027 - Edward Thompson
© Edward Thompson
Ed Thompson is a British photographer, artist and lecturer. His own photographic work has focused on various subjects over the years from environmental issues, socio-political movements, subcultures and the consequences of war and his documentary photo-essays have been published in international magazines including National Geographic, Newsweek Japan and the Guardian Weekend Magazine.
In 2007 he studied the Master's Degree in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication for which he received a first class distinction.
In the spring of 2013 Ed started Punktum which evolved into The School of Punktum where leading photographers and lecturers from various London Universities teach month long courses on documentary photography to intimate 10 person classed from as little as £100. There are also free portfolio reviews. It’s a brilliant idea and Ed explains how it came about in the interview.
In episode 027, Ed discusses:
Kickstarter and his current campaign
The spooky origins of his project The Unseen
Sergey Chilikov mentorship
The value of photography
Billy Childish
Photographing the English Defence League
The school of Punktum - "you have to be skint and talented"
How the internet made his career
“On a long enough timeline all photographers are anonymous. In fifty years or a hundred years, no one is gonna know who the hell you are. But you know what remains? The photographs. So make good work. That’s all you have to do. And if you make good work, there you go. It’s a bit harder now because there’s so much stuff out there. But if you’re doing it for an idealogical reason, the work is the reward.”
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