White Gold: An interview with Adrian Morris

White gold’ is a photo series by Adrian Morris that looks at the way a group of people from West Africa try to continue a traditional working practice under the pressure and transformation of the modern world around them.

‘Modernisation, population pressure and greed from larger companies and private owners have created a threat to their land as well as social and environmental issues. Salt has been a major item of trade especially for the people of West Africa for longer than history can recall and is the main source of income for many local tribes in the area.’

‘This series of photos is the result of my time spent in Songor Lagoon and is a look into the traditional and sustainable working methods of the local people and their way of life during a time of ongoing pressure from the modern world.’

AdrianMoriss.co

How did you come across this subject/story?

I spent some time travelling along the coast of Ghana last year and was documenting a story close by to the salt fields when I heard about the situation of the local workers at the Salt fields not far from where I was, I did not have a lot of time left but I spent 2 afternoons with the workers documenting and trying to learn and understand their situation.

Why did you decide to document it?

I decided to document it to bring awareness to some of the problems local communities like this one face around the world that are usually forgotten or unnoticed. I also think it was beautiful the way they have maintained their traditional methods of harvesting salt the same way their ancestors have done without the use of harmful machinery.

How do you find stories that are worth documenting, and what do you consider worthwhile?

I try to find subjects and things that i find interesting but also visually interesting for the types of photos i like to take. Everything is worth documenting I guess if you find something interesting in the subject.

I imagine meeting people in this kind of situation can be extremely interesting and inspiring.

With this work and others like it, does your interaction outside the camera with these people play a big part in the way you chose to shoot them?

Yes for sure this is the best part about taking photos in this way is that it is a great tool to learn about the world and the people around you and interact with people you might have never talked to before. I try to document and portray the situations and the people in them in the most pure and honest way I can so people can connect with the same feelings I had whilst shooting them.

What continues to motivate you to shoot this way?

The motivation to travel more, learn more and experience more things is always a great motivation to shoot these kind of photos because the only way you can take these sort of photos is to put yourself in situations that are foreign to what you know, and i think that is kind of addictive in a way to some people.

Any interesting projects on the horizon we should be looking out for?

Yes i am working on ideas for personal projects at the moment and I have a rough plan of some things I want to shoot but nothing 100% at the moment we will have to see!