Marco Bello

Marco Bello

Based
Caracas, Venezuela
Born
Caracas, Venezuela
Status
Photographer
“We have the responsibility to transmit the feeling and the emotion of a moment”

Beat

I cover breaking news, features and soccer. From beauty pageants to funerals.

One Shot

. Caracas, Venezuela. Reuters/Marco Antonio Bello
Demonstrators clash with riot security forces while rallying against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in front of an Air Force base in Caracas, Venezuela June 24, 2017.
“My favorite image changes from time to time ... During the 2017 protests in Venezuela I felt I was missing a photo of how it was to be a demonstrator on the front line, the rush of being so exposed, being behind a wall of makeshift shields, in the mist of tear gas, water jets, flying rocks, pellets and rubber bullets. When I look at this photo I still remember the feeling of being there among them.”

Profile

I remember when I was a kid I liked to check the drawers in my parents' room and spend hours looking at photos of their childhood, when they met, their honeymoon and then our photos as a family. I still remember the smell of those old black and white prints and the texture of the fiber paper.

I used to work as an IT consultant and it was very stressful. I started with photography classes a couple of times a week, just as a hobby, but soon I started to spend more and more time in the darkroom and that helped me to disconnect from everything else.

I started very late in photography and when I understood the power it has as a document and historical memory I felt the need to record the moment in which Venezuela is currently going through. I want to live the story first-hand and be able to tell it and show it – someday - to my little daughter.

I have been friends with Carlos García Rawlins since photography school and he already had some time work with Reuters. There was a gathering at the Ministry of Health where women were protesting for defective breast prostheses. Neither Carlos nor Jorge Silva could go. Carlos called me and said, "Just go there and enjoy the moment, enjoy taking pictures". Nowadays, from time to time, Carlos tells me those same words right at the moments when I'm stuck on an assignment.

Being Venezuelan and covering Venezuela’s story has left the biggest mark on me - but stories of children suffering or dying are the worst for me.

The stories that excite me the most are those with enough time to get deeply involved and really know the people.

We have the responsibility to transmit the feeling and the emotion of a moment … Photojournalism is a record of the beauty of better times that humanity has to preserve, but also is a reminder of those episodes that never should happened again.

I don’t have an audience in my mind when I shoot, but I hope my photos reach those who are able to make a difference.

Photojournalism has given me the opportunity of experiences I otherwise hadn’t lived, but it also has taugh me how fortunate I am, as a son and as a father, the education and resources I have had. Really fortunate.

Have a coffee, chat with people - subjects and colleagues - and be grateful. Maybe you won’t have a photo, but you’ll learn a lot about life and that will help you in your future endeavors.

We should be able to use different media and tools to tell stories and develop reportages. But it won't be only to shot video or record audio, also it would be to know how to package it and show it in a well-designed format for different screens, including VR devices.

Behind the Scenes

. Caracas, Venezuela
Marco Bello on assignment during a fumigation campaign to help control the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
. Caracas, Venezuela. Ap
Marco Bello runs as Venezuelan National Guard soldiers chase him during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Caracas.
. Caracas, Venezuela
Marco Bello on assignment during a rally against President Nicolas Maduro.