Liz Loh-Taylor only became a full-time documentary photographer in late 2009, but her photographs have already garnered awards, recognition, and our admiration. Liz, born in Singapore, is based in Australia. Her black and white images of African and Lebanese communities are intimate, quietly poetic, and reveal a style influenced by classical masters.

Invisible Ph t grapher Asia: Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in photography?

Liz Loh-Taylor: I came from a couple of generations of either photographers or camera buffs, and so was exposed to photography from the moment I opened my eyes, literally. I was so scarred by being chased around with a camera by the time I was 13 that I’d banned the camera from my life… I ended up in the finance industry. I picked it up again when I was in my mid-twenties. I started working with disadvantaged children and communities in Africa, and was humbled to get to share in a part of their lives and hence understand the challenges that they experience on a more intimate level. I figured the best way for me to document their stories was through a camera. I gave up my corporate career late 2009 and decided to commit to sharing their stories and somehow influence change through photography.

Do you miss the security of a stable job as a financial advisor? We’d assume the money was good.

I do miss using that part of my brain… sometimes. Something that my mother denies, but I think I was born a natural spender… so that I do miss, more!

There is nothing more satisfying however, than being able to do what I currently do, to have the privilege to meet and experience life with the people and communities that I come across in my projects, and to have the chance to present to people who share the same passions as myself. I can’t ask for more in life. Most things in life can be compromised, but not what makes you happy.

What cameras or tools do you use to photograph and why do you use them?

I use a Leica M9 coupled with a 35mm lens. I love the Ms because they instill discipline into me. I use them because they are unobtrusive and subtle. I photograph up-close. A lot of the times I am only inches away from a person’s face. I travel alone most of the time, and my camera has not been the cause of unnecessary attention, which to me is exceptionally important. The camera is a tool that enables me to do what I need to do, the way I do it. That is all.

Can you tell us more about the way you work – your photography technique or philosophy perhaps?

You know, I haven’t really thought about the way I work or my working philosophy…

I usually have a topic in mind.  A story that I’d like to pursue, usually medium to long term.  This story would have come from my heart, not my mind.  It’s something that I believe needs to be shared.

I prefer to work alone, to get completely lost in my own world, not to think, just to photograph.

Patience.

How would you describe your photography?

A single instant where they reveal a bit of their souls to me.

Your first trip as a full-time photographer was Africa. Tell about that choice and your experience shooting there.

I am certain that I was once from that continent in a past life. I have always traveled to Africa, way before full-time photography per se.  I love the scents that are distinct to Africa every time I step off the plane.  The people are one of the most hospitable I have encountered in all my travels.

The choice, that was simple.  I felt at home there, and it was the first place that came to mind.

My experience – It was somewhat challenging especially when most of the tribal people believed that by taking a picture of them, they would lose their souls. This was significant. Like in every place that I photograph, I wait till I have their trust before I even touch my camera.  I would rather not take a single photograph otherwise.  Every good thing starts with respect.

Tell us about your photographs – 50 Plus Years On, Lebanon.

50+ years on marked the beginning of ‘thinking about my photography’ in a sense. It was when I started thinking about compositions/techniques, when I started to experiment. It was just before then that I was told, “your photography at the moment is like any other travel photography! Anyone can take these pictures!”  It was in a sense, the inauguration.

Are you working on any projects at the moment?

I am working on a piece at the moment, again based in Africa. It will be titled hinguguay beliuwa ilomni which means ‘they told me that the hinguguay ate her’. I will share more about this when the time is right.

What is your personal favorite of the photographs you’ve taken, and why is it special to you?

I try not to have favourites because it makes editing so damn difficult, but the truth is I do have favourites.

It’s quite interesting actually now that you’re making me think about why my favourites are special to me… they’re usually the moments when my eyes are doing the thinking, not my mind. They’re the ones when a million people could have been screaming at me, and all that would have registered in my mind was that one image, frozen.

There is an image in my series titled Her Eternal Beauty Hides a World of Misery and Pain, of a boy (Daniel) sucking his thumb in the foreground, and in the background there is another boy (Robert) with his sword, glowing. It is one my favourite shots in all my series put together as it depicts the personalities of both boys to a T. I had a real soft spot for Daniel too, which I guess you can say is a sentimental reason for my show of favouritism. However above all, that was one of those magical moments where the world just went silently still.

Many of the images I have taken are special to me for various reasons. Most of the time, they remind me of sentimental moments or encounters that have somewhat etched itself in my mind.

Are there any other place or people you would like to photograph?

I find the world and everything in it eternally fascinating. There is always something arousing and significant happening around us. I also love visiting a place over and over, especially when I think I’ve had enough of it, because nothing remains the same with each trip I make. That is what’s beautiful about the world, at times.

Are there any photographers that inspire you, or whose work you admire?

There are countless photographers who inspire me.  The masters of course: Paolo Pellegrin, Sebastiao Salgado, James Nachtwey, Ernesto Bazan…  Mario Giacomelli, most of the photographers of NOOR agency, wow!  To me, there is a difference between those who are able to tell a story, and those who are able to tell a story with great photographs.

Your camera has one shot left. What will you photograph with that last ever frame?

This is an interesting question. Life!

If you could travel in time, what year in the past or future would you travel to with your camera?

There are many points in time that I would love to experience. Mainly back in time though because I am fascinated by actions and repercussions. For example, I would love to go back in time just before development/modernization begun. Before colonialism, before lines were drawn on a piece of paper that ruined countries up till today. That is provided only that I live to see every change till now.

What is one tool as a photographer you can’t live or work without?

You mean other than my camera and one lens?  Nothing.

More of Liz’s work on her website: www.lltphotography.com

All photographs/art are the property of the credited photographer and creator with all rights reserved.