His name is synonymous with photography in Malta. He has toured the world, worked in conlict zones like Libya and Gaza and snapped some of the biggest Hollywood and music celebrities. Now he is launching his autobiography, the first ever coming from a Maltese photographer. Neil Camilleri speaks to Rene Rossisgnaud. 

When did you realise that photography was something you are good at and that you wanted to do as a job?

My passion for photography started way back in the early 90s, when I was just another kid hooked on the BMX craze. I was an addict, ignoring accidents and broken bones, riding on adrenalin, and always trying to jump higher and risk more than the next kid. The only solution to prove who had actually gone the highest was photography. That is how it all started. The simple measurement tactic soon turned into a passion and, at age sixteen, I enrolled into a photography course at the School of Arts and Crafts in Targa Gap. My father, who had encouraged me to join up, would tell me over and over again that I could never make a living out of photography, especially in Malta. He wanted me to focus on computer design. Being heard headed, I did not listen to him. He later realised how important this was to me and bought me my first professional SLR camera - a Minolta Dynax 300si. After buying a better camera some months later, I knew there was no going back.

 

What was the first published picture you took? 

I started being interested in lightning photography at age seventeen. Using a new camera, a Nikon F5, I took a picture of a lightning storm over my home town of Swieqi. The picture was published in the front cover of the The Malta Independent in 1997. Soon after, I landed a job as a press photographer with the same newspaper, where learned so much about journalism and photojournalism. I can still remember my first assignment there. It was a General Workers Union conference at the Dolmen in Bugibba. I was having pictures published every day - putting my name on the map.

You have been to many places around the world, including Libya during the revolution. What are your most memorable experiences?

I have travelled so much that I got the nickname 'Globe Trekker.' These where some amazing adventures; in Gaza where I was beaten and kept in a tunnel by Hamas, in Libya where I lived and moved around with the rebels at the start of the 2011 revolution, and later on in Syria I was shot at, fell off a mule and fractured 2 ribs. I was left there in the mountains alone for 8 hours until my driver came for me after I used my satellite phone. I was taken by ambulance. That was the most dangerous place I have ever visited.

(Madonna)

You are known for taking celebrity photos. What is that kind of work like?

Soon after I started working in the press I also made a name for myself as the local paparazzo. No celebrity came to Malta and left without having me chase him or her to get the picture I wanted. It started in 2002 when I was following Madonna around. She was filming Swept Around, which was directed by her then usband Guy Ritchie and ended up being a flop. She was filming on Comino and the whole area, including the sea, was declared off limits. I rented a jetski, drove to Comino and parked it in a cave. Then, wearing a dark wetsuit and with my equipment in a waterproof box, I dove into the sea and swam behind a rock near the set. It took me hours to get there. I was so close that, at one point, the crew heard my camera shutter click and searched the whole island trying to find me, but I managed to get out of there undetected. Later on she spotted me and threatened to kill me if I took pictures of her. The story did the rounds in the inernational media and many media houses were eager to use my photos.

By 2006 I was a freelance photographer and had many clients, including foreign ones like OK Magazine, The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, News of the World and Hello Magazine. Over the years I snapped many celebrities, including Diane Kruger, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchet, Bruce Willis and, of course, Brangelina - Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They are the hardest to photograph.

It's fun when you have to hide for hours or days just to get photos of a celebrity and rewarding to see your work in the best magazines around the world. I also worked many international red carpets around Europe, where I get to meet some of the world's top singers and artists. Red carpets are similar to paparazzi work with the difference that you have permission to photograph the celebrities.
 What kind of work do you like doing most?

I love working abroad covering red carpet events but I love being in war zones the most. When I am in a war zone I feel like I am at home. I covered the war in Gaza and the revolutions in Libya and Syria. I am often asked why I put myself in such situations and why I travel to these war zones around the world. I love the thrill of being there and, most of all, these are the best places on earth to capture such powerful images. Through my lens I see the suffering of people and the destruction and devastation that war leaves behind. I am proud to do this and to share these images around the world.

(Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie)

What was the longest time you spent on location to take a particular picture?

It was when I took the photograph of my famous Hilton lightning strike. I spent many years trying and hundreds of films going to the same location to get this image. I finally took that pictre in 2003 during a massive all-night storm. A lightning bolt hit the scyscraper at around 4am and I missed it. I was close to tears for having missed the opportunity but a second one presented itself barely 25 minutes later, and this time I did not miss. I screaming at the top of my voice with joy, even though I still had to get the film developed to see the end result. When I did, it was a dream come true. The picture was published in The Malta Independent and all local TV news reports displayed it. It has since then remained one of the most famous photos I took, giving me the name of Storm Chaser, which is still used today. 

You recently criticised a few local news websites for using your photos without permission. Does that happen often?

In Malta we have no idea what the term copyright means, media houses like the L-Orizzont , Bay Radio , Inews and PBS have stolen my images from international websites, cropped off my name or my agency's name and uploaded the images as if they were theirs, breaking all copyright laws . 

(Libya revolution)

It seems that nowadays everyone can, or thinks he can, be a photographer. How has this affected professionals like yourself?

Yes there are many photographers, but working a job in the morning and taking photos in the evening just by buying a camera does not make you a professional photographer . You need to study and learn photography and the art of it to be a photographer 

Do you consider photography as a form of art or just visual documentation?

For me photography is an art and a means of expression. It has given me the freedom to express myself. The anger or joy I have can be seen through my lens, and the mood I am in is reflected in my images. 

Does your work interfere with your personal life?

I don't have a personal life due to my work. My work is my life and this is all I do. It does not leave much time for other things.  

Why have you decided to write an autobiography?

I decided to do it because I feel that at my age I have already done and achieved so much  and this was the next step. I have dreamt of having my own book since when I started working as a photographer at the age of 17. However, I did not want to publish the usual photo book just like many photographers do. This will be the first biography of a Maltese photographer.
 

Will you still be a photographer 10, 20 years down the line or do you have different plans for the future?

Yes I will. This is my life and I am not changing anything. I get to travel around the globe and to work with the best media houses in the world. I am living my dream each and every day.  I live life with no regrets and often take risks as if that day was going to be my last. Life is too short to worry about risks - think big and achieve big.

 

Rene Rossignaud - The first 13 years is published by Kite Group and will be out on 4 December.