Mohammed Elshamy: Embracing Multimedia after Human Rights Fellowship

“I’m an Egyptian photojournalist currently covering the Ebola outbreak in Liberia after covering it in Sierra Leone for a few weeks. I work for Anadolu Agency.

Elshamy on the ground in Liberia

Working in these Ebola-stricken areas, for me, is more complicated than conflict zones because in a conflict zone you can see what you’re facing, but here it’s invisible.

I worked in Nigeria and South Sudan before going to New York to attend Magnum Foundation’s Human Rights and Photography fellowship a few months ago. Being taught by Fred Ritchin, Ed Kashi and Susan Meiselas is a rare opportunity that really helped me improve my skills and widen my view on documentary photography. After the fellowship I’m more eager to do video. I see the power of multimedia storytelling.

Video was something I did before because there was no videographer around, but after the fellowship I felt this is something I need to do as a means of documenting, to think of the people around the story - not just the story - how these people live.

The most significant impact the fellowship had on me was to not just concentrate on the photographs I’m taking for work, but to make sure these photos will have an impact years from now.”

- Mohammed Elshamy, 2014 Human Rights Fellow

See more of Elshamy’s published work

Applications for the 2015 fellowship are open now! DEADLINE: Thursday, December 4th, 5pm Eastern Standard Time. Apply here!