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Because she was born in Germany, Thies' unique, signature approach retains a Euro-aesthetic. Prior to her work in photography, she spent more than 10 years as a hair and makeup artist in Europe and the U.S. At age 16, her interest in humanitarian work motivated her to begin a career in care-giving. After studying at a nursing school, she worked with country doctors in rural areas of Northern Germany, where she had responsibility for as many as 2,500 patients. A rare opportunity to merge several of her passions occurred recently when Thies attended a presentation by Los Angeles-based Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world's largest non-profit AIDS organization. During the meeting, she was touched by images of the group's work in South Africa. "The faces I saw expressed hardship I couldn't imagine, yet they possessed an incredible strength to endure," she says. "I was moved to do something to help in any way I could." Two weeks later she was on a plane for Durban, South Africa, invited by AHF to help convey the importance of its work through her photography.
While there, Thies was able to combine her talent as a photographer with her newfound love for the people, particularly those afflicted with HIV. Capturing the images of primarily Zulu men, women and children in various settings, her portraits are powerful testaments to the struggle against this pandemic; to the human faces of those suffering from the disease. Her subjects were an uplifting part of the story - thriving patients successfully treated with antiviral drugs over the last several years, thanks to the efforts of AHF. Many of these unforgettable images can be found in the organization's recently published annual report (http://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1610.69927627),
which is richly illustrated with Thies's South African work.
Today, Thies continues to be inspired by the work of the 17-year-old organization and its global efforts to combat HIV and AIDS - but she confesses to a particular love of Africa and its people.Thies talked to altpick from her studio in Los Angeles. How did you get involved in this project? My intuition guides my choices. Whether it was my decision to dive into photography, move to the States, or experience Africa in this unique and gratifying way, I let my heart move me. Underscoring this particular choice, however, was my belief that those of us in more developed countries have a responsibility to help those in less fortunate conditions, just like you would help a neighbor in trouble down the street. With the AHF project, I saw a unique opportunity to use my photographs to generate resources and awareness and help people in a part of the world that I have a particular passion for. Who organized the shoot? I worked very closely with Terri Ford, an angel first and foremost, and the Director of Advocacy for AHF, second. She traveled with us there and was just an immense help and lifeline. She had set up the clinic there two years ago and knows everybody. With her invaluable assistance and the support of the head nurses of the clinic, especially a woman named Fundiswa, we were able to set up a four-day shoot. It was really incredible. About 40 patients showed up: mothers and grandmothers with children in tow, sometimes traveling more than three hours one way to get there. It wasn't easy for them - they had to change buses, take taxis and walk long distances to get to the clinic, the only one in the region. It was really very heartwarming, and I was very impressed by how well it was organized.
I believe in taking things down to their most basic elements. The people we were photographing were extremely poor, many living without electricity and running water. There was no other way to convey this but simply. Because funds were non-existent, I had to improvise. It was really all about the people anyway, their body language and expression. We happened to be staying at a place in Durban where the lady of the house owned a couple of these beautiful, traditional hand-woven carpets made of grass by the Zulus. So, I decided these were perfect, they conveyed the culture and the people's resilience and creativity. I rolled them up, nailed them to the corner of the clinic, and, voila, our backdrop! I also rented a profoto 7B, which was an amazing find over there, and shot it both on digital and film and in color and b/w. Any technical considerations for the next shoot there? We'll shoot digital portraits next time instead of just using digital for behind-the-scenes images like the first time. I'll still carry film, though, for certain images that we're planning to blow up life-size and maybe a few other special applications. It seems like there are a lot of moving parts. Do you have any backers? We're getting tremendous support from some special people in the photographic community. Icon, a photo lab in Los Angeles, has been incredibly supportive. Kodak has given us film and Samy's Camera has helped us with equipment. I'm also donating my work and time. But what I'm getting back in return is something you can't define in terms of dollars and cents. And I must mention my fiancé, Michael Herron, who traveled to South Africa with us. He gave a lot of his time and has been the greatest support of all. What was it like photographing the people there? The people were really great to work with. They were so excited to be a part of the shoot. They would dress in their finest clothes and sometimes in traditional dress. They were really beautiful people - very soft-spoken and thankful we were taking an interest in them. From questionnaires we had them fill out, we learned that all of them had lost at least one close relative to AIDS, and, in many cases, even their immediate families didn't realize that they were sick and undergoing treatment. But you could also see that there had been an amazing transformation because of the treatment they were receiving. They had become really proud and happy to be living a fulfilling life again, working and providing for their kids after being so close to death. It was a life-altering experience to work with these people.
A main focus of my trip there was to document a march that was organized by AHF's partner organization in Durban, NETCOM (Network of AIDS Communities, South Africa). The purpose of the rally was to demand that Glaxo Smithkline, which happens to be the world's largest HIV drug manufacturer, create a 10 billion rand trust fund, which is about $1.5 billion U.S., to supply free medications to South Africans. Many of us think it's the right thing for them to do. Covering the march was incredible. I witnessed more than 1,000 people from the surrounding region walk peacefully to the GSK office in Durban where they presented a petition signed by 100,000 South Africans. It was definitely a touching and powerful moment. And, of course, we spent time in several of their beautiful game reserves, where I was able to get immersed in the raw beauty there, and photograph some spectacular animals. What are the long-term goals for this project? We're actually planning another trip: to Uganda in July. AHF operates seven clinics there and treats 2,500 people. They have only been there three years but are trying to treat 10,000 people by the end of this year. The plan is to implement the portrait project there, too, and plan a show that will travel worldwide. Proceeds from the images we sell would then go back to the clinics to hire more doctors and save more lives. - Contributed by Eric Hiss >> See more work from Dorit Thies >> See other member spotlights on the member spotlight index >> Find out more on how to become an altpick.com member |
