Lauren Walsh: On conflict photography

In this episode, we talk with Lauren Walsh about conflict photography. Lauren first discusses her career trajectory, explaining her shift from English literature to photojournalism due to her sustained interest in storytelling and ethical issues.  She explores who consent forms are designed to protect and stresses the need for ethical considerations in relation to photojournalists’ mental wellbeing. Lauren grapples with the issue of ethical viewership in relation to fast paced encounters of suffering on social media. There is a discussion of perceptions of photojournalism within academia, she also dispels myths that the general public have about conflict photography.

What you’ll find inside: 

On consent forms: “I wouldn’t want a one size fits all form cause I think depending on what’s being documented it can radically shift what you need to protect for… if it is a setting where you think somebody could be at risk because of your work, I do think it is fair to think it through very very deeply and potentially offer them the opportunity to talk to you about it.”(20.42)

“I don’t have hard and fast answers a lot of what I do – and this is how I think of a lot of ethics – winds up in grey zones where it’s really hard to give like here’s the one exact rule you need to follow every time. For me part of the process is advocating or asking photographers to think more critically, in ways that I don’t think that the industry usually train them to think.” (22.37)

“A photojournalist should be paid for their work because it is a job and if they are documenting someone else’s hardship, it brings these two uncomfortable realities together… this is a vital job if we don’t pay into it then we lose what photojournalism or journalism broadly contributes to society. Which is keeping an eye on what is happening around the world particularly where we can’t be, exposing injustices, making us aware.” (26.07)

“Preliminary data is showing 85% of journalists are reporting a traumatic episode on the job, that’s an enormous percentage. About 10% are reporting thoughts of suicide.” (35.24)

“I also wouldn’t ever make the claim that photojournalism matters more than what might be happening locally in a photojournalist’s community. I say that almost from an advocacy position, as at least where I am based in in the United States like local journalism is really hurting here and the smaller newsrooms and the smaller publications are dwindling. I think actually community and local are reporting is so vital to the health of a community”. (39.44)

What does photography ethics mean to Lauren? 

“Thinking through all aspects of the photo, the photojournalist before they pick up the camera, when they’re in front of whatever they’re documenting, before they file the image to an editor and then seeing where the images goes … I think they should operate in a way that should aim to reduce any harm to whatever story they’re working on and I also think the industry has the obligation to reduce any harm for its media workers too.” (40.47)

Links:

The Cruel Radiance: Photography and Political Violence by Susie Linfield

Conversations on Conflict Photography by Lauren Walsh

Art Works Projects

Archiving the Troubles in Northern Ireland by Savannah Dodd

Biography of a Photo

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell