Meet Gian Magana

We recently connected with Gian Magana and have shared our conversation below.

Gian, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My photography journey has been shaped by experiences outside of formal education and photography classes. None of my teachers provided the right recommendations aligning with my creative discipline and approach. My work has been influenced by photographers like Mary Ellen Mark, Garry Winogrand, and Bruce Gilden, whose subjects often included individuals with disabilities, mental health issues, and those experiencing homelessness. My body of work is never intended to gain profit or money from photographing these communities.

I am also drawn Manny Crisostomo’s project “A Class Act, the Life and Times of Southwestern High School” while working for Detroit Free Press. For 12 weeks, photographing the teens of colour in 1987-88 in former Southwestern High School and some life pieces in Detroit metropolitan. Grants and awards like the Pulitzer Prize and Guggenheim Fellowship have also elevated my passion.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Gian Magana is a freelance photographer and independent photojournalist based in Seattle. He resides outside of King County. A self-taught and driven photographer despite his autism. Gian often goes against the status quo and prefers to make photographs with his heart with self-discovery and photojournalism. Separating charity works and donations aside while working on the streets of public areas. I dedicated my craft and identity to my old friend, Alexandra; from high school before moving to the Pacific Northwest in December 2022.

In the quaint town of Port Orchard, Kitsap County – Gian does not offer photography services locally. And has a lifelong work-in-progress portfolio on Instagram, Threads, and Flickr.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Gian Magana is a self-driven, independent, and passionate artist with his medium of a variety of cameras. He has utilized film, mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. Street photography can be argumentatively one of the hardest art forms using a camera. But I find it quite easy to photograph and improvise, just takes a while to land a “great” image. It’s applying an array of skills of social awareness, timing, reading the room, storytelling, and composure. Virtually none of the skills used are exclusively from the camera itself. Despite struggling with some of these skills – I still feel confident with street photography, and remaining thick skin. Out of thousands of images taken, he was still able to land one great image photographed per year.

Photography is a self-taught work of art. Courses in college and university may give a stronger spine for creative journalism and storytelling.

My advice for anyone people who is early in their journey is: stop chasing for money and fame. Having an expensive camera will not leave good relationships with people around you. Respect does. I am holding my belief that: less is more. And it can be a healing journey being surrounded by the right number of people in the room, who can have their ears towards you.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

My key struggle in life is that I tend to underestimate and put myself down. Comparing myself with other irrelevant people who think they are more “perfect” or “prettier” than my own being. When I see an airbrushed body of a bikini model, I feel insecure about my physical appearance and mental state. I honestly envy influencer “hotties” for their attractive and perfect appearance. Also, them being able to travel. That’s not only in my photography but in love relationships and general life.

However, hotties and Influencer Culture are far more irrelevant to my photojournalism work. My approach is the opposite of influencer culture and Sabrina Carpenter. Even Mary Ellen Mark has said in an interview that she would like to better work with people on the fringes of society than with celebrities for a magazine. Comparing myself with attractive women carries a self-explanatory distraction. I am working on buying fidget toys and wearing active noise headphones while listening to new wave and 90’s music to make myself more focused.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All images were photographed by Gian Magana

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,