‘Cash Buck’

It was perhaps not surprising that the large man - who looked not dissimilar to Mike Tyson, tribal face markings and all - was bemused by the prospect of being lectured to by a boy from Adelaide, Australia. After all, what could an outsider know of the trials of working in a country where photographers are looked upon with outright suspicion? Where if you choose that line of work, you’re guaranteed to be beaten at least once in your career?

When it came time for Jimmy Johns to introduce himself, he sat slumped in his chair, head resting on his hand, and waved the question on to the next person.

“I thought perhaps he was shy, so I encouraged him,” said Cash. “But then, instead of telling us about himself, he started with a tirade on the inequities within the press, the lack of support from editors to publish their shots, and what do I intend to do about this? It started a lively debate on the censoring of information in a country with predominately government owned media, and Jimmy John’s frustration was both at the media and the insult of having this foreign little boy teaching him”.

While conducting photographic workshops in developing countries often results in confronting situations, and throws up the odd cultural challenge, it’s only so long that Cash can be back in Australia before getting itchy feet. To date he’s travelled to Nigeria, Indonesia, East Timor and most recently, Palestine.

“Commercial photography work fulfils me only so much,” he says. “Personally, I need something with a little more purpose. It’s a Catch 22 however, as a majority of my trips are fully self funded. What I earn with my commercial ventures enables me to work in developing countries, teaching photography and shooting freelance.”

While initially studying to be a graphic designer, Cash abandoned these plans after getting his first taste of photography. “The moment I saw that image slowly appear on the paper in the developing tray, I was hooked,” he laughs. “My interest in graphic design wanned and I left uni at the end of second year to become a photographic assistant.”

Cash’s photographs are achingly beautiful, and reflect the respect and fascination he holds for his subjects, not to mention a deeper purpose. “I guess with both my art photography and photojournalism, I am aiming to inspire people,” he says. “Whether for change or just through showing the hidden beauty in things.”

“With people, [I look] for an expression, a gesture, something that tells a story – with objects and environments, the unnoticed.”

He thrives on his ability to pass on this knowledge to others through workshops he conducts in countries many others wouldn’t dare to visit. The impact of learning the ability to communicate through and artistic medium is something he relishes witnessing in the people he teaches.

Cash’s most recent endeavour, volunteering with an organisation called the Freedom Theatre in Palestine, is a case in point. There the children forced into the Jenin refugee camp by the Israeli – Palestine conflict are taught acting, painting, creative writing and photography.

With movement being heavily restricted due to curfews and checkpoints, and ongoing conflict causing increased school drop out rates, the children of Jenin have much to feel frustrated about. Those at the Freedom Theatre are attempting to teach ways to channel their passions down a less destructive avenue.

“Creativity is a great medium for kids to express themselves, especially in a situation like this where most of the kids would have seen and felt a lot of suffering and loss,” Cash explains. In a clip contained on the Theatre’s website, some of the child participants can be seen explaining what it means to them to be involved in such a project. One teenage boy declares that being on the stage makes him feel powerful, akin to ‘throwing a Molotov cocktail’.

Cash says that while it’s a statement that many of us simply can’t understand, “it is a reality for these kids born into the oppression they are.”

“I’m teaching photography to a group of 20 kids aged 13 and 17 – I’m hoping I can inspire them to use the camera as their weapon for change, instead of violence,” he says. “It’s idealistic, I know, but I do believe photography is a strong tool for social reform. It gives power to the powerless and knowledge to the ignorant.”

While at first glance it may seem airy-fairy to be instructing people in what is commonly seen as an art form when their daily lives are often a struggle for survival, photography’s societal role is much greater than simple aesthetic pleasure.

Given the low literacy levels in most developing countries and the fact that it is rare for universities in developing countries to instruct their journalists in photography, there’s a real need for images within the press that are strong in their story telling ability, according to Cash.