Something to shout about? Why no megaphone?
Many of us would like to use photos, video and the web better in our social activism. Even in large organisations there may be few staff with the necessary expertise, and budgets for audio-visual materials can be comparably small.
On the face of it most people appear to buy into the old adage, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’, and are impressed by compelling photos and video. Yet when funding is tight and work load high we tend to fall back on what we know rather than try new ways to communicate. Little thought is thus given to how best to communicate well documented research for lobbying purposes and wider consumption by target audiences. We rely almost exclusively on throwing well formed arguments – often legal, policy or stats based – at our targets. Human stories can often be lost in this process and ‘visuals’ become a bolt-on – maybe a couple of photos dropped into a report or onto a webpage. The photos acting as page breaks so the eye does not get too bored. If we are talking about human lives then what more compelling testimony than showing them? That is not to denigrate the use of text but how much more powerful is it when combined with images?
It has almost become an in-joke amongst NGOs that ‘no one reads research reports’, and yet the need for more digestible alternatives have been slow to gain ground. We also tend to make a false distinction between the ‘general public’ (usually targeted for fundraising or campaigning) and decision makers, as if the latter will not be equally moved by compellingly illustrated stories of individual’s lives. So, colourful pamphlet for Mrs. Smith and weighty legal research report for the honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs. Remember – your targets are human too (although at times it may not seem like it!) and may appreciate something more closely resembling a visual ‘novel’ rather than a legal paper. It is also worth noting that one can be viewed in less than five minutes on a mobile device whilst being driven to a meeting and the other can easily gather dust on a desk in a stack of other lobbyist briefings.
If we consider what we have to say as social activists is important then surely we should try to make sure the right people hear? For too long social activists have considered the moral or ‘legal’ weight of what they bear witness to as compulsion enough for everyone to listen. Immersed in the issue it is easy to lose sight of others’ exposure and understanding of what you work on, leaving a rather large communication gap. The result – we make great effort to record the facts but dedicate much less time and resources to making sure the right people know about them and, just as importantly, can connect with them in a way that has meaning to them. In order to address these issues those who hold the purse stings, managers and researchers need to be better advised on the use of communication tools in maximising their organisations core work. Equally, campaigners need to be given training and advice on best practice – being linked with organisations and individuals who specialise in producing audio-visual campaign products – to make informed choices that are integrated into their campaigns.
At the other end of the spectrum are the photographers (and film makers and web designers). Even those who have experience in social documentation work will benefit from a better understanding of the workings of NGOs in order to help them produce the right product. Issues such as consent, protection of minors, representation and corporate branding will impact on the photographers work. The photographer should equally bring more than their technical competency by advising NGOs on what type of photos are possible, what would work best given their objectives, and editing / presentation. For this the photographer (and other communication expertise) should be brought in at an early stage in the development of a project to better integrate their thinking and the use of their images. If the photographer is briefed on the project early it allows them to do research and thinking that may prove valuable later on.
Changing Ideas
These issues are what The Rights Exposure Project is about – to learn how we can do this stuff better – starting with me! With this in mind I was interested to discover Changing Ideas a small UK based organisation that looks to explore the better use of photography in social activism.
I was especially interested to learn they were organising a workshop in Kolkata, India, bringing together photographers and local charities. A meeting and a few emails later Changing Ideas founder, David Graham, was kind enough to invite me to attend the last two days of the workshop to see how it worked myself.
Changing Ideas Kolkata workshop - copyright CJ Clarke
The Kolkata Project workshop was organised by Changing Ideas in partnership with Toscana Photographic Workshop for the first time between 14-22 March 2009. Bringing together twelve photographers from different backgrounds to work with half a dozen local charities, the aim is to train photographers to understand the needs of NGOs, and ultimately produce a set of images for the charities to use as they wish. The expert tuition and advice came from Alice Wynne Willson, former Director of Communications with Action Aid India, Cheryl Newman, Picture Editor of the Telegraph Magazine (UK), and photographer Jonathan Torgovnik. In addition David Graham and CJ Clarke from Changing Ideas led on organisation and facilitation.
I have yet to come across any similar workshops, though was informed by one participant of an initiative run in Uganda by the Maine Photographic Workshops – NGO Workshop. The main difference I am told is that in Uganda photographers were expected to identify charities to work with by themselves, which proved rather time consuming. As a pilot the Kolkata Project workshop predictably encountered some teething problems, however it also had much going for it and raised many questions on how useful similar initiatives could be?
The workshop focussed on training photographers rather than NGO staff. This played out in practice with only the photographers attending the class room sessions. The images produced were generally of a high standard, with a photojournalistic or documentary style. I asked CJ where this emphasis on ‘telling stories’ came from? Was this a reflection of perceived end use, the background of those who were running the workshop or preconceived ideas of the photographers?
“To a large extent this comes from photographers as, in the main, it is photojournalists or documentary photographers who work for NGO’s and, they are obviously trained to tell stories. However, this emphasis does also comes from some larger NGO’s who realise that telling stories is the best way to communicate the essence of a particular situation. It is also quite a good way to capture powerful pictures and testimony in a short space of time, which is often all you have on NGO assignments. I think there is nothing inherently wrong with telling stories but obviously problems arise when an NGO doesn’t quite know what it wants.”
This touches on a couple of issues;
- A good understanding of the end us of the photos is vital at the beginning of the process. For this the NGO must know why it wants to use them and how? Fundamentally, how will they contribute to your objectives? If you are running a workshop be sure to cover this issue as it will benefit the NGOs to do this kind of thinking.
- Photographers need to be able to contribute towards an NGOs communication brief as well as be able to work to it. As such, training workshops should provide photographers with a diversity of NGOs / briefs to work with. Photographers should have to produce images for different types of products to diversify their skills. A reportage approach may be too narrow.
It struck me that at the Kolkata workshop it would have been useful for the NGOs to be more integrated into the training, rather than just be recipients of the images. Most of the NGOs were very small, providing education and health facilities for marginalised communities and children in Kolkata. As such they have little experience of using photos or the funding to produce materials that use them. Several of the photographers pointed out that the charities they were assigned to did not have a good idea of what they wanted photographs for. However, the photographers were provided with support in establishing what the charity required. This is a crucial issue – who brings what to the table? The charity must have clear objectives, and the photographer clear ideas on how to contribute to these visually.
Given this;
- Such workshops should provide communication training sessions for NGOs, including a bit of theory and practical advice on appropriate and affordable uses for photos. Even if the NGOs have communication departments, researchers and campaign staff would benefit from such training.
- NGOs should have a briefing or training sessions prior to meeting the photographers in order to come to decisions on what they want the photographer to help them with.
- Including NGOs with a broad set of activities, including advocacy, fund raising, education and community media will give photographers a better understanding of what NGOs do with images.
Changing Ideas Kolkata workshop - copyright CJ Clarke
The workshop took place in Kolkata mainly due to costs, accessibility to NGOs, and the organiser’s existing contacts. The majority of photographers who attended were from the US and Western Europe. Two local photographers were invited, with one attending. The organisers are looking into expanding the inclusion of local photographers at a highly subsidised rate, maybe on a 50/50 split. This would be a positive step, both for the photographers and the NGOs, who may be better able to maintain a working relationship over time.
Most of the photographers at the workshop complained of having too little time to shoot their photographs. Certainly, being assigned to a particular charity prior to arriving would have allowed them the opportunity to do some background reading and thinking. However, such a workshop is unlikely to allow photographers time for an in depth study of an issue, and as CJ rightly points out, “In the real world you never have enough time and have to learn how to work fast to fulfil your brief.”
The last few days of the workshop focussed on the photographers producing slide shows consisting of around 25 images. These were shown on the final evening, with staff from the local NGOs attending. The slideshows were professionally produced, with audio descriptions. This certainly made for a fitting closure to the workshop and a feel good factor on a job well done. However, the usefulness of these as a product was questioned by a couple of the participants and organisers. One suggestion is in future for participants to focus on producing mock-ups of potential materials that the NGO would like to produce e.g. leaflets, postcards, webpage, poster etc. Local graphic design students could be invited to advise and assist the NGOs – which may also result in a sustainable relationship.
Most of the participating photographers indicated that they are interested in continuing to support the NGO they worked with, including in how the photos are used. Several participants emphasized the need for the organisers to also support the NGOs in end use, plus evaluate the usage in order to refine the workshops in future. This evaluation, including the outputs from previous workshops could be used to help both NGOs and photographers in the future.
- Although the Kolkata project workshop provided actual experience in working with NGOs, workshops of this kind do not necessarily have to have this practical element. Much could be achieved through purely class room sessions involving NGO staff and photographers. Workshops that purely train NGO staff in communications and the different media that is available would also open up options for their work.
- If training is to involve small NGOs then follow-up support should be given. Local photographers are best placed to do this, so consider where to hold your workshop and who to invite. It may be appealing for individuals to travel to a ‘cool’ or interesting location but this needs to be balanced against issues such as sustainability and the environment.
- If your training does include a practical element see if it can be used to work towards a useful end product. The emphasis should be on what the NGO needs, rather than contributing primarily to the photographers portfolio – after all in the real world photographers will need to produce what the NGOs want.
- Basic photographic and video skills should be provided to NGO staff who do field research or work with rights claimants. Opportunities to capture useful images can then be maximised.
After the workshop ended I visited two of the NGOs who had photographers assigned to them with CJ Clarke. They were both very small, with minimal funding. They were very happy with the experience and grateful for the photos, and it was obvious that they intended to try to use them to the best of their ability. The impression I got from these visits and interviews with participants was that most of the NGOs would use the photos for fundraising. I did wonder how many of the photographers would in the future work on a professional level with this size of charity? Most of the photographers I talked to were using the workshop to further or shift their career, and would seem more likely to be aiming at working with large well funded organisations or European / US based media. So, it may be useful to include in the training a component on working with large NGOs, where communications and campaign staff are in place and may have good ideas of what images they want and how to use them.
One question remains for me, ‘Are there really so few training opportunities like this?’ There are hundreds of different training courses offered in the non-profit sector, but I have never come across one that focuses on the use of audio-visual materials for social activism. For sure, there is a growing trend in ‘participatory’ initiatives, but these focus on the rights claimants rather than the professional sector. Changing Ideas should be congratulated as stepping up to the plate and trying to bridge the gap between the professional image makers and NGOs. I will watch with interest how their initiative develops, and continue to look similar initiatives.
Filed under: Article, Photography, Training Tagged: | Asia, India, NGO, photographers, South Asia
