Photography as Activism

posted by Kree Thawley

There are many ways that a photograph can crossover into the realm of activism – photography can serve as a memorial for lives lost, a visual claiming of space, and a way to humanize narratives. It can inspire and prompt action and awareness, bringing attention to issues that might not be commonly known and making those that are known feel more real and impactful to the viewer through an employment of visual language. The photo itself can be a tangible form of activism or it can be related in a more nuanced way - but regardless of how a visual image is employed in campaigning for social and political change, labelling photography as a form of activism allows us to view the camera in a whole new way. For this blog post, and in alignment with Denver’s Month of Photography, I’d love to touch on just a few of the ways that photographic images can bleed into the realm of activism. 

Historical Humanitarian Crises

Let’s talk history for a moment – although photographic images did not single-handedly have the ability to end slavery, permit women to vote, or spark a civil rights movement, the medium has absolutely played a part in both pivotal historic moments and wider paradigm shifts. Take Sojourner Truth for example – a former slave who as a free woman, began to travel around the country speaking against slavery and for women’s rights. To fund her speaking tours, Truth sold cartes de visite, or small photographs of herself (Blakemore). The images were pocket-sized, easy to distribute, and served as visual manifestations of her story and her mission. They were basically a vintage form of viral marketing, allowing Truth to spread her word and image, becoming a well-known activist in the realms of abolition, women’s rights, and civil rights.

Cartes de visite of Sojourner Truth, Public Domain

Photographs can have an impact on what crises and catastrophes we give our attention to (Peeples 374). For the viewer, a picture might not only represent or prompt dialogue surrounding a reality, but instead might actually create it. Lewis Hine is another historical example of someone who used the power of a visual image to sway public awareness and opinion. In the early 1900’s, children were being rampantly exploited for cheap labor in mills, factories, mines, farms, and on the streets. Hine, previously a schoolteacher, joined the National Child Labor Committee and lied to gain access to various workplaces, where he would use photography as a tool to not only expose, but to personalize, what was happening. When people saw the actual children involved instead of just hearing or knowing about the problem, it brought about a much stronger sense of empathy. Hine taking these images and allowing the public to see real and emotionally jarring images of youth hardened by unjust labor eventually helped to change the laws surrounding child labor (Pantall). 

Lewis Hine, images of working children / U.S. National Archives Collection

Environmentalism  

Carleton Watkins, a highly acclaimed early western photographer, is in part known for his stunning images of Yosemite Valley which helped convince Congress to support the act that designated the area as the nation’s first federally protected wilderness area (Burke). His images introduced the general public to “virgin” wilderness landscapes and showed people that nature is separate from culture and that therefore certain measures must be taken to protect it from such. To better comprehend how landscape photography can hold such visual power, it’s helpful to be familiar with some technical terms – the sublime, the domesticated sublime, the technological sublime, and the toxic sublime. The sublime is “an intense passion rooted in horror, fear, or terror in the face of objects that suggest vastness, infinity, power, massiveness, mystery, and death” (Burke) and it is not possible to experience it in any other way but being present in it, or in this case, in nature. Any photographs taken that try to capture the natural sublime are representative of the domesticated sublime. Watkin’s images captured the natural sublime and channeled it into a domesticated sublime that was still awe-inspiring enough to provoke intrigue over the American landscape and sway Congressional opinion toward preservation and conversation of these majestic places, thus sparking environmentalism.

(IMPORTANT NOTE - although the birth of environmentalism and the general desire to preserve nature is important and rich with good intention, it is critical to acknowledge that early conservation practices and the establishment of a National Park System is inherently colonialist – many of these lands were in fact only “virgin” to white westerners and subsequently were “preserved” at the cost of Indigenous lives and well-being. Yes, early environmentalism was activism, but at what cost?)

Yosemite Valley from Mariposa Trail, Carleton Watkins, image courtesy of Library of Congress

El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, Carleton Watkins, image courtesy of Library of Congress

The technological sublime treads into the territory of human achievement and ability – it is still the sublime, but more-so has to do with any technological or industrial leaps humans have taken (Burke). A photograph of Earth from outer space could be seen as the technological sublime because of the steps and accomplishments that were necessary to obtain the photo. Lastly, the toxic sublime is the negative counterpart to the technological sublime, sharing with it a state of awe toward human capability, but “countering that marvel with alarm for the immensity of destruction one witnesses” (Peeples 380). There are photographers that capture images of the toxic sublime to increase awareness regarding how much humans have harmed this planet, which still is a plea for cognizance, preservation, and conservation, just from the other side of the spectrum. It is reactive instead of proactive, because in this contemporary sense, we are running out of time. In almost direct contrast to the natural sublime, which inspires and humbles, is the toxic sublime, “calling to question the personal, social, and environmental ethics that allow places of contamination to exist” (Peeples 380). For an image to capture the toxic sublime, it must simultaneously be aesthetically beautiful and representative of what is toxic. Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer that takes images reflective of this toxic sublime – his photos are haunting and beautiful, to the point where sometimes the viewer doesn’t even know what they are looking at. At first glance, it’s an eye-catching composition, but what he is capturing is large-scale destruction, contamination, and the aftermath of human innovation, industrialism, and convenience. The element of beauty tends to pull the viewer in, only for them to revile once they learn what the image is of. 

Nickel Tailings #30, © Edward Burtynsky, https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/projects/photographs/tailings

Rock of Ages #4, © Edward Burtynsky, https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/projects/photographs/quarries

Phone as Camera, Selfies, and Digital Social Movements 

These days, most people in developed nations have cell phones with cameras on them, sparking dialogue around the idea that “anyone can be a photographer now,” whether stated with positive or negative undertones. But I think it’s even more interesting to consider how the average citizen or cell phone user might use photography as activism, whether knowingly or not. You might be surprised, but there’s quite a bit of scholarly discussion out there surrounding the “selfie.” One notion is that the selfie “features the corporeal self, understood in relation to the surrounding physical space, filtered through the digital device, and destined for social networks” (Hess 1630) and as such, are more than just disposable photographs, instead providing a way to view the relationship between the self, technology, materiality, and networks (Hess 1631). Many people think that taking a selfie is in itself, reflective of activism, serving as an assertion of the self and a claiming or re-claiming of space (Bowles). In this increasingly connected world we live in, one could argue that the claiming of digital space means more than how it might seem on a surface level – many are quick to judge selfies because they are popular amongst younger age groups and tweens, but the youth are the future, so it’s intriguing to pay attention to how they express themselves, their surroundings, and their thoughts. With social media platforms holding more and more weight, we see plenty of hashtag activism that is often accompanied by selfies, removing the selfie from a realm of narcissism and into one of claiming public space and opinion (Katz). Online platforms have become a critical area for social movements because of ease of connectivity, lowered barriers to access, and an inherently broad reach (Liu, Ford, Parnin, Dabbish 5). Some movements surround bringing attention to an issue in a particular area. In 2014, citizens all across Tunisia took “trash selfies” to highlight the country’s growing waste problem. In 2015, Florida and Texas lawmakers tried making it illegal for transgender folx to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, and as such, the #wejustneedtopee and #occupotty hashtags became popular (Bowles) as a way to claim digital and physical space all at once. There is power in collective identity and solidarity and tapping into all of that is easier than ever in the digital age. 

1. Blakemore, E. (2016, July 28). How Sojourner Truth used photography to help end slavery. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-sojourner-truth-used-photography-help-end-slavery-180959952/
   

2. Bowles, N. (2015, March 16). That selfie ISN'T Self-Love -- it's activism. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2015/3/16/11560286/that-selfie-isnt-self-love-its-activism
   

3. Burke, E. (2014). A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful: With an introductory discourse concerning taste ; and several other additions. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
   

4. Hess, A. (n.d.). Selfies: The SELFIE ASSEMBLAGE. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3147/1389
   

5. Katz, L. (2014, May 10). Say it with a selfie: Protesting in the age of social media. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/05/10/311143584/say-it-with-a-selfie-protesting-in-the-age-of-social-media
   

6. Liu, F., Ford, D., Parnin, C., & Dabbish, L. (2017). Selfies as Social Movements: Influences on Participation and Perceived Impact on Stereotypes. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 1(CSCW), 1-21.
   

7. Pantall, C. (2019, September 03). Is there such a thing as an activist photographer? Retrieved from https://witness.worldpressphoto.org/is-there-such-a-thing-as-an-activist-photographer-18f3798f4ad6
   

8. Peeples, J. (2011). Toxic sublime: Imaging contaminated landscapes. Environmental Communication, 5(4), 373-392.