Zbigniew Bzdak is a staff photographer for the Chicago Tribune and a contributor to The National Geographic, The Reader’s Digest, The Earth Magazine, and Outside. He has collaborated with the best press photographers of the U.S. His work has been featured in exhibitions and published in book format. As a member of the team of explorers who discovered the Colca canyon, he canoed the Amazon River from source to sea. In his private life, he is very modest and outgoing, entirely devoted to his work. Zbigniew Bzdak discusses his life and experience as a photojournalist in an interview with Agnieszka Flakus.

Agnieszka Flakus: You live out of a suitcase. Is there anything absolutely indispensable you always keep at hand?

Zbigniew Bzdak: Well… I always have my cameras and my work equipment with me. That is pretty much all I need in my luggage. In my line of work, I have to be ready at all times. You can rarely tell where you’re going to end up the next day.

- Such a lifestyle must be very stressful…

Z.B.: It used to be hard: leaving home not knowing where I’d end up. By now, it has become a part of life, I have grown accustomed to it. Although, I admit, it is difficult to develop relationships with people.

- Your collections include some amazing photographs: expeditions to the Amazon, the coverage of social issues, shot in black and white. I have once read that the gray in those images is almost cruel. Which type of photography better reflects your true self?

Z.B.: I started out my career by exploring South American rivers. I shot many beautiful images during that period and often return to them with pleasure. Now, however, I am mainly a journalist, a photo reporter. Since 1987, I have worked for U.S. dailies, chronicling events, public issues, interesting cases… I shoot mostly in color. There was a time, though, when I used black and white film. I have a great appreciation for black-and-white photography because it focuses on the moment and the mood, and not on color. This completely changes the way an image affects people. I do occasionally return to black-and-white photography as not every newspaper section comes out in color.

- Your work allows you to manipulate the viewer to some extent with image content. How important is honesty in your photographs?

Z.B.: I find honesty fundamental. Newspapers, in fact, particularly the Tribune, are very strict about it. The journalist must not only present the actual print but also account for the circumstances in which the photo was taken and how they gained access to things. Honesty and credibility are of utmost importance in my work.

- Has disgust, pain or any such feeling ever kept you from completing an assignment? 

Z.B.: I have been in a range of circumstances, some of them very tragic. Many of the people I photograph simply need someone to talk to, to tell their story to, and the journalist often happens to be the first listener they get. I always feel moved to compassion when faced with such situations.

- To what extent do these experiences affect your work?

Z.B.: I may, of course, not be able to sleep at night. At times, I find myself unable to help people, even if I want to. For instance, I couldn’t lend my cell phone to a thousand people in New Orleans who needed to make a call.

And yet, events must be recorded. I am continuously aware of the impact our work has on society; nevertheless, personal experiences do play a great role. When traveling to different places, I meet people and form attachments, and that matters, too.

Not all material gets published. When something does appear in a paper, it’s critical because the story reaches thousands. I was once reporting on an organization that brought doctors down to Guatemala – they worked around the clock. After my story got published, the organization doubled its budget; many people got interested and wanted to help. This was a wonderful experience.

- Do you ever think: “What am I doing here? Why didn’t I stay home?”

Z.B.: Not really. When I am in the midst of things, I focus on taking the best shots and sending them back on time. There is little room for deep thoughts.

- When you record events, say in Bagdad, Iraq or New Orleans, do you chose safety over a great shot?

Z.B.: I have made that choice a long time ago. Of course, you instinctively fall to the ground when being shot at but your photographs must portray the events, render the atmosphere. In such moments, I realize I could always leave and go home but for the people I photograph, this is home, and the tragedies unfold right in their backyards and living rooms. That puts things in a different perspective.

- When did you first take an interest in photography — after all, you majored in nuclear physics?

Z.B.: Years ago my friends and I started a photo club at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow. We had a gallery in the student club “Pod Jaszczurami.” I am planning to put a book together about those years with my college friend, Staszek Kula-wiak from Ostrzeszów, with whom I still keep in touch.

Afterwards, I worked as an intern at the magazine Razem. I was even awarded a “Red Rose” as the best student reporter. And thus my passion came to life. Except that in those days, I was not paid.

Z.B.: Even before the Amazon, I went on several expeditions to America and settled down in Wyoming.

- Since we are on the topic, what brought you to Chicago?

Z.B.: I have traveled a long road before I got to Chicago. The story begins in Peru, during our kayaking expedition. We came to the United States after December 13, 1981 and wound up in Wyoming. We had friends there who invited us, helped deal with the paperwork, etc. One of our college friends also lived here. This is how I started reporting from Wyoming. First, I worked for the television, then as a photographer, for the largest state newspaper, the Casper Star-Tribune. I soon met journalist Susan Anderson, and in time our collaboration culminated with the book Living in Wyoming.

I then went on to work for the Times in Indiana. And, finally, came to Chicago to take a job. It turned out that the same editor with whom I worked on Living in Wyoming was about to publish a guide to Chicago. We started working together and he commissioned me to do the photographic documentation for the guide. This helped me to get to know Chicago pretty quickly.

- Have you ever thought of going back to Poland?

Z.B.: I was not permitted to go back for a decade and then stopped thinking about it. I worked for the Polish edition of The National Geographic and for other publications. My whole family is in Poland but I never thought of moving back. I have grown accustomed to living here.

- You have taught at Columbia College. What did you tell your students when asked what makes a good photographer?

Z.B.: Teaching is more than philosophy or theory; it’s about taking pictures, constructive criticism, conversation and imparting principles that guide us in our work. A good photographer must have credibility and, even more importantly, imagination. In photography, two worlds intersect: the world we document and an appropriate presentation of the subject. In photojournalism, we don’t control reality; it’s the reality that controls us. I think one must be open to whatever happens and accept the people we portray. One must have patience, be a good listener, and feel compassion for people: none of these things can be faked.

- You were the only Pole to participate in the project City 2000. Throughout an entire year, from the midnight of January 1 to the midnight of December 31, 2000, eight journalists set out to photograph different aspects of Chicago life. Could you tell us more about the project?

Z.B.: It was the Millennium project, conceived and financed by Gary Comer, and organized and managed by Rich Cahan. In the year 2000, the two brought together a group of people tasked with recording the city life. Eight photographers left their jobs that year to devote themselves exclusively to the project. We collaborated with a group of 200. We documented everything that went on between midnight on the New Year’s Eve until midnight at the end of the following year. We shot nearly half a million photos which have been placed in the archives at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and are soon to be posted on the Internet. A few weeks ago, a book entitled City 2000 came out with a selection of 200 images.

- I understand you have been assigned to documenting religious life…

Z.B.: Yes, this was my interest. I have also photographed other things such as “mall churches,” Baptist, for instance. Before that, I photographed pilgrimages of all sorts. I developed an interest in various faiths of Chicago immigrants and now had the opportunity to explore them. We had a relaxed budget and all my energy was channeled into the project.

I documented practically all religious communities and immigrant populations that live in Chicago. The assignment has taught me a great deal about there being a variety of religions, with each national group having a religion as well as a language of their own; I learned about special meetings they hold to share meals that are typical of their countries of origin. And no matter whom you talk to, whether they are Muslim, Catholic or Buddhist, everyone is interested in the same thing. This proved to be a real eye-opener.

- How long did you shoot in a given community?

Z.B.: That depended on my contacts. I worked alone on every assignment and did all of my own research. I spent a lot of time traveling around, explaining to people what kind of a project I was on and what we wanted to portray, so they wouldn’t think they’re being duped or that the project is illegitimate. Once they accepted me, they would open up. The hardest thing was finding the people, their meeting places, and convincing them to be photographed.

- Has religion acquired a special meaning in your life as a result of this project?

Z.B.: Yes, although it’s always been important. The project helped me get to know many people, learn about what sets them apart and, above all, what they have in common. No matter what religion they practice, how they pray or express their faith, all people are nearly identical. This was a fascinating experience.

Z.B.: During my senior year at university, a group of people from the AGH canoe club “Bystrze” organized a trip to Argentina. To make a long story short, we stopped over in Mexico and then continued on to Argentina, crossing the entire South America. For me, this was a breakthrough experience. I went along as the expedition’s photographer which got me hooked on canoeing. The trip resulted in a few books and numerous magazine articles, including one in The National Geographic, which gave me a reason to continue traveling. I have been in certain tight spots during my explorations. My friends and I felt compelled to conquer rivers, discover new places, accomplish great things, like exploring the Colca Canyon, canoeing down the Amazon, I did this together with Piotr Chmieliński and Joe Kane.

- And this is how you made the Guinness Book of Records…

Z.B.: Yes, but these events had a personal significance and now, on the 25th anniversary of the canyon’s discovery, they have acquired an even greater importance.

The whole crew got together in June and spent the whole week on location. We descended into the canyon where our adventure had started. It was a very curious meeting as each of us had gone their own separate ways and now got reunited after all those years to reminisce, get to know each other better, and simply have a good time.

In fact, we never left the canyon. Colca has always been with us in the things we have done. Even as we speak, Andrzej Piętkowski, who has come to settle down in Chicago, is back in the area measuring adjacent canyons in Peru.

- Are you planning any expeditions together?

Z.B.: These things usually happen spontaneously. We have been planning to make a film on the discovery of Colca, but never got around to doing it.

- Let’s flash back for a moment to the events of 1981 in Poland. You were in Peru at that time and publicly protested against the martial law. You were one of the founders of the Committee in Support of Solidarity in Peru. What kind of organization was it?

Z.B.: Our activities covered the whole South America. How was the Committee formed? We had return tickets to Poland for December 21, 1981. As it turned out, because of the martial law, we could not re-enter the country. Thanks to the Colca discovery, we became somewhat of a celebrity and were invited to the morning program Buenos Dias Peru. We were young, spoke our minds freely and hardly noticed how we burnt bridges behind us. The Committee was created spontaneously. We soon attracted the interest of such figures as Mario Vargas Llosa, our speechwriter, and Ferdynand Szyszlo, a well-known Peruvian painter of Polish descent. Our work included a symbolic fundraiser - the money was transferred with the help of the church. We had no experience in these matters but the events in Poland were simply unacceptable – we felt compelled to respond …

- Your achievements include a kayaking expedition down the Amazon, from source to sea. How did traveling on the Amazon change your life?

Z.B.: These six months became a defining moment in my life. When on the Amazon, the only thing you think about is how you’ll survive the next day. These were some breakthrough moments, they got well documented. Joe Kane wrote a book, Running the Amazonia, which became a bestseller. It is thanks to the book that that period sticks in my memory. I still keep in touch with Joe, we go kayaking together. I occasionally see the events through his eyes. When my memories begin to fade, I reach back for the book which, by the way, was published in Poland only three years ago, by Pascal.

The Amazon was critical for me, for what I was doing, and I could never repeat it.

- How do your travels influence your photographic sensibility? Would you improve on your old photos?

Z.B.: It’s not just travels that shape my perception of reality. This perception is being constantly changed, perfected. The most important pictures are those I am still to take, not those already taken. I also learn interesting things here in Chicago. My profession involves constant learning, new situations, issues, problems…

- What are you working on now?

Z.B.: Mainly on my Chicago Tribune assignments. I have this idea to do a book on Canoandes 1979. I also went over photos from 1975 that I plan to publish as a book, with Staszek Kulawiak. I have a few other projects in the pipeline without any fixed deadlines but there’s enough material…

- Zbyszek, with all your contacts around the world, what is the importance for you of being Polish, what do you make of your Polishness?

Z.B.: I don’t dwell on it, I just am Polish. My whole family is back there and I visit them once in a while. I probably would not know how to live in Poland because I have never had that experience in my adult life. Once, in my travels, as I was passing through Turkey or Iraq, someone told me I belonged to the Lechitian tribe. Only then did I remember the legend of Lech, Czech and Rus. National identity is very important to people around the world; the way they see it, certain things can’t be erased and it’s not even worth trying to. That identity is also important to me. The U.S., South America or Poland are only states and contractual locations, the person you are is something that remains with you always.

- Zbigniew Bzdak calls himself…

Z.B.: … a photographer, a photojournalist. This is not just a profession; it’s an adventure, and above all, a school: a school of people and history, a school of life and of new knowledge that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s a constant discovery of people and the world.

- Thank you for the interview.