Learning from Ami Vitale

We had the pleasure of working with Ami Vitale in Tokyo recently. Like many talented creative people she has evolved beyond the craft of her work to the meaning of her work:

“Her original desire to take “beautiful pictures” was transformed into a desire to do justice to people and their stories. As a photographer Vitale’s focus has centered on issues surrounding women, poverty and health. The common denominator to all of her stories, she realized, is nature, specifically climate change. And it’s women who bare the brunt of those changes.”

She believes, as we do, that telling stories is how we evolve real dialog. She also believes that we, as humans, generally want the same things, “we are not as stratified and polarized as we may think”. She has worked extensively in Bangladesh documenting the weather. Studioriley has a strong relationship with Bangladesh through Chobi Mela/Patshala in Dhaka. So, a lot of common interest.

Her gifted storytelling further demonstrates that we have the opportunity to better harness the power of the creative person in evolving our understanding of our world. Take a look at her film embedded here, and enjoy the clarity of creative vision and the humanity she reveals. As she says: “You do not have to have a life of privilege to make a difference”.

 —Chris