series by Gwenn Dubourthoumieu