On "The Social Photograph."

Photography as a documentary activity has transformed with new technological developments. Photographers must also take into account the consequences of photographing people whose publicized images might endanger then from oppressive governmental forces. All these developments in photography may require photographers to take into account the possibility that their subjects can also be collaborators. When marginalized people are given cameras they often do not take the usual pictures of destruction and despair that are the realm of the new photographer. Besides the bombings and killings and houses, amateurs often take photographs of daily life that can be ecstatic and optimistic in the face of looming tragedy. Ritchin makes the distinction between the amateur photographer and the professional, who he feels is too inclined to take a particular type of photograph, who already knows what the message of the photograph may be; the amateur, without being held back by technical or philosophical issues, may bring a sense of authenticity to their photograph that is lacking in many professional photographs. The subject matter of these marginalized people is as simple as taking pictures of daily life--this is what they see on a daily basis and why is it not more authentic then the photographs of daring rescues, or a landscapes torn by war. Sometimes the professional is caught up in getting a particular type of photo that often asks to shock the viewer into action. These photographs have become essentially stock images in the canon of new photography; their authenticity is questioned because we have become numbed to their message--what Ritchin mentions is called "compassion fatigue."
Ritchin then makes the case that technology can again provide us with a new viewing experience of images. The interactive photo essay by Robert Noth and Antoinette de Jong is one essay that attempts to bring a visual identification of the victims from nuclear radiation. One is able to look at the photograph and then scroll over the image to be provided with more information on the subjects. This online photoessay has brought greater interaction between readers and has even effected governmental change for these people suffering from the effects of man made disaster. It is Ritchin's view that it is not that people are completely numb to the plight of others. It is instead the large amounts of imagery that attempt to evoke in us a sense of empathy that we become used to those images, and their credibility to incite in us a sense of empathy has diminished. It is up to photographers and writers to create new vehicles for discussion that take into account the collaboration of the subjects, and also the input of views from readers.