Lone Ranger Fitzsimons Gets the Shots

By Martin Hintz

Award-winning photographer Brenda Fitzsimons describes herself as a "Lone Ranger," when it comes to getting that perfect shot. She's patient, staying out of the way when other photographers stampede forward. But then there is always an opening, just the right moment for a photo. Click.

Subsequently, more often than not, Fitzsimons has had the subject in her camera sights and..bang... the resulting photo usually warrants a prime position in The Irish Times.

Fitzsimons, the first woman photographer to work at Dublin's redoubtable Times, is also the photographer of the year in the Vodafone Irish Press Photographers Awards 2002. In addition, she is president of the photographers association, made up of the top shooters on the island. 

The Galway native has been in love with photography since she was 15 and walked around her hometown with a camera and no film. "Couldn't afford the film then," she recalled. A youthful trip to Paris, a city replete with imagery, convinced her that photography would be her calling. Self-taught, she eventually anded a job at the Galway Advertiser at age 19 back in 1982. "They took a chance on me," she said.

First Assignment
Her first assignment was to go the Galway harbor and take photos of Spanish fishing boats brought in because they were illegally in Irish waters. "I had no clue what to do. I was nervous. So I waited around for a bit and then took some photos of people talking in front of the seized boats," Fitzsimons said. When she returned with the film, the photo editor was ecstatic. She had captured Special Branch police and an Irish legal team in action, which lent the necessary news element to the picture, making the photo more interesting.

"I scored well right off," Fitzsimons said, in her typical self-depreciating manner. She admitted she was always still nervous before going out on an shoot. "If you lose the butterflies, you've lost your edge," she asserted.

Fitzsimons sees creativity in her journalist photography. "You need to take in the scene, see it all. To put it together in one shot. And I always like to put in a twist. I guess that's my style," she explained. Other photographers who see her work comment on this "second sight" that Fitzsimons regularly demonstrates often in a humorous or whimsical mode. Her take on the pictures is seen when they are all lined up. "It's like I have a bar code on my arse," she laughed.

"If I capture that moment I read it for what it was. I'm happy then. And the picture is not forced on you as viewer. To me, it's a very natural process," Fitzsimons said of her work. "I want to draw people to the photo. They then will then be drawn into it. No matter what I shot I want them to stay and look," she said.

"Then I've achieved my purpose," Fitzsimons enthused.

However, one of her works was removed from a traveling exhibit of the Vodafone winners at this year's Milwaukee Irish Fest because it was considered "inappropriate" by festival managers. Her shot of two boys at a prolife rally, holding a placard allegedly depicting an aborted fetus, was removed from the display at the festival without her advance knowledge.

"I was partly not surprised," said Fitzsimons. "I do get a very conservative feeling from Milwaukee. But I've never been anywhere else that a photo has been taken out of the exhibition," she said. The award-winning Vodafone photos toured Ireland without any previous complaints or problems," she indicated.

Photo Questioned
The photo in question, which was never printed in the newspaper, was part of her prize-winning portfolio. "I was assigned to photograph the other side of demonstration, so this particular picture wasn't considered," Fitzsimons said. "But I felt it was a telling shot, now matter how anyone feels about the issue of abortion and adults using children to further their mission."

Fitzsimons came up with an innovative compromise when learning that her photo was removed. "I proposed we put a piece of paper over it that said, 'look at your own peril." The festival's management did not take her up on the offer and still refused to allow the shot to be displayed, pointing out that the 21-year-old event — the largest Irish festival of its kind in the world — had always had the right to review exhibits.

Two other photos in the show were also considered to be too graphic for the event's 130,000-plus visitors who attended this year. But those news shots were allowed to remain in the display after other festival staffers argued that for their retention. One depicted a child on her way to Holy Cross School in Belfast during a loyalist demonstration. The other depicted a policeman injured in a riot.

Landing a job on The Irish Times is one of the most sought after positions in the Irish photographer's world. "It's the creme de la creme," agreed Fitzsimons. "The Times editors are very trusting of your work. They give you all the responsibility and never ask if you 'have more' photos from an assignment," she explained. "This can be daunting. You learn don't need to overshoot a job."

After the Advertiser stint, she worked for several years at a Dublin tabloid and spent eight years at the late, lamented Irish Press. Her work caught the eye of Dermot O'Shea, the now-retired photo editor at The Irish Times. He asked her to do some photography for the paper, the largest in Ireland. "I had applied several times there, but there were next to no women on any national newspaper in the country then," Fitzsimons said.

Started Freelancing
She then freelanced for several newspapers, which was unheard of during those days. "I wanted to get my foot in the door and I expect it was sort of a trial, as well, to see what I could do," Fitzsimons said.

Subsequently, she eventually landed an interview. "I wasn't expecting that. I was really excited and thrilled when I eventually got the job back in March, 2001. I was in shock. That's when the butterflies really started. 'I'm here...at The Times,' I said to myself," Fitzsimons remembered. "But you don't get complacent," she said, recalling the swift demise of The Irish Press.

Where she is now, Fitzsimons gets from one to four assignments a day, often learning the day before what her tasks will be. "It may be a crazy day or you may have more time to get the pictures," she said of a typical work period. She's often tossed into a sticky situation, but avoids confrontation with her subjects. "In fact, at The Irish Times, unlike the tabloids, if you aren't wanted on a scene, you leave," she said. "I can see their point of view," Fitzsimons said of some subjects who don't want photos taken.

When she was interviewed for her current position, Fitzsimons was asked how she would handle such predicaments, indicating that she preferred a low-key approach to photography. "They smiled when they heard that," she said. 

"I consider myself 'quiet,'" she said of her mode of photography. "They (the subjects) don't need to hear or see me. I like my long lens. If you get too close as a photographer, that can change the circumstances of what is happening. I start long and then move in. I take what's there. At least I'll have a picture."

The press photographers association has about 250 members, with more than 180 portfolios submitted for the 2001 awards which were presented in February. Winners are not notified in advance. "Nope, there's not even a phone call. They're led up the garden path. Which makes it very special when the award is announced at our annual dinner," Fitzsimons said. Her term as president expires in 2003.

"I was president this year and my committee even hid my award from me. I had gone to meetings to see how things were going. They had already picked the winners," she laughed. "If I had known in advance, I would have called from Mexico and said I was dead."

Helped with Presentations
During the ceremony, Fitzsimons was on stage helping with the presentations. She won first in individual study, a portrait artist Camile Souter in her home, which made her portfolio eligible for the photographer of the year award. The competitors who had such individual wins were then blindfolded as the top portfolio was shown. "I was confused when everyone started applauding, I thought I was supposed to be called to present the award. It was a total surprise," she added. 

After the ceremony, Fitzsimons was rushed by stretch limo to the Pat Kenny television show for an interview. "From the back seat of the car, I rang my mother and told her. Everyone tuned in and she was answering the phone for four days. They showed my photos and it was great fun. It was then that it really sunk in that I had won. My knees started to buckle. I don't like to be out in front like that," she said.

Her co-workers and editors at the paper were "delighted and proud" at the award, Fitzsimons said. There wasn't any large party, but she did get a personal note of congratulations from the executive editor, she said. Fitzsimons smiled when she said that her hiring, the election as photographer association president and being named as photographer of the year seemed to happen so fast, being at The Irish Times for only about a year. But actually it was her 20 years in the business also being recognized..

"Dermot O'Shea was so happy for me," she said of her mentor. "I was so emotional when I got The Times job. I said, 'I won't disappoint you.' And he replied, 'I know you won't.' He was there the night of the award and puffed out his chest," Fitzsimons said.

She also praised Colman Doyle, another mentor at the old Irish Press, who also won an award. Now in his 70s, Doyle remains an active photographer. Fitzsimons proudly bestowed him with his prize, which was accompanied by a standing ovation.

"There's always room for a press photographer," Fitzsimons said of her profession. Yet she did have some critical comments about the point-and-shot photographers who only know how to use digital cameras and for publications that don't care what they get and use. "There's the art involved, in knowing how to handle people and manipulate them into a photograph. A lot of young photographers don't fully understand what they do. They only want to go for the pop stars and famous people."

Concerns Voiced
"Of course, I am concerned about this, " Fitzsimons said. "They can be demeaning the art of press photography But the real pictures will show at the end of the day." She was also worried about the competition in the market, with freelancers earning less and less for their efforts We're still considered second-class citizens, only 'snappers.'

In spite of these challenges, Fitzsimons loves doing her job. The youngest of seven children, she makes her home in a rural part of Co. Kildare, about an hour from work with all the Dublin traffic. She lives with her cat Anouk, a slightly-handicapped critter "that steals everyone's heart."

Brenda Fitzsimons' Winning Portfolio