Please introduce yourself.
I’m Michael Christopher Brown based in Los Angeles, and I’m a Photographer.
Three words that best describe your work?
Dynamic. Human. Connection.
What initially drew you into photography?
Around age 12 my dad taught me how to use a film camera. We would photograph around our community and we had a tiny black and white darkroom in the house, where i learned to develop and print. Photography became a hobby until i took mythology and art history courses at university, where I learned of the power and impact of imagery throughout human history to not only document and communicate but to create culture and connect humanity. There was a sense of justice there and I felt a passion to communicate, a knowing instinct that I needed to somehow contribute to this history.
What are some of your favorite photographs or moments pursuing photography? (Places you’ve been, moments you’ve captured, people you’ve met as a result.).
I love how photography enables access into worlds that might be closed. And I love returning to the same people and places in order to follow the arc of a situation over time and often this has meant living in other countries. I have had so many rich life experiences around the world, and most often the favorite photographs are just the simple moments that best illuminate my memory of those experiences and often they involve people, as people are central to the work I do. I love returning to central Africa, especially to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where I was based for several years. I think photographing the mountain gorillas, or standing atop the volcano, Mt Nyiragongo, to photograph the world's largest lava lake deep inside. I think of the photography trips we host there, trips that explore the cultural and geographic richness of this place that is often misrepresented and misunderstood in the media and consequently the eyes of the world. On those trips we have met and photographed people like Denis Mukwege, the nobel prize laureate who founded Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, which specializes in the treatment of women who are victims of war, some of whom we met. And I think of other countries in the region such as Tanzania, where I once spent a week photographing Jane Goodall at her jungle home in Gombe Stream Park, where she began working with Chimpanzees over half a century ago. Witnessing is not a passive act, so by experiencing stories first hand we are able to not only photograph but better understand. If you want to see some of my latest work from the region, follow the link in this video to my Click gallery.
What led you to use your iPhone over other cameras and devices?
The phone was such a novelty at the time. That one could capture an image on a phone was kind of amazing. It allowed for a kind of freedom while photographing, as there was just one button to press. And also a new way of seeing, as I was not looking through a viewfinder. Also, it felt more immersive in that there was no camera between me and whatever I was photographing. So in a sense I was reborn as a photographer and documentarian generally, as I could also make videos and record audio and take notes. Also, the phone enabled new possibilities simply because it did not look like a camera. In that when someone sees a camera, they know what the camera can do. They know that it can make a good or bad picture of them, and there is this whole history of photography that can come into someone’s head. But a phone was more of a gimic, so there was this absence of say the fear of how a phone might make someone look. So because it was not seen as a professional device it was not seen as a threat in a sense, more as a toy camera that anyone could use. So the phone began to free me not only from having to use a camera all the time, but in general from having to do things in a certain way as it allowed me to see and experience things in a fresh way. I’m excited to see where iPhone photography continues to go and to help pioneer the next generation of photography on iPhone. This is also what led me to learn more about Click and give it a try.
How important is authenticity in your work? What about portraying reality over fiction?
Authenticity is paramount and, though there is generally a dialogue with a subject, if necessary I go to great lengths to ensure that my impact in a documentary situation is minimal. In general, and this goes for everything from documentary work to generative AI, the important thing is to be honest about our methodologies. Once trust is lost, so is integrity and people will forever ask questions. Beyond this, Click can help photographers achieve authenticity by creating digital proofs of their work, that verifies the time and place and device with which the imagery was made. And this record helps protect it from being altered or edited, because we can see the origination and ownership of the imagery via the blockchain. This also provides new ways to monetize our work, whether its from tipping or licensing, as the work has a traceable path of ownership.
CLICK PHOTO by Michael Christopher Brown
You’ve been around blockchain technology for a while - what are your thoughts about leveraging blockchain for content ownership? For authenticity and trust?
Some of my work has been on-chain for several years now. Blockchain authentication solves the bizantine general’s problem, of how to create trust in a trustless environment. Distributed ledgers ensure that no one entity controls the on-chain information, which must be validated by thousands of independent nodes across the globe. Someone can mint their photograph’s information on chain and know that whatever they authenticate will live on in the way they would like it to, immutable and verifiable in a permanent public record, controlled by the masses. So I believe in what Click is building, leveraging blockchain technology to prove ownership and authenticity of our imagery because with generative AI, which is now indistinguishable from photography, authenticity is more important now than ever.
How do you feel about Click’s approach to authentic content? What are your general thoughts about the app?
Beyond loving the vision behind this first of its kind app, which is easy and simple for anyone to use, I have some suggestions. I would love the option of using multiple focal lengths and screen formats, say more options similar to the regular iPhone camera. It would also be great to have the ability to authenticate imagery taken with the regular iphone camera, though I understand that then creates a second security layer of complexity. It would also be great to have a way of highlighting favorite photos/videos within the app, so we can then view just the favorites and more easily edit things down before signing any of them to the blockchain. Also, if there was a way to select favorites and download them at once or sign them all at once rather than one by one that would save a lot of time. Lastly, I would love to be able to add my own customized signature, to scribble my personal signature while authenticating the imagery on chain.
As you look into the future of photography and blockchain, what do you see?
What would you like to see?
I would love to see all work within the genres of documentary and journalism authenticated on-chain in the moment it is created, with all information about the device and app and any information pertinent to the original creation of the photograph. I would also love to see the bridging of this software across professional cameras and mobile technologies, so more photographers can benefit from the technology powering Click.
CLICK PHOTO by Michael Christopher Brown
What does “authenticating reality” in photography mean to you?
The camera, the device, is objective and can confirm that something exists and is ‘fact.’ But the act of photography is subjective and more about ‘truth,’ in that where I point the camera stems from my intentions, what I believe, think and see as being true which is my reality. So it depends on what the purpose of our photography is and what we are attempting to do with these facts and truths. For example, if it is to prove that something exists then we can try and photograph in a way that most closely represents its existence, that classical photojournalism approach.
How important is authentic content to you surrounding politics and elections?
In the time of AI - where it is generally hard to know the difference between real photography and AI, and when people already often have a tough time trusting the imagery they saw in the news - it is a civil emergency. The Click app is already important to this election season because, by allowing us to immediately authenticate our imagery on-chain just after the moment it is created, it enables trust among our audiences as they navigate the world of misinformation.
CLICK PHOTO by Michael Christopher Brown
What advice would you give your younger self pursuing a career in photography? Any other final thoughts or comments?
I would say to try and laser focus on the kernel of what is most inspiring to you. To not to get lost in the noise of trying to make a living from photojournalism/documentary, which is only becoming more competitive with less jobs out there. Also, it’s been a long time since our genre was paid adequately for what we do so generally incomes are not high even for the best photographers. And these potential stressors can take creative energy away from the passion to make the work that truly inspires you, which is generally always our best work. That said, if you do want to make it a job then ask yourself if you are prepared and able to make certain sacrifices in your life in order to follow your dream. And try to never lose sight of the reasons why you began photography in the first place.
Thanks Michael for the awesome interview and for sharing your perspective with our community!
Thank you for the opportunity to share all this.
