In this episode, we sit down with Irish photographer Seamus Murphy, based in London for four decades, for a conversation about a documentary practice built on time, presence, and the refusal of easy labels. Murphy reflects on leaving Ireland at 19, teaching himself photography in San Francisco, and beginning his career as a photojournalist in London before his first trip to Afghanistan in 1994 changed the direction of his life and work. Since then, Murphy has returned to Afghanistan repeatedly, documenting the country across the Taliban, 9/11, the American occupation, the 2021 withdrawal, and the displacement of survivors now living in Germany and Turkey. The conversation moves through war photography, long-term documentary projects, visual freedom, personal work, and the tension between information, emotion, and form. We also discuss his collaborations with PJ Harvey, including The Hollow of the Hand and related film work, and his belief that documentary photography should remain questioning, uncomfortable, and alive.
ABOUT EYESHOT 50MM
An Eyeshot conversation series
Eyeshot 50mm is a long-form conversation series with photographers working across street and documentary photography. Each episode is recorded in dialogue with a guest, expanding on the questions that move their practice. The series is part of the editorial work of the Eyeshot team in Italy.
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Eyeshot 50mm #63 | Bill Shapiro: On the Other Side of the Submission
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Eyeshot 50mm #62 | Ian Teh: Photographing the Price of Chinaโs Progress
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Eyeshot 50mm #60 | Ximena Echagรผe: The Decisive Moment Is a Clichรฉ
Belgian-Argentinian photographer Ximena Echagรผe on coming to photography through sculpture and dance, why the decisive moment has become a clichรฉ, and the single idea behind her new Eyeshot limited edition, Adjacencies: proximity without fusion.