Organization Promotional Videos versus Picture Documentation

In the light of this week's topic about visual documentation, and the power and problems it presents, especially when portraying human suffering, I wanted to share a promotional video for the organization I'm working with (Coaching Corps).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44pTRVsdrxA

I really want to hear what you all think of their portrayal of these low income children and their suffering.

According to Coaching Corps there are over 21 million children in the U.S. living in low income circumstances. The video really attempts to draw on the viewers emotions to make us sympathize for these children and Coaching Corps's cause. What is different about this form of visual documentation versus what was discussed in the articles for the week is that this is a video and not simply a picture. Schonberg and Bourgois go into the great benefits of pictures, but also there drawbacks as they are open to interpretation. The "thousand words" they express could be a "thousand lies" depending on who in the public is viewing the image. That's why they emphasize the importance of context and a small line of description below the image. However with videos, that context is inherently embedded. Thus it is more effective. The only issue is pictures are much more accessible and easier to advertise on a large scale, which videos are a more complex form of media.

So can a technological movement towards videos help correct the faults within the portrayal of suffering through pictures? Or do videos introduce a whole other set of issues in the depiction of human suffering? Is the way this video uses children, music etc. to make us feel sympathetic an even larger wrong or simply a part of the context?

Is There Responsibility in Photography ?

Recently, I have become made aware of a trend of poverty related photography collections. There are layers to the discomfort I feel when it comes to this sort of photography. First, I believe that the individuals being depicted are being exploited for the opportunistic motives of fame, money, or etc. on behalf of the photographer. In addition to the exploitation of the subjects in the photos, many times the excruciating photos stir up emotions and yet do nothing to help this individuals whatsoever.  The only way collection serves any efforts to uplift these individuals from their place in poverty is by making others aware of that their extent of poverty exists.

Furthermore, capturing images of poverty is not a new element of photography. However, in previous years many time the photographer capturing the images was a by product of the surrounding community when it was in the United States. Today, there has been a new trend for what has been coined by some as "white-guy photography." No, this does not just mean that a white man is the photographer. Instead, "white guy photography," refers to the tendency for white individual leaving their life of privilege to move to/ or visit those impoverished areas only to capture these images. While I understand capturing images from a trip or practice experience from another country, I don't know if I support the for-profit use of these exploitive photos. Many times, I have come across the biographies of photographers or summaries about how the poverty image collections come to fruition and all of these "white guy photography" collections have almost identical descriptions. Many of these collections start off as an after affect from a "white guy," leaving his happily content life of well-paying employment for some reason or another to find "his calling" and ends up in photography telling someone else's story, for their own personal benefit.

My concern in this is the lack of assistance these collections gives back to the subjects of the pictures, the poor. This is where the exploitation comes into play. While the photographers are doing their part in making the greater public aware that such depths of poverty exist, the lack of any action plan affiliated with helping the subject is disheartening. I do admit that spreading awareness of this poverty is beneficial, since there are some individuals that would never see it otherwise. However, I am not convinced that their work is sufficient. I understand the social documentary aspect, but I just think that in this day and age that incorporating some sort of assistance is more than possible. Maybe I am expecting a bit much?


I found an interesting article that elaborates on the power of photography to change our views on poverty:

PHOTOGRAPHY CHANGES OUR AWARENESS OF POVERTY


Below are three examples:

Humans of New York Project
A Citigroup Trader Took These Pictures Of New York Prostitutes
East NY and Brownsville

Behind the Bodies of Transvestites and Boxers: A Conversation With Paz Errazuriz

            She uttered the last words I would ever expect to come from the mouth of a elderly Chilean woman. “My latest project is S&M”. Paz Errazuriz, distinguished photographer and artist, was full of spunk and a hint of sass as she engaged in conversation with Francine Masiello, expert on Latin American literature, Tuesday night in Sutardja Dai Hall.  Paz Errazuriz’ collection consists of intimate black and white portraits of those on “the margins of society”.  This includes a spectrum of people such as transvestites, amateur boxers, the last women of the endangered Mapuche tribe, and patients in mental hospitals.  If Errasuriz was not bold enough in choosing her rather taboo subjects, she certainly adds another layer of precariousness by conducting her work during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, which implemented censorship.  By capturing the images of her marginalized subjects, she gave them soundless voices and preserved their histories during a time when memory was abolished.

             Errasuriz’ images capture a rare vulnerability within her subjects, whether they are a mentally disabled couple holding hands or a boxer about to enter the ring.  Through her camera lens, she dismantles all ego and gives the viewer insight into pure human fragility.  Though her physical work is produced into prints, she was adamant on explaining that much of her work is done by spending time with her subjects and establishing trust before photographing them.  Errasuriz claims that she has never paid any of her subjects to take their picture, and considers most of the people to be her friends.  As a portrait of a transvestite poised on a mattress is illuminated behind her on a PowerPoint, Errasuriz contests, “More than the body, I tried to see behind them.”
             This point alludes to the idea of portraying global poverty, which becomes all the more literal with the GPP minor photo requirements on our PE.  Errasuriz’ insistence on establishing trust between photographer and subject resonated with me, particularly because the women I will be working with in Peru have a past relationship with having their portraits taken.  Because indigenous people in Peru lack access to economic resources, many of the women dressed in traditional clothing in Cusco will have their pictures taken standing next to tourists for a fee, generating meager wages for themselves.  I believe it is important to ask why tourists feel inclined to take these photographs, how they will be used, and if and where they will be posted.  Though photography has become an artistic medium accessible to the every being with a smart phone, the subject behind the camera remains a person with a story.
             The discussion with Paz Errasuriz reinforced the importance of the art of photography as preservation of the memories of those who would otherwise be forgotten.  Viewing the depth of her work allows the viewer to understand the importance of trust between photographer and subject.
             To come full circle, Errasuriz’ previous collections are currently being displayed in BAM for the first time in the United States.  Stay tuned for her future work that she has foretold will include blind people and S&M.