KINDRED GUARDIANS EXHIBITION LEICA SINGAPORE
5 Jul 2024 - 22 Aug 2024 | Justin Mott
Location - Leica Store Singapore Raffles Hotel
328 North Bridge Road, L1-20/21
188719
Kindred Guardians is an ongoing, self-funded personal project centered on documenting individuals worldwide who dedicate their lives to aiding animals in need. Each chapter explores a distinct issue and highlights the profound bonds between humans and animals. The project aims to raise awareness of global wildlife issues and to honor and showcase the dedicated individuals who advocate for animal welfare as their life's mission.
Images from this project have been featured in National Geographic, The Washington Post, SLATE, Greenpeace, CNN, and Leica’s global Witness Campaign.
About the Photographer
Justin Mott is an internationally acclaimed photographer and storyteller, specializing in documentary photography with a focus on conservation and humanitarian projects. Based in Vietnam, Justin’s work has been featured in leading publications and exhibited worldwide.
As a Leica photographer, Justin combines his passion for storytelling with the technical precision of Leica cameras to create visuals that inspire action and evoke emotion.
Why Leica?
Leica has long been a symbol of excellence in photography, renowned for its ability to capture life’s most intimate moments. For the Kindred Guardians project, the reliability and exceptional image quality of Leica cameras were indispensable. The lenses’ ability to render subtle emotions and dynamic action scenes made it the perfect partner for this project.
Leica Interview with Justin Mott
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How did you come up with the idea for Kindred Guardians and how did it develop over time?
In my early days of living in Vietnam, I photographed a slaughterhouse for pigs, and the sounds and sights are still emblazoned in my mind. I can hear their squeals and see their sad and desperate faces as they were brutally sent to their ultimate death. I can remember feeling so helpless and just so many emotions going on inside me, like hatred for mankind. I remember how miserable the experience made me feel long after that day, and how it lived in my dreams for years to come. After that experience, I hid from any forms of animal cruelty. Sure, I did the occasional animal story, such as a rhino horn story for TIME Magazine and a story about pangolin poaching for CNN, but I turned down a story about dog meat because I didn’t think I could stomach seeing them executed. I’m not proud of that, but it happened, and I regret not covering it.
When I turned 40 last year I knew something was missing from my life. I knew I had to get back to doing stories that mattered to me, and I was slowly starting to open myself up emotionally to learning about animal cruelty and to doing my part. I had an idea for a larger book project about the bond between humans helping animals in need. I had heard about the last two remaining northern white rhinos, so I did a little bit of research, secured access, and booked my tickets to Kenya to start this project. Kindred Guardians was born.
You are shooting your project with a Leica M10-D – could you tell us, why?
I started my career by moving to Vietnam with one camera and one lens, and shooting personal projects that interested me. Over time, these projects grew into editorial assignments and commercial work, and eventually into owning a full production company. With that growth, the gear multiplied as my time for personal work diminished. I found myself just turning 40 and I’d gone over a decade without shooting anything personal. A huge part of me was missing. I craved a legacy project that would define who I am as a photographer, while being a project with meaning.
I missed those early days of my career, being on the road with minimal equipment, exploring and capturing stories with purpose. At the same time that I decided to embark upon this project, I learned about the Leica M10-D. It sounds odd at first, but I loved the idea of not just having a small camera and one lens, 35mm 1.4 Summilux, but also of having a camera without a screen. I come from a hybrid background in photography, I didn’t start in digital, but I also didn’t start purely in film. At school, I used a film camera and had my negatives processed by a machine, not in the darkroom, and then I edited the photos in Lightroom. This camera brought me back to those University days; but it wasn’t just nostalgia that drew me to this camera.
I realized that travelling light made me move more and see more. I was more present and overall that made me more focused and a better storyteller.
Read the full interview here.
