Photography as Activism: Images for Social Change

Photographic images are one of the most popular tools used to advocate for social and environmental awareness. Photographers have witnessed, interpreted, exposed, and addressed obvious problems such as child labor, AIDS, famine, war, and the plight of refugees and migrant workers. For example, landscape photographers such as William Henry Jackson and Ansel Adams trudged to Washington with stunning images of the American west to advocate protecting these areas. Their images and testimony were instrumental in creating the National Park System and garnering specific protection for Yellowstone National Park. More recently Robert Glenn Ketchum's images of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge raised awareness of why this area should be protected. This book will provide a comprehensive theory of, and history of, photography as activism. It also will include interviews with contemporary photographers, both well known and lesser known. It will be a call to action for young photographers to become activists, a primer of sorts, with advice for how to work with NGOs and non-profits, how to work safely in conflict zones and with suggestions for distribution on websites, blogs, and interactive agencies. * we are in times of change and turmoil, and this book is all about using photos to evoke change * full of full-color images by both well-known photographers and lesser-known photographers * will show the budding activist photographer how to get exposure * covers major topics of activism such as: famine, war, environment, and much more