Through the Lens of Photography: Professor Federica Valabrega
Professor Federica Valabrega is a Rome-born photographer and journalist. Throughout her career, she has worked with publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone USA. Currently a professor of photojournalism at JCU, Valabrega inspires students to explore the emotional depth of images and continues to work on personal projects addressing environmental and social issues.

What made you decide to pursue a career in photography? How did you become a professor of photojournalism?
I was born and raised in Rome, and when I was 17, I moved to Denver, Colorado where I did my 4th year of high school. It was a hard adjustment, but a great experience. After my time abroad, I came back to Italy, took the SATs, and began applying to colleges. I ended up attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I started out studying microbiology but ended up switching to kinesiology and loved it. However, I found myself taking a lot of elective classes in literature and creative writing. This helped spark my creative side.
Although I finished college with a kinesiology degree, I ended up doing an internship at Climbing Magazine in Carbondale, Colorado. My editor encouraged me to apply for an M.A. in either creative writing or journalism, so I went to American University in Washington D.C. There, I ended up teaching myself how to take photos. In 2009, I took some photos of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. From that point, I made my way into the news. After completing my master’s, I went to New York and ended up photographing what is in my book, Daughters of the King (Burn, 2013), a behind the scenes look at Orthodox Jewish women. One thing led to another, and I started freelancing for newspapers and magazines.

The freelancing experience is why I started teaching. I got great assignments, had a lot of fun, and traveled the world. One of my biggest projects was the “Fearless Girl” campaign on Wall Street in 2017: it was a very difficult shot to take since I had very little time with more than 20 members of the advertising agency present at 4:30 AM on location. In recent years, however, jobs have become harder to come by, and competition has increased. So, by being able to teach, I have more stability and the opportunity to create freely.
Tell us about challenges you have encountered in your work as a teacher or as a photographer. How were you able to overcome them?
The freelancing world is very challenging and extremely competitive. A lot of the time I would feel demotivated, and didn’t want to keep pushing, but I was able to overcome my uncertainty by publishing my book, which helped increase my visibility and led to more job opportunities. My passion and willingness to keep trying have helped me overcome difficult moments, reinvent myself, and never give up.
As a teacher, the biggest challenge I am facing is teaching students who are not necessarily photography or photojournalism majors. They might not all share the same calling and passion I have, so sometimes I’ve got to push some students more than others. Throughout the semester, I enjoy seeing my students comment on each other’s photographs and getting excited.

What was your favorite project?
I worked on a lot of illegal immigration from Mexico to America. I spent a fair amount of time in Tijuana and Washington D.C. following a family throughout their asylum papers. This led me to do a story for NPR, as well as a story for Time Magazine called “Caravan Migrante.” I traveled from Mexicali to Tijuana, and from Tijuana to San Diego, California where I found a family who was waiting for their papers. Through this, I ended up getting an assignment for Rolling Stone Magazine covering families all over the United States who were being pushed out. It was very depressing but wonderful. Therefore, I would say that was my favorite project because it is something I did on my own. It was near and dear to my heart because I was a legal immigrant.
What are you working on now?
I work on stories all the time, and I am thinking of doing a story on the beaches in Vendée, in the French region of Loire. I spent some time there last summer and noticed how the tides are changing because of environmental challenges. I have become much more interested in the environment because it is a challenge that all of us can tackle.
In your opinion, what makes a good photo?
To quote former New York Times Director of Photography, Kathy Ryan, “For an image to be good, it has to give you emotion.” Light, composition, layering, and subject are all important parts of what makes a good picture, but if you are not moved by the picture, then it does not work. Carl Gustav Jung always said that images come before words. I think an image is the first language we know, and the first way of expressing ourselves.