Why Your Camera Choice Is Killing Your Storytelling

Photojournalism and documentary work demand a different relationship with gear than most photography does, and Jorge Delgado-Ureña, co-founder of the Raw Society, has spent nearly two decades figuring out exactly what that relationship looks like.

Coming to you from Roman Fox, this candid interview finds Fox sitting down with Delgado-Ureña in a park for a wide-ranging conversation about documentary photography, gear philosophy, and what it actually takes to build a body of work that means something. Delgado-Ureña, who started shooting commercially around 2007 before transitioning into international photojournalism and long-form storytelling, makes a point early on that's easy to miss: the camera shouldn't get in the way. That's why he shoots with a Fujifilm X-Pro body. It's small, unintimidating, and still has an optical viewfinder, which he prefers over electronic viewfinders despite admitting he probably needs to make the switch eventually. For his work, discretion matters more than speed.

On focal lengths, Delgado-Ureña keeps it simple. The bulk of his recognizable work is shot on a 35mm equivalent, which on his Fujifilm system means a Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2. Depending on the assignment, he might reach for something closer to a 50mm, add a wide angle like a 24mm equivalent for interiors, or pick up an 85mm equivalent for portraits. But the 35mm equivalent is his default, and he's direct about why: it's flexible, and he likes how it renders. He also makes a practical point about matching gear to the job, noting that if you're shooting multimedia and need both video and stills, something like a Sony with a zoom lens makes more sense than fighting with primes.

What makes this conversation worth watching is how Delgado-Ureña frames the deeper questions around motivation, creative triggers, and what separates a single image from a real story. He talks about his own visual triggers, specifically the relationship between landscape and the people who inhabit it, and a preference for golden hour light that he openly admits is limiting. He also makes a case for writing as a creative tool, not just for sharing work publicly, but as a way to force your brain to process experience differently. He describes it as a conversation with yourself, one that generates new ideas and keeps you engaged even when the photography itself feels flat. There's also a section on street photography and the guilt some people feel about photographing strangers, which Delgado-Ureña addresses directly with a perspective shaped by his time working in conflict zones, including Ukraine.

Check out the video above for the full conversation with Delgado-Ureña, including his thoughts on what he wishes he'd done earlier in his career and the details on the Raw Society Festival running May 7–10.