Risky assignments in the middle of a hostile situation or the threat of jail time because of a project might not seem like an ideal work environment, but for National Geographic photographer Jodi Cobb it’s just another day on the job.
Cobb, who is known for her pictures of Japanese Geisha culture, shared such experiences with students and faculty members in Witherspoon Monday.
Cobb worked as a photographer for more than three decades, traveled to 65 countries and won prestigious awards, including the White House Photographer of the Year and the Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
She shared a slide show of her work with students from the N.C. State Scholars Program, Women in Science and Engineering and the Arts Village.
Cobb has photographed Japanese Geisha culture, the lives of Saudi Arabian women, 21st century slavery and her newfound interests in a type of water-reflection photography.
Cobb’s photographs covered her beginnings as a self-proclaimed ‘hippie’ photographer to her success in capturing photographs of secret groups, such as the Japanese Geisha and the women of Saudi Arabia.
“I wanted to change the world; it’s just been a little bit harder than I thought it would be,” Cobb said.
Cobb, who was the only female staff-field photographer for National Geographic at the time of her hiring, said she was originally turned down for an internship at the publication after being told her photographs didn’t display enough variety and depth.
Rather than abandoning the profession, Cobb said this inspired her, and after working for a newspaper company for some time, National Geographic offered Cobb a position as a freelance photographer.
At first, she was confined to shooting images of desolate landscapes, but Cobb later took more risky assignments, even if it meant facing shootings and tear gas.
Cobb was permitted to do a piece about the women of Saudi Arabia—something that had never been done before—because she’s female. She become the first photographer to do so and had to be granted a visa from the king himself in order to complete the job.
Though Cobb successfully completed her assignment, she was arrested and sent to jail for taking pictures in the streets of Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps Cobb’s most famous work came from an assignment she did by herself after her editor expressed no interest in the subject: Geishas. Cobb took a leave of absence to complete her work after Kodak offered to fund her project.
According to Cobb, the Geisha culture in Japan was widely unknown even by the Japanese when Cobb’s assignment was published.
Cobb said she is currently working to create a retrospective book that will include photographs from her personal archives dating back to her childhood.
When asked what she would advise to hopeful photographers, Cobb said you just had to work at it, be creative and, most importantly, take a trip out of the country.
“Be a minority; be alone and see what it’s like,” Cobb said. “It’s huge and humbling. The more you see, the less you know, and I quickly realized how much I didn’t know.”
Cobb said she didn’t believe she had achieved her goal of changing the world; instead, the world changed her. Cobb said this wasn’t an unworthy ambition, and rather, that it was one she hoped the next generation of photographers might embrace.
Cobb said she enjoys presenting for student crowds because students are open to advice and career ideas and are idealistic about changing the world.
“It’s wonderful to be young and idealistic, and I’m seeing that in students,” Cobb said. “There’s a lot to change, but this generation is idealistic and I see great hope right now.”
The University Scholars Program and the Union Activities Board hosted the event.
Amanda Pearlswig, a freshman in graphic design, said she came to the event because she’s interested in photography and took photos for her high school.
“I thought [Cobb’s lecture] was very interesting, not because of the pictures, but because of the places and experiences she saw that I didn’t know existed,” Pearlswig said. “I think photography is important because it makes people aware of different communities and cultures.”