Jérôme Sessini

Canon Ambassador Jérôme Sessini is a Magnum photographer who has covered some of the most significant events of the past 20 years. He also takes on long-term projects, studying the drug cartel wars on the Mexican/US border, the crisis in Ukraine  and America's ongoing battle with opioid addiction.

Through his lens, Jérôme has shot political upheaval, social rebellion and human struggle. His move to reportage came in 1998 when he was asked by the Gamma photo agency to cover the conflict in Kosovo. He's since been immersed in some of the most significant events of recent years, including the Iraq War, the fall of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004, the seizure of Somalian capital Mogadishu by Islamic militias, the war in Lebanon in 2006 and the ongoing conflict in Syria. His photographs have one common thread – they seek to dig below the news to capture scenes representing wider issues.

As well as his 'day job', Jérôme photographs people around his hometown in eastern France, shifting between their daily lives and the landscapes around them. He also takes part in longer-term projects, such as his So far from God, too close to the USA series, which focused on the impact of violence from the war between drug cartels in Mexico. Jérôme reveals that although each visit to a conflict zone has been challenging – with the time he spent in Syria in 2012 being particularly notable for how tough it was, both emotionally and in terms of danger – it has been the stories that he has followed in Mexico that have been most emotionally involving. So far from God, too close to the USA received a number of awards and was published in a book, The Wrong Side, in 2012. Since 2014, Jérôme has been regularly covering the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Jérôme's work has also been published in distinguished publications such as Time, De Standaard, Le Monde and Stern, and he has exhibited at the Visa pour l'Image International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France, at the Rencontres d'Arles festival, and the French Ministry of Culture. His photographs are more than photojournalism, as he is keen to point out: "I don't like rigid categories. Sometimes there is art in journalism and journalism in art. Conscience, heart, beauty, balance and loss of balance are essentials for me."

Jérôme has also been nominated for a number of prestigious awards throughout his career, including the news category of the Visa d'Or awards for his work on Libya. His coverage of the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was taken out of the sky by a surface-to-air missile over the Ukraine in July 2014, saw him receive honours at the World Press Photo Awards 2015 (first prize, Spot News, Stories) and The Olivier Rebbot Award from the Overseas Press Club of America. Remarkably, Jérôme also won second prize in the same category at the World Press Photo Awards 2015 for his harrowing Final Fight for Maidan image.

Jérôme believes in the strength of photographs more than video when it comes to pricking the conscience of people, and he has led workshops designed to help a new generation of photographers to develop their own visual language for documentary and social photography.

You must have been uneasy during your first assignment in Kosovo in 1998. What was it about that experience that made you realise that documenting conflict was your calling?

"I was never attracted by danger. I was interested in being a witness to historic moments and political changes, and I realised that there was a gap between the way the media told stories and reality."

How do you decide on the range of lenses and equipment you'll take with you into an area of conflict?

"I try to be as light as possible. I use one body, and one lens – the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM."

How do you manage the day-to-day workflow when you're in violent or war-torn regions?

"When I work on assignment, the main challenge is to find a fast internet connection. I edit my work daily, and I carry out light post-production on my laptop. But I prefer to focus on long-term projects, such as the Mexico and Ukraine stories, so I have more time to both edit the pictures afterwards and produce small prints to display on my wall."

Has there ever been a point where you felt the need to stop taking pictures and intervene in a situation – or looking back, wish you had?

"No, I don't have any regrets. Most of the places I've worked during the past 15 years were very challenging in terms of getting access and taking pictures, and I just don't take pictures when I feel it could potentially put the people I'm photographing at risk."

How do you manage to put everything behind you once you're back at home?

"It takes me a week to switch to 'normal life', then I start editing."

"Consider using subtraction rather than addition to make pictures better. I do admit that at the beginning of my career, I used to be motivated by ego, simply willing to be in places where few other people could get to. But this motivation quickly changed; the more time I spent witnessing conflicts, the more responsible I became. My photographic approach developed into a more honest depiction, removing the superfluous and seeking the truth."