MPB Meets: Photojournalist and Filmmaker Roopa Gogineni

Meet Roopa Gogineni, an award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker capturing stories of resilience, resistance and revolution.

Originally from West Virginia, Roopa Gogineni has spent a decade immersing herself in projects across East Africa, co-creating narratives that challenge the status quo in collaboration with local communities. She worked with Mau Mau veterans to document their stories as they sued the UK government for colonial-era abuses in Kenya. 

Now based between Paris and Atlanta, Roopa's work has taken her from documenting revolutionary theatre in Sudan to directing reality television in Somalia. Roopa Gogineni holds an MSc in African Studies from the University of Oxford. 

With films premiering at festivals like IDFA, Hot Docs, SXSW  and more, Roopa Gogineni’s work is recognised on a global scale. Her film, I AM BISHA, which depicts the behind-the-scenes story of a satirical puppet show in Sudan, earned the Oscar-qualifying Full Frame Jury Award for Best Short, the One World Media Award and Rory Peck Award. 

In 2021, the visual-first nonprofit, CatchLight, named Roopa Gogineni as one of their Global Fellows and supported her project Timepass / Let the Record Show. 

In this interview, Roopa shares her insights into the dynamic world of photojournalism, the intricacies of her project, The Future of Aid, as well as her advice for aspiring photojournalists. Read on to discover what it’s really like to have a career in photojournalism.

Experiences as a photojournalist

MPB: Why did you become a photojournalist?

RG:  My first encounter with photojournalism was when I was 14, a few months after 9/11. My father took me to a lecture by Eddie Adams and Nick Ut, whose iconic photographs—one depicting the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner and the other showing children fleeing a napalm bomb—helped to shift public opinion around the Vietnam War. After the lecture, I remember wondering what images would define the war in Afghanistan and how those images would be talked about decades later.

After graduating from college, I spent a summer assisting the photographers Dominic Nahr and Ed Ou in Kenya. The experience confirmed that photography and journalism were how I wanted to engage with the world. It wasn’t an easy time to enter the industry. Print journalism was in crisis and most US newspapers were cutting back on international coverage. 

I wanted to understand what stories got told and why. This led me to graduate school at the University of Oxford, where I researched the construction of media narratives around Somalia. Afterwards, I moved back to Nairobi to pursue stories that challenged these hardened narratives. 

MPB: How do you decide which projects to pursue?

RG: Over the years, I began carrying out longer-term photography and documentary film projects. I’m drawn to stories about people engaging in different forms of resistance, whether they’re protestors in Sudan, historians in Georgia or musicians in Somalia. 

MPB: What challenges do you face as a photojournalist?

RG: I value the flexibility of freelancing because I can choose my projects and creative approach. The drawback is that I spend more time finding funding and distribution.  But even this can be an opportunity to rethink models of storytelling.

About The Future of Aid

MPB: Your project, The Future of Aid, explores a transformation in the approach to humanitarian aid in Somalia, from traditional food donations to cash transfers. Can you tell us more about this project? 

RG: While covering conflicts and crises across East Africa, I often witnessed the staggering inefficiencies of humanitarian aid. In Somalia, the widespread use of mobile money created an opportunity for a new aid paradigm. 

Traditional food aid floods local markets with agricultural surplus from western countries. Instead, humanitarian agencies began sending mobile cash transfers to displaced people so they could spend according to their needs. 

There was substantial quantitative research, which indicated that people spent their transfers wisely. But some organisations and donors were reluctant to adopt the model, claiming that cash could be misspent or diverted to bad actors.

The humanitarian agency Concern Worldwide commissioned me to help visualise the research at an IDP [internally displaced person] camp in Burao, Somaliland. 

After the failure of three consecutive rainy seasons, hundreds of thousands of pastoralists in the region had watched entire herds of camels, goats and sheep die. Many abandoned their traditional rangelands for IDP camps, where the most vulnerable received cash transfers.

MPB: The project focuses on individual stories through intimate portraits as a medium: Can you tell us about how you decided on this narrative in your approach?

RG: For this project, I aimed to photograph as many recipients of cash transfers as possible and to show how each person spent according to their needs. 

I wanted the photography to feel intimate, but to also have empirical value. With that in mind, I travelled with a black backdrop so that I could create consistency across the portraits. My assistant Zainab and I set up a photo booth in a one room tin-walled structure at the edge of the camp. We asked people to stop by and bring what they bought with their monthly cash transfer. Over the course of a week, we met nearly 100 people, the vast majority of whom brought food. 

MPB: Were there any particular stories or moments that resonated with you? How did you go about building a connection with your subjects to bring out their personal experiences?

RG: Before I made any pictures, we sat down with each potential participant to explain the purpose of the project. We made it clear that they could opt out at any point and that it wouldn’t impact their inclusion in the cash transfer programme. We then asked about how they ended up in the camp. 

We didn’t have much time with each person— half an hour or less. But it was important to begin with a meaningful exchange, especially considering the upheaval they had experienced. The space was small, which allowed for a certain intimacy. After listening to their story, I cracked open the door to let in some light and began making photographs. Zainab occasionally held up a reflector for fill light. At the end, I made a Polaroid portrait for them to keep. 

MPB: What was your post-production process?

RG: The post-production process was fairly quick and straightforward. I darkened the shadows because the background was not pure black in the RAW files. Otherwise, I occasionally had to adjust the white balance because the reflector we used was gold.

Advice on becoming a photojournalist

MPB: What photojournalism camera gear do you typically use for photography and videography projects? What other gear is a must? 

RG: When I started out, I used the Canon EOS 5D Mark II for everything. It’s a workhorse and I loved it. When I began making documentaries, I found it useful to separate my photography and video kit. At the moment, my photo cameras are the Leica M10 Black Chrome and the Fujifilm GFX 100S. I make films with a Panasonic AU-EVA1 5.7K. 

MPB: Do you have any tips and tricks for aspiring photojournalists?

RG: Be kind to your body! Like many photographers, I’ve had back issues and am now very careful about how I carry gear. While travelling, it all goes in a rolling suitcase. When I need to be discreet, I pack everything in padded cases inside a normal suitcase. If not, I use a Lowepro rolling suitcase. While working, I wear a Think Tank padded waist-belt and pouches to carry lenses, batteries and audio kit.

Other advice I'd offer is to be diligent about backing up hard drives. I have recurring nightmares about corrupt, stolen or confiscated drives! 

Finally, think carefully about how to make work that aligns with your values. Find a creative community to share and collaborate with. Photojournalism doesn’t have to be solitary work.

Looking for more on photojournalism?

Roopa Gogineni's journey through the lens is a testament to the power of visual storytelling. Her images from The Future of Aid challenge their viewer to question the status quo and engage with new possibilities.

As Roopa Gogineni continues to bridge cultures and amplify unheard voices, her insights provide invaluable guidance for those navigating the dynamic world of photojournalism. Whether you're an aspiring storyteller or a seasoned professional, Roopa's experiences offer a compelling glimpse into the heart of visual journalism.

If you want to delve even further into the life of a photojournalist, check out our interview with Diana Cervantes, an animal and people photojournalist, or dive into our conversation with Jo Plumridge on mobility and accessibility when it comes to camera gear.

This article is written in collaboration with CatchLight. The CatchLight Global Fellowship supports individuals seeking to cultivate audience engagement through inventive methods of distribution to increase the impact of their visual storytelling.