Australian Penthouse

How did you get inside the Ku Klux Klan?
After a year or more of constant emails and phone calls, I finally found a group that said it would be okay if I came to a cross lighting. A few months later, I came into contact with a leader of a very large organisation. He was a former US Marine and was very proud of his Christian Klan ideology. He invited me to an event and we stayed in contact. It was
at that time that I also got to know a guy who sold merchandise at the gatherings.

I finally visited his home and met his wife, who makes Klan robes. This provided new opportunities, and before I knew it I was able to photograph whatever I wanted.

What was your angle on the KKK?
I wasn’t interested in sensationalising them or trying to put a spin on anything. All I wanted to do was document what I saw, so that’s what I did, and it’s been extremely interesting.

Have you been criticised for your work with the Klan? What are your thoughts on the ethical dilemmas that result from moving in such a circle?
I got some flak from people who said I was buying into hatred or blind to the past, but I’ll take that as a compliment because that means I made them feel something, and that’s the point of photojournalism—to make you feel and to bring attention to things the average person won’t normally see.

Have you found any of your work to be personally distressing?
It depends on the situation; anything to do with children or animals suffering is difficult.

I sometimes get a bit distressed when people try to preach at me, rather than communicate in a mutual give-and-take conversation. I actually just got back from documenting a religious group and this woman was talking down to me in a seemingly well-rehearsed tirade. I was trying to learn about her beliefs and asked questions about several grey areas, and she started going off on me, cutting me off when I spoke until she walked away.

It’s easy for me to check my opinion at the door, as long as you’re willing to meet me halfway.

By the same token, does your job give you a sense of hope?
Ever-growing populations and global congestion, outrageous energy prices that drive up transportation and food costs, manipulative big business and the political handshakes behind closed doors… I’m not sure I have a sense of hope.

The world is going to new places these days, and the only thing that seems to be working is the ability of the Internet to bring attention to some important issues. My only balance is when someone finally says ‘thank you’ when I hold the door open for them. That’s what I call a ‘good people day’.

What is it that you most want your photographs to achieve?
I would hope the same things as anyone who does something creative. I mostly do it for me, but it’s also important to try and make people feel. Whether it’s anger, happiness, or simply a view into something they would never get
to see otherwise.

I hope to continue to learn and to grow within my craft, and as a person. I hope for new opportunities to do more of what I love, and to work with worthwhile charities in their humanitarian efforts.

What are you working on at the moment?
I have several projects on the go—as is usually the case with my work. I’m about 15 images shy of my next photo book, 14 Words, which focuses on the Neo-Nazi and skinhead scene.

I also recently photographed a project for children’s charity The Smile Train, in Haiti, and I’ve been volunteering at a hospice, working on a long-term project focused on terminal illness.

My other long-term project involves a detailed look at Haitian voodoo.

The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan (hardcover) by Anthony Karen is available from:
www.powerhousebooks.com

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