The Documentary Life24 Elo 2018

87 – Learning to Breath with Documentary Photography with Alison Wright

Alison Wright has been traveling and working in 150 countries and doing documentary photography for 35+ years. She is one of the single most impressive human beings that you may ever meet. She has lived more in her life than most of us will if we lived to 100. Though if not for the kindness of strangers, she would have lost her life in the middle of nowhere Laos, when she was involved in a horrific bus accident.

Of course, she lived to tell the tell her story. And she lived to tell it to many people, since the publication of her memoir, Learning to Breath: One Woman’s Journey of Spirit and Survival. And she lived to create some of the more impactful photographs of some of the most desolate, destitute, staggeringly beautiful, hauntingly breathtaking places and peoples of the world.

And she’s now given us the pleasure of her presence on the podcast. And what an episode it was. We are not worthy, Alison…

Topics Discussed

importance of finding hope when one is working in the devastated areas of the world
discussion on whether one’s work is enough for change or if the artist needs to be doing something more tangible with their work to affect that change
how to stay connected with both your subject and the audience for your work
how to decompress & process when coming back from long stretches of working away from home
how a meditation practice got Alison through challenging situations & environments, including her near-death experience in Laos

Related Sources

I encourage all listeners to check out the amazing work that Alison is doing through her non-profit, Faces of Hope.

I also highly recommend reading her stunning memoir, Learning to Breath: One Woman’s Journey of Spirit and Survival.

Sponsors & Thank Yous

Free Music Archive – Special Thank You to recording artist, Dlay who supplied music for this week’s episode of TDL. You too can download his music or other artist’s music by going to Free Music Archive today!

SubscribeApple | Spotify | Stitcher |

Rate and Review

If you have found value in this podcast please leave a review so it can become more visible to others. Simply click the link and then click on the Ratings and Reviews tab to make your entry. Thank you for your support!

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(147)

Episode 146 | Wearing Every Hat: Surviving as a One-Person Crew | With Dandan Liu

Episode SummaryWhat does it really take to make a documentary when you’re the entire crew?Working as a one-person crew can offer documentary filmmakers an extraordinary kind of freedom. With less equi...

16 Syys 47min

Episode 145 | AI and the Documentary Filmmaker | With Philip Shane

Episode SummaryHow can documentary filmmakers actually use AI—and where does it belong in the creative process?Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of the filmmaking toolkit, but beneath t...

2 Syys 48min

Episode 144 | The Ethics Lab: Access, Consent & Trust | With Alan Berry & Mark Enochs

Episode SummaryWhat does it mean when someone trusts you with their story?Access may get a documentary filmmaker through the door, but it is only the beginning. The deeper responsibility lies in earni...

19 Elo 46min

Episode 143 | How Do I Sustain My Documentary? | With Jilann Spitzmiller

Episode SummaryWhat happens when the money runs out—but the film isn't finished?For many documentary filmmakers, securing initial funding feels like the biggest hurdle. But as the months stretch into ...

5 Elo 37min

Episode 142 | How Do I Fund My Film? | With Liz Nord

Episode SummaryHow do documentary films actually get funded? It's one of the most common questions filmmakers ask—and one of the least honestly answered. While conversations often focus on grants, pit...

22 Heinä 40min

Episode 141 | Building a Sustainable Documentary Life | With Ondi Timoner

Episode SummaryEpisode 141 marks the beginning of a new chapter for The Documentary Life — not as a relaunch or reboot, but as a recommitment to the questions that matter most. After a five-year hiatu...

8 Heinä 53min

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Can you believe that it was over four years ago that we first began producing episodes of The Documentary Life?? Well, neither can we. But as they say, all good things must come to an end!It has been ...

2 Loka 202030min

Winning an Oscar for Your Documentary Film

Imagine stepping up to the podium to accept your award for Best Documentary Feature for the film that you have put your heart, soul, blood sweat tears into. What would you say? Who would thank? Where ...

18 Syys 202051min