Comments for Imaging Famine blog http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog Towards a revisualization of 'Africa' and the majority world Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Comment on Representing the Majority World: Famine, Photojournalism and the Changing Visual Economy by Rethinking the famine story: a multimedia series on food insecurity | International Multimedia Journalism http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/06/representing-the-majority-world-famine-photojournalism-and-the-changing-visual-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-211 Rethinking the famine story: a multimedia series on food insecurity | International Multimedia Journalism Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:13:00 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=164#comment-211 [...] video series saw Clark put into practice many of the questions he had research in his PhD thesis, Representing the Majority World. Uppermost in his mind was the desire to avoid traditional famine imagery, even though – as [...] [...] video series saw Clark put into practice many of the questions he had research in his PhD thesis, Representing the Majority World. Uppermost in his mind was the desire to avoid traditional famine imagery, even though – as [...]

]]> Comment on And now for more of the same… by kb worden http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/12/sudan-child-stereotype/comment-page-1/#comment-190 kb worden Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:31:22 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=190#comment-190 Well, look at the photo that heads this "Imaging Famine Bog." The photographer looks like he's doing a shoot of a model..."Put your elbow up, darling...that's right, now step to the left a bit..."-- it's exploitative. We are either shown the lone child or the lone dictator. For the first, there is no context with the second, from which we just see the ubiquitous corruption which is, yawn, normal. Now, connect them. Like it was said on "The World" 08/02/2011 8:15 EST: show the dictator's thugs keeping the children from the drinking water. THAT is where "attention must be paid." Karen Well, look at the photo that heads this “Imaging Famine Bog.” The photographer looks like he’s doing a shoot of a model…”Put your elbow up, darling…that’s right, now step to the left a bit…”– it’s exploitative.

We are either shown the lone child or the lone dictator. For the first, there is no context with the second, from which we just see the ubiquitous corruption which is, yawn, normal. Now, connect them. Like it was said on “The World” 08/02/2011 8:15 EST: show the dictator’s thugs keeping the children from the drinking water. THAT is where “attention must be paid.”
Karen

]]> Comment on Famine photographs and the need for careful critique by Kristen Davis http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/05/famine-photographs-and-the-need-for-careful-critique/comment-page-1/#comment-189 Kristen Davis Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:54:57 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=27#comment-189 I just heard the tail end of your piece on Famine Photographs and was glad to learn that there is some discussion of this issue. I am a 50 year old American woman who has devoted much of my life to learning about the welfare of children. While I was still in college, I had the surreal experience of seeing a photograph of a Caucasian child near starvation. I believe the photograph came out of Roumania. I can hardly describe the sense of shame and confusion I felt at realizing that this image shocked me in a new way. I had grown up in the Vietnam era, and become somehow numbed to the sight of brown-skinned children suffering, the children of Africa starving. That single photograph of a child in another part of the world seen (by me) for the first time in a condition similar to that of all the other children from those decades threw everything into a different perspective. I don't know the answer to this dilemma, except to say that I felt ashamed of my childhood 'detachment', of the strange assumption I had slowly developed about the children in Africa,which was broken that day by that one photograph. I just heard the tail end of your piece on Famine Photographs and was glad to learn that there is some discussion of this issue. I am a 50 year old American woman who has devoted much of my life to learning about the welfare of children. While I was still in college, I had the surreal experience of seeing a photograph of a Caucasian child near starvation. I believe the photograph came out of Roumania. I can hardly describe the sense of shame and confusion I felt at realizing that this image shocked me in a new way. I had grown up in the Vietnam era, and become somehow numbed to the sight of brown-skinned children suffering, the children of Africa starving. That single photograph of a child in another part of the world seen (by me) for the first time in a condition similar to that of all the other children from those decades threw everything into a different perspective. I don’t know the answer to this dilemma, except to say that I felt ashamed of my childhood ‘detachment’, of the strange assumption I had slowly developed about the children in Africa,which was broken that day by that one photograph.

]]> Comment on Representing the Majority World: Famine, Photojournalism and the Changing Visual Economy by Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/06/representing-the-majority-world-famine-photojournalism-and-the-changing-visual-economy/comment-page-1/#comment-185 Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:38:28 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=164#comment-185 [...] Representing the Majority World: Famine, Photojournalism and the Changing Visual Economy [...] [...] Representing the Majority World: Famine, Photojournalism and the Changing Visual Economy [...]

]]> Comment on Starved for Attention – malnutrition in context? by Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/06/starved-for-attention/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:26:40 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=150#comment-184 [...] Starved for Attention- Malnutrition in context? [...] [...] Starved for Attention- Malnutrition in context? [...]

]]> Comment on The stereotype of the ‘African’ child by Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/06/the-stereotype-of-the-african-child/comment-page-1/#comment-183 Starvation Photography – The ethics of capturing human suffering « Dochasnetwork's Blog Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:23:15 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=154#comment-183 [...] The Stereotype of “The African Child” [...] [...] The Stereotype of “The African Child” [...]

]]> Comment on “Haiti and the truth about NGOs” – radio documentary by The problem with regarding the photography of suffering as ‘pornography’ | David Campbell http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2011/01/haiti-and-the-truth-about-ngos/comment-page-1/#comment-111 The problem with regarding the photography of suffering as ‘pornography’ | David Campbell Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:54:50 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=198#comment-111 [...] sure. The size and vitality of the charity sector (see here), whatever the problems with NGOs (see here), might be evidence of on-going ethical commitments. Are photographs of suffering a threat to [...] [...] sure. The size and vitality of the charity sector (see here), whatever the problems with NGOs (see here), might be evidence of on-going ethical commitments. Are photographs of suffering a threat to [...]

]]> Comment on And now for more of the same… by David Campbell http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/12/sudan-child-stereotype/comment-page-1/#comment-77 David Campbell Wed, 22 Dec 2010 15:04:59 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=190#comment-77 As I understand it, SCF, in conjunction with LCC, has been conducting some research on which sorts of images provoke what sorts of response. Here's hoping they make some findings public in the new year. This sort of research is likely to be a combination of focus groups and qualitative analysis rather than statistical surveys. Content analysis of selected media outlets or platforms would be another way to go. One thing we might find is some variation in the range of images being produced compared to the narrower selection used or published. As I understand it, SCF, in conjunction with LCC, has been conducting some research on which sorts of images provoke what sorts of response. Here’s hoping they make some findings public in the new year. This sort of research is likely to be a combination of focus groups and qualitative analysis rather than statistical surveys. Content analysis of selected media outlets or platforms would be another way to go. One thing we might find is some variation in the range of images being produced compared to the narrower selection used or published.

]]> Comment on And now for more of the same… by duckrabbit http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/12/sudan-child-stereotype/comment-page-1/#comment-75 duckrabbit Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:26:04 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=190#comment-75 Interesting. Save The Children also used such an advert in banner ads on The Guardian website (I took a screen grab earlier this year). That is a clear editorial decision that a 'shocking image' is the best one to get people to donate. Wouldn't it be a good idea just to test which images provoke the 'best response? Of course how we define 'best' is critical to the debate. This is quite easy to to do, just use two different banner ads with different images and evaluate the response. Interesting.

Save The Children also used such an advert in banner ads on The Guardian website (I took a screen grab earlier this year). That is a clear editorial decision that a ‘shocking image’ is the best one to get people to donate.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea just to test which images provoke the ‘best response? Of course how we define ‘best’ is critical to the debate.

This is quite easy to to do, just use two different banner ads with different images and evaluate the response.

]]> Comment on And now for more of the same… by Glenna Gordon http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/index.php/2010/12/sudan-child-stereotype/comment-page-1/#comment-74 Glenna Gordon Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:02:14 +0000 http://www.imaging-famine.org/blog/?p=190#comment-74 I wish I had evidence - I think my point about the statistical survey is that I don't. I don't think these are the kinds of things that can be measured without a team of statisticians, and while I'm hoping my statistician brother will lend me weeks of his time, until then, I think all we can do is keep collecting instances that show both sides of this and try and test the waters for which way the tides are turning. I wish I had evidence – I think my point about the statistical survey is that I don’t. I don’t think these are the kinds of things that can be measured without a team of statisticians, and while I’m hoping my statistician brother will lend me weeks of his time, until then, I think all we can do is keep collecting instances that show both sides of this and try and test the waters for which way the tides are turning.

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