RESEARCH AND REFLECTION: PART FOUR

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VISUAL STORY TELLING WITH NGOS, FOUNDATIONS AND NON PROFITS WITH ED KASHI – vii Insider

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator of 40 years. I found this talk on the Vii website when researching for my assignment 4 essay.

INTRO: PAUL LOWE: on Ed, he’s always thinking about his audience when working, who is he trying to reach and what’s the best way.

ED KASHI:

His motivation as a visual storyteller is to engage with the world and issues that he cares about. He choses the projects that he engages with underreported issues or to take new angles with issues that we think we know about. Suggests that

“we ask ourselves if we want to create work that has positive impact on the world work that has meaning outside of the media landscape” and says that “Sometimes its more important to reach a few thousand important people than 40 million people through the general media if you want to make change” (viiphoto.com).

He has learnt there were different outlets to get his work out, he’s a story teller not an activist ultimately but wants to effect change; so it’s important to partner yourself with the right organisations/people to effect change.   

Nigeria: Niger delta 2004-2007 consciously partnered with NGOs and international organisations like, Oxfam Amnesty International, non-profit and academia, that could really make a difference to oil exploitation in West Africa; Oxfam used images from his book Curse of the Black Gold (2010) its work to advocate for a bill to create more transparency in gas and mining industries that was pending in the USA, a bill that was passed.

A report by Amnesty International suggests in the past 50 years at least 9m barrels worth of oil have leaked into land and rivers in the region

An oil spill, polluting groundwater and ruining cropland, from a well owned by Shell that had been left abandoned for over 25 years

(Tregaskis, 2010)

Vietnam: Commissioned by the Vietnam Reporting Project in San Francisco as they wanted to report on Agent Orange; this is passed down genetically. Made a film paid for by Ford which compelled the congress to give 4 million dollars to a city to clear up a contaminated pond.

As editorials budgets started to shrink and opportunities changed so he worked more with organisations like National Geographic but with a more deliberate focus on advocacy.

  • The open society foundation in New York commissioned him to work on police force profiling in several European countries, and how people were being impacted. He took portraits and their testimonies, which he believes is an efficient and powerful way to share a story.
  • Landmines in Afghanistan commissioned by UNICEF to make 3 short videos for social media 
  • Work on the Kurds for National Geographic.
  • Malnutrition in Afghanistan, for UNICEF.
  • 2013 He decided he wanted to do a project on mental health in Syrian refugee youth, as it was an issue he was aware and upset about. He knew International Medical Corporation were operating in the region; he pitched his idea to them, they financed his trip for his work and once it was done he got it published in Time magazine – an example where the paradigm was turned upside down as usually he would go to a magazine to ask if they’ll commission and finance a story; later it might filter down into non profit and NGOs to use.  However some won’t publish work financd by an NGO because they think there may be a political agenda or it might not be objective.

(Kashi and Winokur, 2013)

  • A personal project on worldwide Chronic kidney disease around the world (CKDu a plague on the rural poor), that the Guardian have recently commissioned him to do a new piece; now there are some solutions happening.

Kashi says that when working with collaborative clients on advocacy work shine a spotlight an issue but  also show how its being solved, which he sees as a more constructive form of journalism, “ solution journalism”.

He was asked whether NGO work could be seen as abandoning your journalistic stance or be biased;  Kashi suggests that this can be countered  by keeping your radar up for any pushing of an agenda or amplifying a problem for their fundraising, and if so making an ethical decision on whether to do the work. He’s never experienced that, and points out that there are many problems that don’t have two sides and simply exist.

Asked whether there is tension between working with different types of clients, that puts off editors commissioning him, he says he hasn’t noticed. He’s happy as long as he maintains a truthful ethical approach to his work.

The cornerstone of his work is to initiate his own ideas, but to do this he has to go after grants.

He suggests that you think/feel what you care about and immerse in that and from that work will flow. As an already successful photograher it maybe that he can afford to be less money focused in his work, but he does believe that better paid work will come from less well paid work, “If you make the work the work will come to you”. 

“People out there care, and if you create powerful imagery it can make changes” (viiphoto.com).

He believes “deeply believe in the power of still images to change people’s minds. I’m driven by this fact; that the work of photojournalists and documentary photographers can have a positive impact on the world” (about- Kashi, 2021).

My learning:

  • It was good to hear how Kashi has suceessfully managed to work on issues that he finds important to create impact, especially with non-traditional editorial type clients.
  • His focus on authorship and maintaining creative independence.
  • How it is possible to effectively use the new paradigms for producing and financing projects and of expanding one’s skillsets to include audio and video as well as still photography. (viiphoto.com).
  • In a nutshell:

“It took me years to understand how my work was already having an impact, and that I could translate it more directly into collaborative relationships with NGOs, foundations, and nonprofits, and then utilize the media to reach a broader audience” (viiphoto.com).

References:

Kashi, E and Winokur, J (2013) Syria’s Lost Generation — Talking Eyes. At: https://talkingeyesmedia.org/syria-info (Accessed 09/02/2021).

Tregaskis, S. (2010) ‘In pictures: Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta’ In: The Guardian 10/03/2010 At: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2010/mar/05/curse-black-gold-nigeria (Accessed 09/02/2021).

Visual Storytelling with NGOs, Foundations and Non Profits with Ed Kashi (2021) At: https://viiphoto.com/resource/visual-storytelling-with-ngos-foundations-and-non-profits-with-ed-kashi/ (Accessed 27/01/2021).

Bibliography:

about — ED KASHI (s.d.) At: https://www.edkashi.com/about (Accessed 28/01/2021).

‘Curse of the Black Gold’ by Ed Kashi – VII Agency (s.d.) At: https://viiphoto.com/resource/curse-of-the-black-gold-by-ed-kashi/ (Accessed 28/01/2021).

During my research for assignment 4 critical review I listened to an interview with Ed Kashi on a podcast (Smith, 2018) and would like to add the following notes:

  • Kashi states that he is driven by the issue “how can I contribute something to the world that is meaningful?”, “I want to have impact”. If asked to go somewhere wants it to be something he has an impact with.
  • Kashi says he’s fuelled by either “an anger or belief that there’s an issue or injustice that I want to learn more about, I wanna find a way to tell a story about, to raise awareness and now increasingly to be a part of that change”.
  • Tries to be smarter with decisions and strategies.
  • He enjoys proposing ideas and getting them accepted by editorial, NGOs or others.
  • He knows that he must have the right partners advocate for change.
  • Must be open to broad range of commissions that can take his work and advocate for change.

Kashi suggest that for those starting out as a storyteller you need to create a body of work that you care about and also shoot video and collect audio. He suggests finding a grant award or crowd funding or own publication, as media is the dissemination tool but not where you’re going to make much money. 

Reference:

Smith, B.(2018) A Small Voice Podcast – 083 – Ed Kashi. At: https://bensmithphoto.com/asmallvoice/ed-kashi (Accessed 04/02/2021).

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RESEARCH AND REFLECTION: ASSESSMENT DROP IN

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Photography and Moving Image assessment advice drop in Zoom meeting: 26.1.21

I thought it was time that I engaged in preparing for assessment as I’ve not looked at submitting online assessment yet, as it has will be for my next assessment. I have heard peers discussing their online submissions and picked up some information.

Prior to this learning session I looked briefly at the digital assessment guideline.

Things that I noted:

  • Overall be intentional about what you share – self curate
  • The narrative about my assessment can be given in the learning log
  • On the creative 3 pieces of work: they can be across the course, no maximum of images
  • There was a question on the size of images (pixels) to submit which Dan couldn’t answer then – though apparently the G drive can easily cope with large image sizes.
  • Showing self-curation is important throughout the process; for instance you can share a body of work but cut down the number of images in it.
  • Upload images don’t give as links to learning log/blog, but then can link/ref to learning log; also could add relection/narrative why chosen these images in narrative presentation.
  • The learning log can be 12 entries, including 2-3 entries for each learning objective.
  • 1 learning log entry can be a guide to what I’m presenting. Or I can upload a document in the creative work folder (word doc) to act as a guide.
  • Word count / time limit for reflective presentation or evaluation is 6 mins, or 750 words Actions:

I should keep an eye on the forum for assessment: https://discuss.oca-student.com/t/2021-photography-assessment-support-forum/13817

March assessment drop recording: https://discuss.oca-student.com/t/photography-specific-adaptations-to-covid-19/11641/67

Padlet for assessment: https://oca.padlet.org/assessment4/a3ccu7pfbp21aivb

I must look again at the new OCA web site, especially as I will submit my next assignment on it.

Sign up for the 27th February study event where Sarah Jane Field (student) talks about her experience of assessment.

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REFLECTION AND RESEARCH: STUDENT LED HANGOUT

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OCA Documentary hangouts

4.2.21

We peer reviewed Neil’s assignment 5 work, bird hides in Scotland, in particular the colour treatment of them; its always good to hear other’s views. We often share work between meetings online so it has become a very supportive group.

I shared some initial thoughts about my assignment 5. I am considering using text that I’ve collected over the past year from social media and the press, mainly about the tensions between locals and tourists. I shared that I thought I would juxtaposition the text against local images that don’t support text. His idea was received positively. I then asked for ideas how I could present the work as a book was the obvious choice to me, but I was wary of presenting it as a book because assignment 3 had been a book. There were ideas that I could do it as a slide show with either text or audio overlaying it. Using power point and sound files was suggested as better than doing in lightroom, apparently each slide can have its own audio (soundbites). I always find the group useful for technical support.

7.1.21

We peer reviewed Bob’s project for assignment 5. It was useful to hear how he’d mocked up a whole gallery to show his work in virtually using photoshop and a perspective tool.

Then we discussed Jonathan’s work which I just contributed some personal text as a caption to one image, as he’d previously shared it at the a Thames Valley OCA meeting. We had a lively discussion about the possible interpretations of one image, which he’s now rethinking.

Some of the documentary students have now moved onto level 3 and we spent quite a bit of time discussing level 3 work and studying; for me looking ahead this is useful.

I’m already thinking ahead to level 3 and what I could base my work on; I’ve not had any significant brainwaves but am getting a flavour of what is required and this might help me.

As I’m working on my critical review no I had no work to share.

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RESEARCH AND REFLECTION: LEARNING PART 4

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THIS IS A SUMMARY OF THE MAIN LEARNING THAT I HAVE TAKEN AWAY FROM PART 4

PROJECT GAZE AND CONTROL

Reading On Foucault: Disciplinary Power and Photography by David Green (Exercise 4.1)

  • I had not thought of photography as a mechanisms of surveillance to observe/and classify people in order to normalise disciplinary power.
  • As Green suggests if this is so, we should develop alternative ways of working with photography.

The Photograph as an Intersection of Gazes ((Exercise 4.2)  

The seven types of gazes identified gives me something to reflect on I my work going forward:

  1. The photographer’s gaze: the camera’s eye which structures the image.
  2. The magazine gaze: chosen by editing for emphasis.  
  3. The reader’s gaze: a reader’s interpretation, influenced by their experience & imagination.
  4. The non-western subject gaze: confrontational/distanced look/ absent gaze.
  5. Explicit western looking: which is unusual as westerners usually look off camera.
  6. Returned or refracted gaze: usually by mirrors or cameras
  7. Academic gaze: a subtype of the reader’s gaze.

It’s an interesting concept that some photographers are experimenting inviting viewers to interpret them rather than accepting the photographers gaze as their own. I will be more aware going forward of the interplay and relationships of the various gazes and their potential effect on the viewer, and the ambiguity in the work in particular.

PROJECT DOCUMENTS OF CONFLICT AND SUFFERING

Reading  the articles ‘Walk the Line’ (Houghton, 2008) and ‘Imaging War’ (Kaplan, 2008( (Exercise 4.4) raises issues such as:

  • How far should we go with publishing images of war and disasters?
  • What images are suitable?
  • Are there any lines to be crossed?
  • Are the answers defined by ethic, commerce, respect for individuals or their families, politics, relationships between media companies and governments, or are they simply personal?

It is the photographer who must be mindful of the way the images may by used. I believe whether an image should be used or not I think, comes down to if using it adds impact to the story.

THE ETHICS OF AESTHETICS

‘Imaging Famine’ (Exercise 4.5) This research project in 2005 highlights issues that persisted in images of famine:

  • Stereotypical images of victims
  • Could positive images of people in need be presented?
  • Can photographers provide images with context, understanding and explanation?
  • Does immediacy enabled by technology cause simplified compositions?
  • Can just one picture share a good understanding of issues?
  • Are photographers simply image makers or do they have wider responsibilities?

To print or not to print (Exercise 4.7)  

When choosing what to include in an image I would:

  • Think about what I consider decent, is there consent?
  • Consider privacy, is it a public occasion seems to be the crux of this
  • Ask would the presence of the camera invite violence?

This was the first time that I’ve read The National Press Photographers Association, code of ethics (2017), in particular it  states that “our primary role is to report visually on the significant event and varied viewpoints in our common world….the faithful and comprehensive depiction of the  subject at hand”. When photographing as documentary I must remember this.

REFLECTING ON THE WAR PHOTOGRAPHS

Has made me consider topics such as journalist embedding, staging for cameras, rapid publishing, post camera manipulation and their effects on the quality of media images.

PROJECT POST-COLONIAL ETHNOGRAPHY

It was good for me to reflect on colonial and post-colonial world especially certain “traps” that have been identified:

  • Nostalgia – Romanticism of primitive beauty
  • Imbalances of power between photographer and subjects
  • Disciplinary cataloguing and comparing
  • Primitivism
  • Decontextualising
  • Infantising of non-industrial people

I was pleased to find photographer’s work such as David Ju/’hoansi Bushmen (2021), George Rodgers (En Afrique, 2016) and Eduardo Masferré (1909 – 1995) who had avoided most of these traps – I will now be alert to them when viewing such work again.

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PART 4: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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PROJECT POST-COLONIAL ETHNOGRAPHY

RESEARCH POINT

Do your own research into the bodies of work discussed in this project. Can you find any examples of work carried out amongst indigenous peoples that, in your view, honestly document the lives of their subjects without falling into some of the traps that we’ve been discussing here? If so, how has the photographer achieved this? (Open College of the Arts, 2014:64)

The “traps” that have been identified in Post colonial ethnographic photography:

  • Nostalgia – Romanticism of primitive beauty
  • Imbalances of power between photographer and subjects
  • Disciplinary cataloguing and comparing
  • Primitivism
  • Decontextualising
  • Infantising of non-industrial people

Peter Lavery’s work in “of humankind” does decontextualise his subjects; this seems to enhance the stereotyping, the power imbalance, cataloguing and comparing traps suggested above. Indeed even in the foreword of the book ‘Of Humankind’ by Robin Muir (2000) says that Lavery’s portraits remind us that photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and which no contrivance on earth can bring back”, underlining the nostalgic element of his photography.

(Of Humankind, 2000)

Conversely David Bruce’s work though sometimes posed against a backdrop is aesthetic, shot with dignity, and his subjects look empowered and generally look to be enjoying themselves.

Juan Echeverrria’s images of the OvaHimba tribe in Namibia could be interpreted as voyeuristic and decontextualised; whilst they are taken out of context they do have a realism about them and the subjects share some character and assertiveness.

Namibia_Paisajes_desde_el_tren (2021)

When searching for examples of work which don’t fall into the “traps” I returned to the work of George Rodger who took the image that struck me on the front of the Tribal Portraits catalogue. I was pleasantly surprised that although his work En Afrique was taken between 1947 and 1979 it avoids the pitfalls mentioned above; the nudity is in context, subjects are photographed in context and are certainly not romantised; indeed he gives detailed context with each image.

  • UGANDA. Wagasero girls wear strings of beads around their foreheads. 1948
  • KENYA. Masai Mara. Well befofe sunrise a young Masai candidate for circumcision stands the taunting of junior Moran who have already been circumcised at the age of 13 to 15. 1979.
  • UGANDA. Pygmies. “Dance of the forest people”. The Bachimbiri and Wagasero dance their own version of a courting dance, the “Kamundere”, before a semi-circle of men of the tribes who kneel before them. 1948.

(En Afrique by George Rodger, 2016)

I also thought back to a photographer whose work I came across when in the Philippines a couple of years ago, Eduardo Masferré (1909 – 1995) a Filipino-Catalan who made documentary reports about the lifestyle of native people in the region of the Cordillera of the Philippines in the mid 1950s. I was very struck with his work at the time, which is contained in his book people of the Philippine Cordillera (1988) and was interested how I would view it now I have studied these aspects of tribal photography.

Eduardo Masferre Paintings & Artwork for Sale (2021)

I was pleased to see that although there is a fascination with subjects smoking pipes, most of his images are shot with context in a documentary style which gives information about their way of life. Where there is partial nudity it appears as a natural part of their dress and the emphasis of the photograph is clearly not on this but another aspect, such as the girl with the pots on her head and the smoking woman above. Though there is the occasional image which seems to have been shot simply for the beauty of the subject female, male, old or young, there is no suggestion of imbalance of power between him and his subjects or infantizing of them. For work which was shot between 1947 and 1959. I would say the work is sensitive to the people and a good documentary record and agree with the review from the book cover that the people are shown with “strong faces that meet one’s gaze with great integrity – Masferre preserved all of these in timeless images that transcend ethnography and imbue documentary fact with deeper meaning.” (Masferre and Devilla, 1988).

References:

Eduardo Masferre Paintings & Artwork for Sale (s.d.) At: https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/searchLots.cfm?scp=m&ad=DESC&alf=1&issc=1&artistref=3tvi2dj9ip&shw=50&ord=2&row=51 (Accessed 14/01/2021).

En Afrique by George Rodger (2016) At: https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/george-rodger-en-afrique/ (Accessed 13/01/2021).

Ju/’hoansi Bushmen (s.d.) At: https://davidbrucephotography.co.za/juhoansi-bushmen/ (Accessed 12/01/2021).

Masferré, E. and De Villa, J. G. (1988) People of the Philippine Cordillera: Photographs, 1934-1956. (s.l.): Devcon I.P. Incorporated.

Namibia_Paisajes_desde_el_tren (s.d.) At: https://www.flickr.com/photos/juan_echeverria_reportajes/sets/72157629307741656/show/ (Accessed 13/01/2021).

Namibia_Paisajes_desde_el_tren (s.d.) At: https://www.flickr.com/photos/juan_echeverria_reportajes/sets/72157629307741656/show/ (Accessed 13/01/2021).

Of Humankind (2000.) At: https://www.peterlavery.com/of-humankind (Accessed 13/01/2021).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART 4: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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PROJECT POST-COLONIAL ETHNOGRAPHY

Primitive typologies

Exercise 4.9

Browse the catalogue Tribal Portraits: Vintage and Contemporary Photographs from the African Continent, Bernard J Shapero Rare Books. Core resources: TribalPortraits.pdf

Write a brief reflective commentary in your learning log. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:96)

Tribal Portraits Vintage and contemporary photographs from the African continent, a catalogue from a sale of photographs in 2008 by Bernard J Shapero; the images were taken from 1856 to 2008 and the text states that is presents the images as art.

The cover image is full of promise, offering a different perspective. However from that starting point most of the images are stereotypical portraits of African people. Mostly the women are presented a full frontals, naked from at least the waist up and the images ae predominantly women. Vincenti’s late 19th century images of men are one of the few exceptions. I was surprised to see Lehnert and Landrock African women photographed in obvious western style poses, but accept that these have their place in the history of tribal photography.

Its unfortunate that the images aren’t presented chronologically, as there is no progression or logic in the presentation. Contemporary photographers Malick Sidibe and Seydou Keita present a welcome relief to the stereotypical earlier photographs; but to call this a mixture of contemporary and historical tribal photography is misleading as most of the images are from 1856 to the 1950s and there are only a handful of 21st century images such as Graff’s and comparatively few late 20th century images.

I also take issue with some of the captions such as item 9 Portrait study billed as an “unusual informal grouping” when in fact the women are they are sitting on western chairs and have obviously been arranged to a degree.

My favourite image is item 18 by Riefenstahl, the Nuba Dancers of Kau (1975); it is full of life and skilfully captures a vibrant and realistic picture, the nudity appears as natural as obviously was, there is context and it is unposed. Ricciardi’s images of the late 1960s in Kenya also have welcome life to them.

My conclusions, that there is obvious documentary value in the collection but we could learn more easily from the catalogue if the images were present chronologically or by region or even with more context; if presented in the former way we would at least be able to ascertain if there has been any progression in the photography. I guess the motivation was simply to sell the images and I should not wish for anything beyond that; it is however a good source of tribal photographs.

References:

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Shapero, B. J. (2008) ‘TribalPortraits.pdf’ At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/TribalPortraits.pdf

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PART FOUR: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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Reflecting on the war photograph

Exercise 4.8

Read the two essays in the BPB 2008 programme and look at the work the curator selected for the exhibition. Core resources: BPB2008.pdf

Write a short press release of around 250 words in your learning log – in your own words. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:94)

Press release

Memory of Fire: The war of images and images of war. Curated by Julian Stallabrass. 3.10.08-16.11.08. Brighton Photo Biennial 2008

Through 10 curated exhibitions from across the South East, including work from the first World War pictures of Frank Hurley to the aestheticised, often depopulated aftermath war landscapes of Norfolk, Seawright and Ristelhueber, guest curator Julian Stallabrass presents us with images to reflect on. Bringing together coverage additionally from the Vietnam to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the material invites us to explore the approaches to photographing war, sharing images of war and their effects.

The biennial aims to provoke thinking about war images and the role that photojournalism plays in the media and democratic politics. As Sarah James points out “ the relationship between war and photography mirrors that crisis of representation synonymous with modern times”. Amongst the themes explored are the changing relationship between military strategy, the conduct of war, the media, and its associated technology. The variety of photographs, photojournalists as well as their period and chosen environments, cause us to acknowledge topics such as journalist embedding, staging for cameras, rapid publishing, post camera manipulation and their effects on the quality of media images. Another perspective is presented by the non-western mobile phone images and Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad.

As viewers may not see all of the exhibitions, Stallabrass shares the direction and messages in the works in the free Biennial programme guide, retrospective book and the 2008 website.

References:

Brighton Photo Biennial (2008) ‘BPB supplement1.indd Memory of Fire The war of images and images of war’ At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/oca-content/key-resources/res-files/bpb2008.pdf

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART FOUR: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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THE ETHICS OF AESTHETICS

Exercise 4.7

To print or not to print…

Read Claire Cozens’ Guardian article about Guerrero’s photograph: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/mar/12/pressandpublishing.spain

  • What would you have done had you been the editor of a British broadsheet newspaper?
  • A similar case revolving around a photograph of a dead Iraqi soldier in the Gulf War prompted Michael Ignatieff, the author of Magnum Degrees, to write and reflect on the ethics of photojournalism. Read ‘But Should You Print It?’ Core resources: ShouldYouPrint.pdf   (Open College of the Arts, 2014:89)

My response

Cozen’s article was a response to the various ways that a media photograph, by photographer Guerrero, for a Spanish newspaper of the Madrid train bombing was published; the controversy was about a severed limb which appeared in the original image. The British newspapers airbrushed, replaced with background stones or disguised it by bleeding the colour out; the Spanish newspaper published the image as taken.

Reuters say that they don’t like removals from photographs or anything that changes the editorial content. The Telegraph’s picture editor said it was a question of taste, removing the body part didn’t change the context and it didn’t add anything to the picture.

Michael Ignatieff in his paper “But Should You Print It?, mentions four areas of sensitivity:

  • Faking: the manipulation, which can’t be detected.
  • Decency: which is declining
  • Privacy: whether it’s is a public occasion seems to be the crux of this
  • Violence: would the presence of the camera invite violence?

Ignatief suggests we ask 4 questions and that 1 of them must be affirmed:

  • Is the event of such significance that the shock is worth it?
  • Is the objectionable detail necessary for a proper understanding of the event?
  • Does the subject freely consent?
  • Does the image express humanity?

He points out that despite all the wars we have seen and experienced “popular culture is still largely imbued with a romantic conception of war and resents a grimmer reality” (Ignatieff,nd).

The code of ethics (National Press Photographers Association, 2017) states that “our primary role is to report visually on the significant event and varied viewpoints in our common world….the faithful and comprehensive depiction of the  subject at hand”. In the detail it states that images should be accurate, unmanipulated, have context and shot with respect.

Having reflected on this my response would be to print the photograph I its entirety; as if you begin to manipulate images even to be sensitive, where do you draw the line; how much manipulation is ethical/correct? However from what I read in Cozen’s article it seems that the experience of the British papers is such that there would have been many complaints if the severed limb had been evident; as a British Newspaper I guess I would have stayed with the rest of the pack.

References:

Cozens, C. (2004) ‘Editors ‘clean up’ bomb photo’ In: The Guardian 12/03/2004 At: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/mar/12/pressandpublishing.spain (Accessed 10/01/2021).

Ignatieff, M. (s.d.) ‘But Should You Print It?’ At: https://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/oca-content/key-resources/res-files/shouldyouprint.pdf

National Press Photographers Association (2017) Code of Ethics. At: https://nppa.org/code-ethics (Accessed 10/01/2021).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

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PART 4: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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The ethics of aesthetics

Exercise 4.6

Read the, WeAreOCA blog post The ethics of aesthetics, (http://www.weareoca.com/photography/the-ethics-of-aesthetics/) including all the replies to it, and write a comment both on the blog page and in your blog. Make sure that you visit all the links on the blog post. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:88)

Rankin visited Turkana, Kenya for Oxfam’s Blog Action Day to meet some of the people facing drought and hunger in a region that has not had enough rain since 2005.

Rankin photographs famine in east Africa (2011)

He also worked with Oxfam in the war torn provinces of the democratic republic of Congo, where he choose to photograph them against a white background out of their environment to focus on their expressions, humanity.

Rankin in Congo: ‘Their humanity was what I wanted people to notice’ (2021)

Chaskielberg’s photographs for Oxfam in the Horn of Africa were all taken in the moonlight with added flash lighting and have as has become his trademark style. It’s interesting that Oxfam itself ran an article titled “Alejandro Chaskielberg’s moonlight photos: Too beautiful”. Oxfam finds them memorable and distinctive but that not all agree with this. Chaskielberg himself suggests that his subjects may look stiff and detached because they have to hold their pose for a time. Some felt the pictures were too beautiful for their situations; however Chaskielberg would like to break the idea that an aesthetic image detracts from its message.

  • Elisabeth and her eight children live in the village of Natoo in Northern Turkana near Lokitaung. Elisabeth’s husband died from sickness, leaving her soley responsible for bringing up her children. “I appreciate pastoralism but animals are not sustainable anymore. When there is drought your animals die and you are left with nothing. If I could make one thing happen it would be to have my own business and earn money.” says Elisabeth
  • Women pose for a photograph by Alejandro Chaskielberg in their gardens.
(Kramer, 2021)

We are also referred to Mraz’s comments relating to Sebastiao Salgado. Mraz that a documentary photograph should strive to achieve a balance between expression and information. The blog author says that if that balance is not right then the effectiveness of a photograph for visually sharing information is changed. He gives an example of an effective combination of the two as Tom Stoddard’s image of an emaciated woman in Ajiep, Sudan which he describes as a document and a symbol, “specific to the events it refers to and universal”, here I can see the ethics and the aesthetics of the image are working together.

AJIEP, SUDAN-JULY 1998: The emaciated legs of a girl at Ajiep, southern Sudan, during the famine of 1998. (Photo By Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)

© Tom Stoddard 2004 (Tom Stoddart Archive, 2022)

I agree with Rob Harris (31.10.20) who asks the point in reading 70 odd blog post responses, as they become repetitive. This is my response to the original post rather than reactions to other’s posts. Although I appreciate the aesthetics in Chaskielberg’s images and they make a refreshing change, I feel they have the appearance of studio shots, seem theatrical and staged and lack authenticity as images that are to portray people experiencing hunger and drought.

I can relate much better to Rankin’s images, where the people look real, dignified, not distressed but taut, and the food in their cupped hands brings us back to the reason for the image. Rankin also wanted his portraits to do something different, as he felt the stereotypical images of disaster zones have produced anesthetised audiences; in his Congo images that he wanted to depict their humanity and I believe he has done this.

I have to ask myself have become too used to more direct images like Tom Stoppard’s representing famine, and is this why I find Chasleilberg’s images too beautiful? Possibly. However if I was using images to provoke interest in fundraising and action I would use Rankin’s more realistic but dignified images as a fresh alternative to the more traditional Tom Stoddard famine images. I don’t believe Chaskielberg’s images will for most convey the necessary message.

References:

Kramer, A. (s.d.) Alejandro Chaskielberg’s moonlight photos: Too beautiful?. At: https://firstperson.oxfamamerica.org/alejandro-chaskielbergs-moonlight-photos-too-beautiful/ (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Rankin in Congo: ‘Their humanity was what I wanted people to notice’ (s.d.) At: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/rankin-in-congo-their-humanity-was-what-i-wanted-people-to-notice/ (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Rankin photographs famine in east Africa (2011) In: The Guardian 14/10/2011 At: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/gallery/2011/oct/14/kenya-rankin-famine-in-pictures (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Tom Stoddart Archive (2022) The emaciated legs of a girl at Ajiep, southern Sudan, during the. At: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/the-emaciated-legs-of-a-girl-at-ajiep-southern-sudan-during-news-photo/57485003 (Accessed 09/01/2021).

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PART FOUT: ETHICS AND LOOKING AT THE OTHER

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The ethics of aesthetics

Exercise 4.5

Read the booklet ‘Imaging Famine’. Core resources: imagingFamine.pdf. Do some research across printed and online media and find examples that either illustrate or challenge the issues highlighted in the document. Add your findings to your learning log. (Open College of the Arts, 2014:87)

This research project in 2005 called for a debate and reconsideration of the power and purpose of disaster pictures. It highlighted issues that persisted in images of famine:

  • Stereotypical images of victims, that raise money but with short term benefits and long term disadvantage of embedding cultural and racial stereotypes?
  • Do negative images breed the sense that nothing can be done or are they necessary for fundraising?
  • Could positive images of people in need be presented?
  • Is an image negative if it produces a positive outcome?
  • Would such images be appropriate if they minimised the scale of suffering?
  • What is the purpose of text/captions?
  • Can photographers provide images with context, understanding and explanation?
  • Are foreign disasters only important if they are on a massive scale?
  • Is there compassion fatigue or do hard hitting images force governments to act?
  • Does immediacy enabled by technology cause simplified rather than impactful compositions?
  • Can one picture share a good understanding of issues?
  • Are photographers simply image makers or do they have wider responsibilities?
  • Does the ends justify the means?

My response:

I began by looking at Aid Agency online posting. Oxfam International currently mainly uses positive single images with some smiling faces and a lot of context for its famine pages. They are certainly shot with respect, are not stereotypical and provide plenty of explanation.

Hunger crisis in South Sudan, 2020)
(Crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2020)
(The fight against hunger must top the EU agenda for a fair and green recovery, 2020)

Feed the Children charity uses few images and those used are simply children’s smiling faces. UNICEF favours videos on its web site and where there are single images they are positive images such as the one below which is saying “look what we can achieve”:

Children eating watermelon and other fresh fruits in Lungga, East Honiara, Solomon Islands;

(Protecting Rohingya children in Bangladesh,2018)

The tone of the images changed completely when I began to access media images of current stories; of which there were surprisingly few currently. In the Independent I found two recent articles about the hunger in Yemen. I was shocked that the first 2 articles I accessed used shocking images of babies with malnutrition in incubators. I am sharing one of these only as a contrast to the image used by UNICEF on the same topic:

The independent image (Via AP news wire, 2020)
The UNICEF image Nutrition and life-saving food (2021)

These two images also highlight the effect lack of control over the publishing of information is also the Independent image above was added by the Independent to an article about the launch by UNICEF of its Yemen appeal. This would surely not have been UNICEF choice of image for the story.

I did find some more positive, dignified and effect based images in the media, published with good context:

Via AP news wire (2020)
Ahmed, K. (2020)

The BBC seems to use more videos than still images and I was surprised that there has been little recent coverage.

The paper Famine imaging by David Campany raised questions about ‘compassion fatigue’, iconic and stereotypical images, and the use of photographs for fundraising. From my current research it is obvious that different media use contrasting types of images to suit their consumers. Aid agencies are more respectful to their subjects and are keen to highlight the benefits of their projects particularly longer term. The images that I have found are less stereotypical than they were shown to be in the research paper of 2005, which is as you would expect, so approaches have moved on since that time. Whether this is because they have found that stereotypes have become less effective in raising aid and sympathy, or whether this is simply a response to increased ethics in photography and publishing I don’t know. I would assume that aid agencies have identified that it is not necessary to be forceful visually about the scale of suffering, as they can provide this in their accompanying text explanations.

References:

Ahmed, K. (2020) ‘UK pledges an extra £47m in aid as agencies warn of ‘catastrophic hunger’’ In: The Guardian 31/12/2020 At: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/dec/31/uk-pledges-an-extra-47m-in-aid-as-agencies-warn-of-catastrophic-hunger (Accessed 09/01/2021).

‘Imaging Famine’ (2005) At: http://www.imaging-famine.org/images/pdfs/famine_catalog.pdf (accessed 8.1.21)

Campbell, D.et al (2005) Imaging Famine, The Guardian. Available at:

Crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo (2020) At: https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/emergencies/crisis-democratic-republic-congo (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Hodal, K. (2020) ‘UN issues $100m emergency funding and calls for global effort to avert famine’ In: The Guardian 18/11/2020 At: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/nov/18/un-issues-100m-emergency-funding-and-calls-for-global-effort-to-avert-famine (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Hunger crisis in South Sudan (2020) At: https://www.oxfam.org/en/what-we-do/emergencies/hunger-crisis-south-sudan (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Nutrition and life-saving food (2021) At: https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/life-saving-food/ (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Open College of the Arts (2014) Photography 2: Documentary-Fact and Fiction (Course Manual). Barnsley: Open College of the Arts.

Protecting Rohingya children in Bangladesh (2018) At: https://www.unicef.org.uk/rohingya-refugee-bangladesh-myanmar/ (Accessed 09/01/2021).

The fight against hunger must top the EU agenda for a fair and green recovery (2020) At: https://www.oxfam.org/en/blogs/fight-against-hunger-must-top-eu-agenda-fair-and-green-recovery (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Via AP news wire (2020) ‘‘Mom, we need food’: Thousands in South Sudan near famine’ In: The Independent 24/12/2020 At: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/mom-we-need-food-thousands-in-south-sudan-near-famine-south-sudan-food-famine-children-government-b1778517.html (Accessed 09/01/2021).

Via AP news wire (2020) ‘Yemen ‘on edge of precipice’ as UNICEF launches aid appeal’ In: The Independent 07/12/2020 At: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/yemen-on-edge-of-precipice-as-unicef-launches-aid-appeal-yemen-unicef-children-sudan-edge-b1767542.html (Accessed 09/01/2021)

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