Behind the Lens: Photographer Todd Bigelow

Monday, 29 August 2011 23:10

A man stands in his underwear in the open brushlands near San Diego, bathing himself as he stands in the afternoon light (image 63).  He’s an illegal immigrant, in the U.S. without proper documentation.  But he’s not passing through the desert on his way to some meager apartment.  He lives in the desert, in a community of immigrants who live in abject poverty within eyesight of million-dollar homes.

The image strikes against common rhetoric about illegal immigrants that use public welfare systems without paying into those systems.  Many of the images that Todd Bigelow has taken of the U.S.-Mexico border over the last 16 years challenge the viewer's preconceptions of the reality facing those who cross the border in search of a better life.

"A lot of what we try to do as photojournalists is dispell untruths, dispell myths," Bigelow said.  His photography of the U.S.-Mexico border and immigrants began as a personal project born of a "keen interest" in life where the third-world meets the first-world so closely.  "I've always been interested in social issues," he said.

Bigelow said what he encountered in the days and nights he stayed in the camps photographing migrants was very counter to what mainstream impressions were in those days.  No doubt there were some who were criminals, but Bigelow said the people in the camps were working class, trying to make a better life for themselves and helping each other in any way they could.  On his first visit, a migrant offered to share part of his home, a pallet, with Bigelow.

Non-governmental agencies (NGOs) provided the access Bigelow needed to the community.  Through the NGO's workers, Bigelow gained the trust of the migrant community and was able to photograph their lives as they happened.  Bigelow also attributes gaining that trust to simply being a photographer genuinely interested in telling the stories of the immigrants.

Though Bigelow maintains that objectivity is important, he adds: "Anytime you're involved in long-term projects you'll have an emotional reaction - if not, you're not going to get too deeply into it."  And his depth of coverage is evident in his portfolio, which includes a photo essay in Time magazine.  It was his personal commitment to telling the stories of migrants that gained the attention of photo editors at Time magazine and The New York Times.  Once they started working with him, they continued to use Bigelow for projects about the border.  A chance meeting while covering a local church meeting put Bigelow on the path to compelling images of border vigilantes who detained illegal immigrants at gunpoint.  Some of those images appeared in a story titled "Border Vigilantes" for The New York Times Sunday magazine.

Bigelow's work over 16 years hasn't been limited just to the border, of course.  His portolio includes published work in Smithsonian magazine, Sports Illustrated, National Public Radio, Preservation magazine, and commercial work, just to name a few.  Looking through his images you get the sense that Bigelow seems to have a knack for capturing stories that are a little off the grid, a little difficult to gain access to.  There's an honesty in his photos that reveal a photographer who is genuinely interested in telling the stories, whoever they may be about.

Having those personal projects that you work on is really important, Bigelow tells students at UCLA and California State University, Northridge, where he is an adjunct professor.  "Use the tools to tell a story," Bigelow advises aspiring photojournalists.  "But find things that you're passionate about."  

Written by Tim W Glass