212 - Benjamin Rasmussen
© Benjamin Rasmussen
Benjamin Rasmussen is a Faroese/American photographer living in Denver, Colorado.
After growing up in the Philippines and studying photography at Ateneo de Manila University, he moved to the United States to explore contemporary American identity. His practice is research and photography based and centers on the intersection of law, history and sociology.
Benjamin works for magazines including Time, The New Yorker and The Atlantic. He is also the founder of Pattern, an exhibition and educational space in Denver, Colorado that works to spark dialogue and acts as a meeting place for the art and documentary worlds.
Benjamin’s debut photobook, The Good Citizen, which explores how American society came to be what it is today, was published last year by GOST books.
In episode 212, Benjamin discusses, among other things:
His origin story growing up in the Philipines and then moving to the USA for college
Growing up amidst his family’s deeply religious roots
By The Olive Trees project
Faroese hunting pilot whales - story
Faroe islands being too picturesque
The dark side of his American family
The origins of The Good Citizen project
The five chapter structure of the book
Book banning in the USA
Trump
His optimism re. photojournalism
The implications of AI
Referenced:
“I’ve survived largely off editiorial commissions for the past 10-15 years. It’s been really interesting.You have a lot more complex voices who are involved even in my short history of it. The reality is that in my entire career rates haven’t changed. It’s getting increasingly difficult to survive financially, but I think in terms of the conversations that are happening it’s gotten so much more interesting. ”
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by MPB - transforming the way people buy, sell and trade in photo and video kit. An online platform for used photography and videography equipment, MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you've just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you’re already a pro.
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Pic-Time - An all-in-one platform to deliver, share and sell prints.
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