Documentary Photography in an Open Society

What is documentary photography?

Documentary photography follows a single topic or story in-depth over time, as opposed to photojournalism’s real-time coverage of breaking news and events. By deepening our understanding and emotional connection to stories of injustice, documentary photography can capture and sustain public attention, and mobilize people around pressing social and human rights issues.

Why is documentary photography important to an open society?

Images have the power to highlight stories that aren’t gaining sufficient traction and to amplify a diversity of perspectives. The Open Society Foundations support documentary photography as a vital tool that can help bring about social change. Visual storytelling exposes unseen or ignored realities, and can provide evidence of human rights violations.

Can photography really inspire people to take action on social justice issues?

Tackling systemic issues—such as corruption and discrimination—is complex work that involves multiple actors and years of organizing, advocacy, or litigation. We believe that photographers can be more effective when connecting to those who are already working towards change in an ongoing way.
For example, photographer Marcus Bleasdale has been documenting the consequences of natural resource exploitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2000. Human Rights Watch worked with Bleasdale to create a report and exhibition that eventually forced a Swiss company, Metalor Technologies, to stop buying Congolese gold in Uganda. As a result of these efforts and the work of other organizations, nearly $100 million in funding for warlords dried up overnight.

How do photographers document difficult situations while also respecting the dignity of the people they portray?

Effective documentary photographers work to develop strong relationships with and gain the trust of the people they photograph. They build this trust over time—by establishing their intentions upfront, engaging repeatedly with people and communities, and being open to having their assumptions challenged.
Such efforts enable photographers to acquire a more nuanced understanding of the issues they document, see past generalizations and stereotypes, and become more sensitive to the cultural and political contexts in which they work. The best photographers represent people as a whole, avoid gratuitous and sensational imagery, and put safeguards in place to ensure that their documentation does not jeopardize the safety or security of the people they photograph.

What are the Open Society Foundations doing to support documentary photography?

Our Documentary Photography Project supports training, production, and audience engagement to strengthen photographers’ ability to advance human rights around the world in innovative ways.
Through grants to leading organizations—such as the Market Photo Workshop—we support training for documentary photographers that connects their work to social justice efforts. Production is supported through organizations such as the Magnum Foundation and Aftermath Project, which provide grants to continue or create new projects.
We support work that bridges photography with advocacy through the Audience Engagement Grant, for collaborative projects designed to engage viewers to take action. Through programs such as Photography, Expanded—organized with the Magnum Foundation and New Arts Axis—we bring together photographers with interactive designers, programmers, social media experts, and activists to explore how digital tools and interactive platforms can mobilize people around urgent issues.
Our Moving Walls exhibit, which is on view at the Open Society Foundations New York headquarters and a few additional offices, showcases photographers documenting injustices as well as the struggles to overcome them.

2013 Portraits of Peace

To celebrate the 2013 International Day of Peace a photographic exhibition, "Portraits of Peace" was displayed at St John's Cathedral Brisbane.

Women of Peace

I had the honour of receiving two awards for my entries to the competition 

My submissions to this exhibition captured the faces of women of peace in Brisbane who have inspired and encouraged my commitment o peacemaking.

The "Women of Peace" image was taken at the beginning of the Women's International Peace Walk as it left Jagera Hall in South Brisbane on 13 March 2010. Among the women who feature in this image are June Norman and Aunty Valda Coolwell.

A Candle For Peace

The second winning submission was an image I captured of Senator Claire Moore at the 2013 Hiroshima rally in King George Square.

My photography is more than a collection of images. It is my way of contributing to public awareness of the need for peace and justice in our community. The images of rallies and civil protest  reach an audience wider than those looking on from the streets we occupy for a brief moment. The images of festival gatherings of Indigenous and Refugee communities remind my viewers of the rich cultural diversity we receive and share. The eyes of the people who appear in my images invite us to new relationships that cross the divide of religion, race and  gender.

My albums on Facebook  are a rich testimony to the power of photography as social media that honours story and place. Years after an image has been posted it is tagged and a memory is cherished, a story is recalled and a moment of life is made sacred in its retelling. Over the years these and other albums continue to show the faces of some who have passed away, family members, friends and  keepers of the flame. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people are advised that they may find images of deceased persons in my collection. These images are kept to honour the sacred memory of those I have met and had the priviledge to photograph.

I am grateful to Believing Women for a Culture of Peace who sponsored this exhibition and competition. I also wish to acknowledge  Catholic Religious Australia Queensland who provided generously for the awards that were presented at St John's Cathedral on September 21, International Day of Peace.

Joint first prize: Women of Peace - Tony Robertson /  Peace Aamidst the Chaos - Nora Amath

Joint second prize:  Temple in the Afternoon, Evening Prayer - Carmel Khavari /  Loving & Co-existing Together - Nora Amath

Joint third prize:  Student Unity at Griffith - Sally Singh   / A Candle for Peace - Tony Robertson

You can visit the exhibition during October at The Multi Faith Centre, Griffith University

Kurilpa Derby September 2013

This month's featured images are from the Kurilpa Derby in West End Brisbane. Each year since 2008 the  locals have raced down the hill of Boundary Street West End in wheelchairs, roller blades, bikes, scooters, baths beds and any other design possible on wheels.

The race finishes in the commercial stretch of the street with a festival of races including the Squid relay.

You can see this year's images here

July 2013 NAIDOC Week

Troy Allen Brisbane Qld

This month I will feature images I captured in Brisbane during NAIDOC Week 2013

Musgrave Park Family Fun Day July 12

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mass July 14 

Thoughts on 'Amateur' and 'Professional' Photography - PetaPixel

We all know by now how Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer unleashed the collective fury of photographers and the creative community during her presentation of the new Flickr with a few poorly chosen words. She has since clarified her statement, but the real issue is that the distinction between photographer and professional photographer is fuzzy at best in the minds of most people, particularly those that know little about the world of photography.

An “amateur” photographer is someone that takes photos for fun and passion. They enjoy the art of photography, and appreciate the ability to preserve memories and moments. Despite being “amateur”, they can (and do) take some of the most beautiful and breathtaking images you’ll ever see.

A professional photographer is consistently compensated for their photographic work. They have practiced and trained themselves to become at least competent at photography and to do it for others

Read more here

The Graceful Act of Photography

Beth Doherty is media director for the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. the  She writes with insight and passion about the graceful act of photography:

"The power of the photograph; its content, composition, message can say much more than an article, a radio grab, or even a television show - as evidenced by the adage ‘a picture tells a thousand words.’

In 2004, I went to Cambodia for a four-month volunteer stint with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS).

The question of whether to take a camera with me weighed heavily on my heart, but five weeks in, I realised there were stories that needed telling. 

During my time, I worked as an English teacher to Montagnard refugees from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It was a dramatic and difficult refugee situation.

Babies were born in squalid conditions in refugee camps in Phnom Penh and I was able to take the very first photos for the families; families were resettled or sent home; people faced the prospect of never seeing their loved ones again." Read full text here

One of my primary uses of social media is sharing my photography.  I cover the lives and issues of vulnerable people. 

My subjects include Indigenous people, those living with disabilities, Refugees and Asylum Seekers and Forgotten Australians. 

Beth writes of  discovering the rich relationships that happen when a photographer meets another person. Some of the people I photograph survived institutional childhoods and have few if any images of themselves as children. They now cherish the images of their lives as adults. 

My commitment to photography means that I am able to walk into many situations with vulnerable people and they know my work is about promoting their lives and issues.

The high incidence of people tagging themselves in my Facebook albums is also a form of permission and sharing of these precious images.

I hope that Beth's blogpost will provoke more discussion about the role of photography both as social conscience and 'sanctifying act'