As the name of the paper suggests, this chapter explores how photography can be used for the better of today and how we can use the medium to inform and educate the viewer. This genre of photography was soon labelled documentary photography, a genre which ‘although fact based, succeeds best when it informs both the intellect and the emotions.’ Michelle Bogre, the author goes on to dicuss two of the main practitioners involved in establishing documentary as a genre of photography in the early to mid-1900s, John Grierson and Edward Steichen. There is a debate within this chapter as to whether documentary photographer can explicitly tell just the truth and how by the way the message is delivered through an image depends on the photographer and their ability to record an event as objectively as possible.
Bogre further talks about not just photographers solo but activists, and how, as a group they are able to be ‘more empathetic’ and ‘more often moved by what they see.’ As this is because they are more involved with the cause and know a lot more about it whether as someone like a photographer or journalist perhaps isn’t in the situation to help straight away but document primarily. Journalist Kristen Ashburn talks in this chapter about how as a reporter the main rule in her job is “you don’t get involved. You are there to cover a story.” However, by covering a story as truthfully and as well as possible, this can be a way to help, as in order to an activist to become an activist they need to be educated on a problem first. Bogre makes a point of how documentary photography is as close to the truth as we can get. However with many different photographers capturing different elements of our world today, how do we, as viewers know that each image is as close to the truth as possible.
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