A book launch for British photographer Chris Stowers’ “Shoot, Ask ... and Run!” was held on Sunday night at Livraria Portuguesa (“Portuguese Bookshop”) at 16 Rua de São Domingos (板樟堂街), where attendees were able to get insights into its author, his new book and hear some of its excerpts.
Having had a career that spans nearly 40 years, Stowers, who was at the launch, was previously based in Hong Kong and shot photos for the now defunct English-language news magazine Asiaweek for 10 years. He joined Panos Pictures Photo Agency in 1992, having travelled to over 70 countries to date. His work has appeared in publications such as the South China Morning Post, Time, Newsweek, The Economist, Forbes, Businessweek, National Geographic Traveller, and The New York Times. He has photographed moments from war-torn Bosnia and the Indian Ocean Tsunami, along with various events, portraits, travel and lifestyle shots, to name a few.
Speaking to the Post prior to the start of the presentation, Stowers’ latest book, which was released in January, is the second in a series of travel memoirs that he is developing.
Remarking on its title, Stowers, who now lives in Taiwan, said that it was derived from advice he had received from a photojournalist he met in war-torn Peshawar, Pakistan in 1987, the first time he had ever been in a warzone.
“There were a lot of photographers hanging around and I was just a young kid with a camera” noted Stowers, adding that one of them liked his pictures and said that he had potential. But he was given the advice to shoot, ask, and run, wherein you shoot the picture before the person sees you, which can make for candid and authentic moments, asking them if they happen to notice you, and being prepared to run such as when the subject is armed and does not like having their picture taken. “So shoot, ask, run. And this is advice I carried on”.
He added that though he does not always follow this advice, it is usually good advice to take, even today.
The book, according to information provided by the “Portuguese Bookshop”, sees Stowers paint “a harsh, humorous and very human picture of media life in Asia - and beyond – during the boom years of the early 1990’s”.
However, Stowers pointed out that the book is not all about war photography, but also about the life of a young photographer in his twenties, his earlier adventures and some mistakes he made, adding: “It’s an education, how to become a photographer”. And through it, he hopes to attract a younger audience and perhaps think about becoming a photographer while also not thinking of it as a glamorous job. “It’s a bit dangerous, but it’s exciting and not for everybody.
A third book is in the works, Stowers said, in which he plans to tell more stories.
British photographer Chris Stowers delivers a presentation during the launch of his latest book “Shoot, Ask ... and Run!” at Livraria Portuguesa (“Portuguese Bookshop”) on Rua de S. Domingos. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
