431 How can photography make an impact on social issues? Can it really have a tangible impact? I personally think many photographers are deluding themselves if they really believe their work has a significant impact. Because just publishing photos doesn't occur in a bubble, and doesn't do anything on its own. <p> To really understand what kind of impact photography may have, we have to consider how the publication is connected to other forces at work, otherwise we are not being honest to ourselves: if for an NGO, for example, how are these images going to be used? How are they embedded into a media campaign? We may not, of course, have any influence over decisions on how our pictures are used, but the greatest error is surely to think that just by working for an NGO it makes our work more justified or valuable than it would be otherwise. <p> In general, <i>we should ask whether are there any decision makers – in business, governmental or non-governmental circles - that will be impressed with the portrayal of the issue (that our images as part of) enough to make change.</I> <p> I anticipate the retort ‘I am just a photographer, and just get the message out' but isn’t this a tad lame? Can’t we do more that this? In not, we are photographers because of the medium we use, and we leave everything else up to the experts in the field, whether the issue be AIDS, homelessness, unemployment, etc. But I would like to think that as photographers we can strive for more and be more proactive in our approach. <p> If we really do care about an issue then surely it is not enough to simply publish photos. I doubt that anyone aiming solely at publication, even in the big magazines, has really thought through the real scope for impact. And to be honest I don’t think many photographers really do. Including most of the top professionals. Sure, photography cannot save the world, but we mustn’t think that we have done the best that we can when we see our images in a mass-circulated magazine with an albeit great reputation. <p> A big mistake, made by most 'social issue' photographers, is surely thinking that publishing these issues in magazines or even books is sufficient, and will make the best possible impact. Especially when their books have no relation to any organization conducting work that would benefit their subjects. Surely it makes sense, if you want your work to have the most impact, to connect it to such organizations? I think it’s simply not enough to claim “its making people aware”. Who? And how many people, which kind of people, with which kind of decision making power to change what? I can’t help thinking for some, its just feeding egos. They’d be better off doing fashion or sport. <p> There are many kind of photographers, and sure, not all of them profess to care about making positive changes, but for those of us who are not content just to rasise awareness in the mainstream media, we have to start thinking out of the box, because photography and the media does not occur in a box, and most photographers have not even begun to take seriously how photography may be connected to real interventions that make real impact on the disadvantaged. <p> I’d like to open up the discussion and request from anyone any ideas relating to, or awareness of any photography that is used in an innovative, practical way to make positive impacts on the disadvantaged. I don’t have the answers, and to a large extent this post is my attempt to confront my own frustrations and limits. But it would be interesting to hear about examples of: <p> - how photography has been used to promote positive change, - how publications have been connected to concrete projects which benefit the disadvantaged, - any assessments that have been made to gauge the impact of photography on stimulating change (suspect its very hard to measure) 52 2006-04-17T22:29:21Z 0 2008-03-12T12:54:26Z false 5062 false 3482 2006-04-21T20:50:10Z Beijing true false how-can-photography-really-make-a-positive-impact-20060417 1 2008-03-12T12:54:26Z 6874