Photography as Activism

Philosophy and psychology

“The contemplation of things as they are without error without confusion,

without substitution or imposture is in itself a nobler thing than a whole

harvest of inventions.”

1

Sir Francis Bacon

Since the documentary genre comprises the majority of activist

photography, it is important to define documentary for the purposes of

this book. The definition of documentary photography in the twenty-

first century is complex, multilayered, and nuanced. It is both process

and aesthetic and applies to a broad range of imagery, from traditional,

straight reportage-type images to the manipulated faux documentary

images that appear on gallery ...