Kevin German (b. 1979) studied photography and journalism at Washington State University. German worked for 4 years in newspapers from California to Florida.  In 2008, he left the staff of The Sacramento Bee and moved to Southeast Asia to focus on humanitarian documentaries. That same year, he co-founded the collective Luceo Images.  He is based out of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. View German’s website here.

This is the second segment in a series on international photography. To view the first profile on Michael Rubenstein, go here. To view the third profile on Dominic Nahr, go here.  To view the fourth profile on Andrew Henderson, go here. To view the fifth profile on M. Scott Brauer, go here.

Vietnamese soldiers burn incense to honor their relatives killed in the American-Vietnam War in Truong Son National Cemetery in Vietnam. More than 10,000 soldiers are buried there. (Kevin German)

VS: How did you come to be in Vietnam and why did you leave Sacramento?

German: “I visited Vietnam for the first time at the end of 2007.  In fact it was my first time out of the U.S.  I instantly fell in love with the adventure around every corner.  I even learned to drive a motorbike in Saigon, which is a healthy mix of epilepsy and cocaine. This was a very transitional time for me.  Heck, it still is.  But more so, this was the time that I really began realizing how personal photography was to me.

I grew up in newspapers.  I learned my photography in newspapers.  But with those lessons came rules and boundaries.  I had placed myself in this proverbial box dictated by the hierarchy of gatekeepers who think they know what the readership wants to consume.  The very same are now watching their newspapers fall apart because change was not on the menu.  But you couldn’t tell me this.  It was obvious, especially now when I look at my work.  So structured.  I hate it.  I have to fight against the structure still.  The cleanliness of the frame is like an infestation of termites.  You don’t always notice it until it is ruined.

Don’t get me wrong, Sacramento was a wonderful place.  I miss my coworkers dearly.  The camaraderie is some thing that’s hard to find as a freelancer based abroad. I just found it harder to be honest to myself, my work after this realization while working there.  So one day in March of 2008, I resigned from my staff position, sold everything I owned and moved to SE Asia to focus on projects about humanitarian and social issues.”

Ong Nuoi always wanted to help the Americans fight the Communists.  His slight mental illness caused the South Vietnamese army to decline his wish. When the North Vietnamese came into his hometown of Da Lat, he stood out in front of the house and wore his South Vietnamese uniform from training camp waiting for the Americans to show up. They never did. (Kevin German)

VS: If you could repeat this process/journey what would you differently?

German: “If I could do it again, then I would plan and save more.  I would have made more trips to NY to meet with editors.  The thought of going into an editor’s office in NYC used to scare the hell out of me.  But they are just regular people and this business is no different from selling Xerox paper to office buildings in Duluth, MN.  They all want a superior product for the best price.

It can be a dark world out there on your own.  I often slip into bouts of depression and self-loathing but you just need to keep shooting.  Embrace the good and the bad times and show that in your work.  But most of all, like any of us, I just want to be happy.  I want to make moving imagery.  I want to tell important stories.  And I want to fill that void that I feel like I’ve been searching for ever since I first picked up a camera.  No idea what it all means now, but I have faith that when it comes along, I will see it.”

A boy cools off in a polluted river outside of Ho Chi Minh City. (Kevin German)

VS: What advice do you have for students/young professionals that want to work abroad?

German: “You may think the idea is romantic as hell … and it is.  But there’s nothing lovely about staring at your bank account topping off at $8 and knowing your $500 in bills are due the next day.  My advice would be to plan and save.  I did not do enough of either of these.  If you really want to be smart about working abroad and you don’t really care where you end up, then I would choose a country that has the highest potential for assignments.  Vietnam definitely does not fit that model.  But that wasn’t my reason for moving there.  I would talk with editors and find out where their needs are.  Find out where the most current news is focused.  Business news is a big assignment horse.  Lots of magazines searching for portraits of CEO’s and what not.

I think a big misconception that people have before moving abroad to work is that they think the assignments will just come pouring in.  But if the editors don’t know where to find you, then what?  Thus begins the painful, relentless task of marketing yourself.  Consistency is key.  It will pay off eventually.  Your goal is for the editor to think of your name when they need a photo from your coverage region.  Assignments come across desks fast, so make your marketing stand out.

Go to the major magazine cities and meet with editors.  My collective, Luceo Images meets as a group and goes to NY at least once a year.  We make an additional trip to either LOOK3 or Perpignan every year as well.  Meeting these editors in person is a great way to get on the top of their memory.”

A family sits outside their home in a poor neighborhood covered by an Olympic propaganda wall in Beijing. Hundreds of walls were erected to cover slums and construction zones. (Kevin German)

VS: Can you talk about your business model and ties to the US and Luceo?

German: “I think an explanation of what is Luceo is best described on our new web site”:

Luceo Images is a photographic cooperative formed in 2007.  The six founding members came together during a time of industry transition that has impacted the way that imagery is created, distributed and consumed.  What unites Luceo is a common belief that, through these times of change, the still image continues to be relevant.  We believe that history is something that extends beyond the news-cycle and that ordinary people and personal struggle are avenues through which we can explore the bigger issues facing our world.

To this end, we understand photography to be a complex medium capable of delivering emotional layers that go beyond the factual record of people, places, events, and issues.  The photograph is as much an argument to the heart as it is to the mind and the process of creating images is to have one foot on each side of that gap  Our work shares a common respect for this balance.

Luceo believes that photographers need support.  Not just the financial support of clients, but professional support and feedback from other working photographers.  In pursuit of this higher goal, Luceo operates not only to promote our work for commercial sale, but also actively encourages the completion of significant projects for their own sake.

“This is the time of the independent journalist.  The technology has arrived that allows one person to do what once took an entire newsroom to complete.  We are heard.  But there are always strength in numbers.  I talked about the camaraderie that I missed, Luceo helps to fill this void on a personal level for me.  We push each other on a daily basis.  It is an amazing thing to see these emerging photographers come into their own.  I have no doubt in my mind that they will help to change the lives of the people they touch.

As a business model, it makes sense to brand and band together to help offset marketing prices.  We send out at least one email promo every month talking about new works from the group.  When ever any one photographer is traveling for a personal assignment or even just in NY to meet with editors, we send out another email blast that reaches out to more than 12,000 editors, creative directors, ad houses and art buyers all over the world.  We compliment that with a scheduled mailer featuring new works.  We even send out the occasional holiday basket with nothing but goodness from the Luceo crew.  Like I said, it just makes sense.

Here’s the best part … when one person in the group does well … we all look good.  It’s hard to continually keep ties to the right editors and buyers.  Especially when you are overseas.  I may be working on a project for several months at a time and don’t have any new work to show at the moment.  Well there are five other photographers that carry my name for me.  And then I pick up the slack at a later date when my documentary is finished.  My name is fresh in certain editors’ heads because of Luceo Images … period. “

Siblings pose for their parents in front of the ticketing perimeter of the Olympic Game Venues before opening ceremonies in Beijing, China. (Kevin German)