Don’t be scared to break rules: Andrew Renneisen

We have asked a selection of Ian Parry alumni to reflect on what it meant to them to win the Ian Parry Scholarship. This week 2016 Award for Achievement winner Andrew Renneisen shares how the Scholarship opened doors for him across the globe.

IPS: With which work did you win the Ian Parry Scholarship?

AR: The work that won last year was a five-year-long project of mine called ‘An American Dilemma, Revisted’. It is a documentation on inequality as it relates to violence throughout the United States. I’m so grateful to the Ian Parry Scholarship for creating a platform for this project.

© Andrew Renneisen

IPS: How did winning affect your professional career?

AR: Winning opened a lot of doors and connections for me. I was able to meet a lot of editors in London and there was a lot of press about the Scholarship which was really amazing. It was also incredible to meet [Ian Parry Patron] Sir Don McCullin C.B.E., who I’ve always looked up to.

IPS: What are you working on right now?

AR: I’m currently based in East Africa working on stories that try to create a deeper understanding of conflict. I’ve been particularly interested in Somalia, as the country continues to try to build a democracy in the face of a lot of issues. I also want to go back and continue to photograph ‘An American Dilemma’. Sadly, I don’t think things will change anytime soon.

© Andrew Renneisen

PS: What advice do you have for young photographers who enter this year?

AR: Don’t get discouraged by what people say on the state of the industry; people have been saying that forever. Find something you are very passionate about and photograph it as much as possible and don’t be scared to break rules. Focus on making bodies of work and grow with the experience it gives you.

To see more work by Andrew Renneisen, please click here.