Gabriele Stabile Makes a "Massive" Change
What have you been doing since graduating from the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism program?
I graduated in 2007 and, right away, went on to do my first assignments for The New York Times. I was lucky to meet a number of very cool and courageous editors who were willing to take a risk, hiring someone that had just come out of school. One of them was Nakyung Han, who at the time was the awesome, tough-as-nails assignment editor at the paper. There was also Phil Bicker at Fader, who basically mentored me during his tenure at the magazine, along with Whitney Johnson at The New Yorker, and Amy Koblenzer and the folks at Aperture. So I would say that in the past few years I have worked for many fine publications.
What impact has the experience of going through the ICP program had on you?
Massive. It changed my life. I had a career in the music business in Italy before arriving here, one of the most depressing environments you can be involved with. I had attended a very thought-provoking, but not very practical, master’s course in photojournalism in London. I was full of energy, but inexperienced and unaware. All I knew was that I wanted to shoot.
ICP provided a wonderful “gymnasium,” in the ancient Greek sense of the word. That is, an engaging environment where you can cultivate yourself through confrontation with other students, and a community of people willing to help you do that and to help you sustain your effort. And, of course, a strong faculty featuring heavyweight photographers like Alex Webb, Jeff Jacobson, Shelby Lee Adams, Ed Keating, Joseph Rodriguez and master printers like Brian Young and Per Gylfe.
Is there anything that has surprised you subsequent to graduation?
Well, even though it’s a very intense one-year program, and it’s a year that goes really fast, when it’s over the sense of community and involvement with the school endures. My instructors at ICP are still a very central part of my continuous learning process, even now, five years after graduation. My first book, Refugee Hotel, came out in December 2012. Alison Morley, the Chair of the Documentary and Photojournalism program, provided insightful feedback on editing and sequencing. Phil Block, the Director of Education, advised me on how to find funding. Deirdre Donohue, the Stephanie Shuman Librarian, was a tireless and tremendous source of inspiration, always challenging and trying to enrich my own process. The guys at the labs helped with their knowledge on the prints for a limited-edition portfolio, related to the book. Fellow colleagues, who have become close friends, are still among my most fierce and passionate critics and supporters. It is very much like a family business.
What would you say to people contemplating applying to the program?
Come to New York with an open mind. Be willing to trust this process. Be willing to work hard and to make the most of it. It’s a leap into the unknown, because the practice of photography involves and engages a person on many crucial levels. If you want to become a cultivated, insightful, respectful, concerned photographer and human being, ICP is a good place to start.
