It took me time to realize that I need a fixer whenever I travel to document a project. The question is who is a fixer? A fixer is a person who knows the community you’re going to, speaks and understand their language, and can get you access and permission. There’s no way you can bycout that step when it comes to shooting in conservative communities, except you have access to the people you’re documenting, and you understand their language, but still you will need a fixer. Once you’re able to get a fixer, your job will be very easy and you will be amazed at the photos you will get from the community or people you’re going to document. Without a fixer, there’s little you can do when you go into a new community.
It is not just about finding or getting a fixer because anybody can be a fixer; what differentiates them is that a good fixer is somebody who understands what you are trying to achieve. If the fixer has a good grasp or understands your style, then they should be able to get you into the right places and the right people. You will need to build a good working relationship with your fixer just incase you have to travel back to that community or country.
There Are Two Basic Things That Will Make Your Work Easier As a Documentary Photographer:
- Permission
- Access
PERMISSION: As simple as the world may sound to the ears, it is quite difficult to get the permission of people to document them or take their pictures, let’s not even talk about pointing the camera at their face. These people are humans and they have their own right when it comes to things that reveal their identity. A fixer will help you get permission that you need. Bear in mind that it might take a long time explaining the sole aim of what the project is all about. The fixer will serve as a middleman between you and the people especially if you don’t understand their language.
ACCESS: Once the fixer is able to get you the permission needed from the community, he is also responsible to get you access to certain places where you will find more interesting stories especially when he or she bears a notable rank in such areas or community. The fixer takes you through corners where you will be marveled at the kind of stories and the things that will complement your work.
One thing you have to have at the back of your mind is that you will have to pay for the service rendered by the fixer, and also frame few pictures of the people you photographed as a means of compensation.
