Faith in Ken

Faith by Ken Opprann - Images by Felix Features

Norwegian photography books are rare. And black and white photojournalism in hard cover about as common as solar eclipses. Or should I say as rare as photojournalism on the artscene. But just the other day my friend Ken Opprann could pour the wine and celebrate his book "Faith" ("Tro" in Norwegian), published on Font Forlag.

For about 15 years Ken has been traveling the world, photographing people as they practice their faith. The result is an impressive 337 page book, all classic black and white photojournalism.

So classic, in a technical sense, that all but a couple of pictures were shot on Tri-X film and developed by hand in his bathroom. But most importantly classic in the sense that Ken has taken the pictures without any directing, fancy technique or fakery. He has used time and his people skills, showing respect to the people he photograph, to get trust and access. The two latter being essential in photojournalism. You can have a good eye, great cameras and technique, but it will do you no good without trust and access.

"Ken" actually means "yes" in Hebrew. I was with him in Jerusalem, it was like Abbott and Costello in "Who's on first?"! Fortunately Ken overcame this and numerous other challenges to take his pictures. If "Fatih" had been a DVD I think the extra material and behind the scenes shots had been as interesting as the main film.

Ken has allowed the people, the settings and the light to be the basis for his pictures. So many photographers are applying some sort of signature effect these days, hoping to stand out in a competitive market. To me it often seems they are putting up a smoke screeen, as if they realize the pictures don't have enough depth (in terms of content) without it. With Kens pictures there is no need for that.