THOUGHTS ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIOLOGY

 HARALABOS GIANNACOPOULOS

A GENERAL STATEMENT

Although the interest of sociologists in photography is of great value, I think that it is the enlarging awareness on the part of photographers of the need to be aware of what they photograph, therefore of their need for deeper understanding of society in its evolution and of social phenomena and problems, that is of even greater value.  In any case, sociology, with main media of expression and function the written text and speech, logos, will eventually continue its work of studying and understanding social developments. Whether sociological studies will be able to use photography and generally images towards this end, I think it is of secondary importance.

Undoubtedly, photography can enhance sociological texts by multiplying their influencing power. They do not add, however, much to the essence of sociological research and to the understanding of social developments. In other words, sociologists or generally speaking social  scientists can do their job without the use of an image, while the image when recruited in addition to the written text ads a visual perception or ability to perceive social reality, which should not be underestimated considering that the mission of sociology is not only the understanding of social reality but also the awareness of this reality by part or the whole of society, a necessary prerequisite for corrective interventions and social changes. For example, there were photos accompanying the findings of sociological surveys on child labor and the miserable living conditions of immigrants in the US, at the beginning of last century, that impressed American public opinion and increased awareness and exercise of public pressure that led eventually to improved social and political reforms bettering leaving and working conditions for large parts of the population of the USA.

If the sociologist’s use of imagery accompanying and supporting his texts is useful, the same holds for the photographer’s use of sociological knowledge. Photographers functioned for a long period without special social education and in most areas professional photographers continues functioning successfully having special ability in operating the camera, which is the tool of their expression. In advertising, for example, the photographer does not necessarily need deeper sociological education in order to produce technically good images that will increase the sales of the advertized products, which, in that case, is the goal of his work.

The point where photographic expression intersects with sociological knowledge is in the broader field of informing, of recording and understanding of social phenomena. In the case of reporting, and especially of research, of investigative journalism, the photographer or photojournalist, using as means of research and expression images, can only handle the complex social, political, economic and other themes he has to cover only if he is able to understand them because simply one cannot externalize or express something that has not internalized or understood. In other words, we cannot express something if we have not been able to understand it. And of course understanding requires systematic observation, questioning, investigating and collecting information, verifying or rejecting the original hypotheses that emerge from the initial observations. This is the only way to get to reality, to truth, no matter what means are used both in the study and in the expression stage. A photographer, therefore, who engages in investigating and reporting on social phenomena and problems, needs, beyond technical training, a sociological approach, or at least familiarity with sociological research methodology.

 

ABOUT THEIR SIMULTANEOUS APPEARANCE

Most studies or references to the relation of sociology to photography point to their simultaneous appearance, in the early 19th century. As Howard Becker points out: “Photography and sociology have about the same birth date, if we accept the birth of sociology as the first publication of Comte’s work, and the birth of photography as the date in 1839, when Daguerre published his method of fixing an image on a metal plate. From the beginning both have worked in many different fields. Among them was the exploration of society”.

Sociology, in distinction from philosophical and political studies, can be considered as an attempt to study and understand concrete social phenomena and problems, as well as the coherence and evolution of society itself. Furthermore, sociology as a branch of scientific research and study is largely the result of the development of capitalist relations of production and the urbanization of society. The social transition from feudalism to bourgeois society itself is a field of inquiry, (Marx, Weber, etc.), and the interest of early sociologists is attracted by new social relations and conditions, as well as the many and major problems that arise mainly in the big urban centers. Consequently, we can argue that sociology comes to the fore in this particular historical period in order to study and understand  social evolution, primarily the rise and development of capitalism, new social relations and of course new and major social problems. In conclusion, we can argue that sociology owes its existence to the emergence and development of capitalism and bourgeois society.

Photography, in a strange and different way, we can argue, that also owes its birth to the development of capitalism and urban society. Giselle Freud in her book “Society and Photography” explains how the development of bourgeois society has at some point led to a great demand for miniature portraits. The rising new bourgeoisie, imitating the predominant aristocratic predecessor, created a huge demand for miniature portraits, which needed painter’s artistic skills, enough posing time and quite a high cost. The search for ways to produce portraits mechanically, in less time and much cheaper was the main motivation behind the discovery of the photographic technique. Thus, we can say that not only sociology and photography are derivatives of capitalist development and urbanization, but also that in sociology the first to serve it were intellectuals with broad philosophical education, while in photography highly skilled and broadly cultivated artists with highly developed aesthetics. Both in sociology and photography the beginning involved intellectuals of high prestige and broad social acceptance, which also gave high prestige to both the science of sociology, as well as to the art of photography that timidly made its first steps.

 

DIFFERED PATHS

Sociology has followed its own separate path of studying and exploring society. Sociologists have studied almost all aspects of society, social relations and problems. Over time, this new humanities science gained not only prestige but also popularity. Schools and departments of sociology have been established in most western universities, attracting the interest of many young people who wanted to understand how society works, but also that through study and understanding they could contribute to improving the quality of life and solving major social problems. Generations of sociologists who have come from sociology schools around the world have been working in various fields in the private and public sectors, contributing to improving the quality of life.

On the other hand, photography has taken a completely different path. Producing portraits and recording or better capturing moments from people’s social activities has been the area of activity of the first professional photographers and of their photo studios.  Technological equipment initially limited the range of action of photographic art. Thus, for a relatively long time, photography was exercised mainly in photo studios and only with the constant technological development did outdoor photography or capturing of social action became possible. Initially the photographers earned their life by photographing people, of making photographic portraits. This was the period of what, at least in Greece, was called “weekly photo”, where each family would usually have portraits for all its members and decorate the living room of the house. Then there were photos of family events such as weddings and baptisms and social events such as school holidays, parades, festivals, etc. The photography was more family-oriented and the potential for mass photographic expression was de facto extremely limited. At best, and as the photographer overcame enormous difficulties due to the complex and bulky equipment, he was able to get snapshots of an event, such as a war campaign, and could exhibit his photos in an exhibition hall, that of course could be visited by limited numbers of people.

At the same time, sociology and social research generally, also had a limited audience or readership. It aimed primarily at the academic community. Sociological studies and research were addressed to the wider community through primarily university classrooms and the interested for the social issues larger audience.  Generally speaking, the audience of sociological activity has been and remains to a large extent still today limited.

 

MEETING POINT

For a long period of time, till the beginning of 20th Century, sociological research and study and the art of photography had not any obvious relationship beyond their common object of interest, that is of human life and activity. Their processes met at that particular moment when with the discovery of the so called “half tone” technique photography became possible to be reprinted in the press thus overcoming the obstacle of mass spreading. The reprinting of photographs in the press constitutes one of the major revolutions in the field of mass communications.

Giselle Freud, in her book underlines the importance of the marriage of photography with printed mass media bringing   drastic changes in the way the world is perceived. Till then people had a limited optical perception since the space in which they lived and moved was very   limited. The perceptions they had about the world beyond their geographic boundaries was the result of stories they had read or heard, from people who had traveled and seen other places and people, such as merchants, sailors and writers. It was natural that these travel descriptions   lead to the creation of differed images of the world and of other people and societies for each individual depending on his own life experiences, level of education, character and desires. The entrance of photography in the printed mass media created the possibility for a more unique and objective perception of the outside world, of things and people beyond the geographical boundaries of each person.

Beyond that, the reprinting of photographs in the mass media with the aid of the technological evolution of the photographic apparatus opened the road for the expansion of the activity of photographers and their involvement in the field of mass media reporting. According again to Giselle Freud, was the lawyer of a publishing company, in Berlin, Erix Solomon, that opened the road of photojournalism by selling photographs from differed events to the publishing company. His new exiting occupation proved to be profitable and eventually lead him to leave aside advocacy and devoting totally to photo journalism. His move  followed other photographers leading to the development of professional photo journalism.

Photojournalism flourished in the interwar period, where not only the daily press, but more so the periodical began to share its space between written text and images, with the latter gradually gaining more space. Thus, in addition to the visual perception of the world, the technological invention that enabled the printing of photographs in the press had dramatically increased the demand for photographs and led to the development of photojournalism.

Photographers could choose entering in to the information world. It may be a coincidence that the first or one of the first photojournalists had a higher university education, with a broader political, social and philosophical background. This does not mean that all those who chose to become professional photojournalists  also had a high level of education. On the contrary, I would say that their primary asset was of course their ability in operating photographic equipment and also their audacity for difficult and often risky missions. Eventually, it became apparent that a wider social sensitivity and understanding of social developments were equally important prerequisites for successfully working in photojournalism.

Let also note,   that the possibility of reprinting photographs in mass publications has also highlighted its auxiliary role in sociological and journalistic research, as well as the increase of the persuasive impact of the findings of these researches. I suspect that the photographs that accompanied sociological studies in the US at the beginning of last century about immigrant living conditions and child labor multiplied their enormous impact and influence on society and that inevitably led to social reforms improving the living and working condition in the areas under study.

It is important to mention at that point, in order to avoid any misunderstanding, the great power of images in general and of photography in particular not only of impressing the public, but also of creating illusionary realities. Already in ancient Greece, this characteristic of images (paintings) to create illusionary realities had been noticed. Plato, who had understood the importance of objective information in the functioning not only of the democratic but of every state, in addition to choosing philosophers to administer his ideal state, had excluded from it artists who by their work could create illusions in citizens perception of reality  causing malfunctions in his ideal state. Icon clashes within the Christian church are another example that confirms the power and dynamics of the image. Finally, it is worth noting that in our time the image has contributed significantly and effectively to the creation of a fictional reality that is the main threat to democracy. (This has been analyzed and explained in my book On Information and Democracy).

 

COMMON GROUND

Let’s point out that in the field of news reporting the photographer like the reporter chases news and under great pressure of time he must not only identify and recognize what is news but also cross-check and verify events before releasing his report. Thus, a photographer like the reporter must have the capacity for a more general understanding of social events in order to be able to perceive them in their social background and manage his/her staff in the best possible way and in the shortest possible time. The photographer in the news reporting field chases events, but captures and expresses them not in writing but through his lens. This difference can set limits and boundaries but it does not change the substance of their function as they both need a broader social understanding that derives from the study and understanding of society, but also from the common research methodology used by journalists and sociologists.  Briefly stated, this methodology follows the path of observing and examining events, of doubting or questioning any initial observations, impressions, conclusions, of further investigating by means of data gathering, of cross-checking and finally of verifying or rejecting the initial hypotheses, before completing the report and releasing it for publication. Searching the news with this method is both the basis and the main criterion of objective reporting. (I elaborate on this in more detail in “About Information and Democracy”)

The common ground, the point of contact and coherence of photography,  journalism and sociology, lies in the field of investigating and understanding  society and social developments. From the outset, the sociologist is concerned with social research, which is the basic subject of his work. Without it sociology does not exist as a separate discipline in the humanities. Due to this preoccupation with research as the basis of sociological activity, various research methodologies have been developed and are used depending on the content of each study.

In any case, research about social problems and social relations and developments always requires data collection and this is usually done either through questionnaire responses from large groups of people, or through personal participation in and observation of social activities.  It is the participatory observation method that allows the researcher to gather information, to cross-check it and to determine whether the data collected verifies or rejects his original assumptions derived from observation of events and from studies of similar cases. The corner stone of sociological research   methodology lies in the collection and use of all possible data and in no case the use of part of the data in order to get a preferable result.

In conclusion, it is in the field of research that sociology, journalism and photojournalism meet. Relevant  sociological literature reveals many descriptions of participatory observation research methods. The usual process begins with studying the subject and developing the working hypothesis. The gathering of evidence to confirm or disprove it requires the researcher’s penetration into the field under investigation. This is best achieved by gaining the trust or influence of a member of the group under investigation. Trust in the researcher by his research subjects is the alpha and omega for the successful conduct and completion of each research project, of  gathering data necessary for verifying or rejecting the working hypothesis. The members of the group under investigation themselves will open up the data faucet to the researcher only when he will have gained their trust. The reporting of the findings is the final step in the completion of the research, and that is the area of differentiation between the sociologist, the journalist and the photojournalist.

It becomes obvious that photographers face a greater degree of difficulty in the stage of acquiring the trust of the investigated group, due mainly to the photographic storing of data and the possible identification of members of the group that might lead them into trouble.  This results in the reluctance of members of the various groups to express themselves  freely in front of the lens. Also we must not forget that the lens writes only in the present   and not in past or future tense, which is possible in writing or speaking, in logos. So, in fact, photography is a medium of expression, as I have called it in my book “Introduction to Communication”, with static potentialities. That is to say, precisely because of its inability to express the past and the future, photography must succeed in the present, in capturing at any moment, in every click both the role of the past and future prospects.   Gathering and recording data through oral speech is much easier than through the use of camera lens. But recording on camera means that the photographer has gained the complete trust of the members of the group studied and is one step ahead because the information provided to him is complete and extremely sincere.

Reporting of sociological and journalistic research differ typically and in essence from that of photojournalism. Logos gives the possibility for exact and detailed expression in past, present and future tense.   On the other side, photographic expression takes the form of one or more images containing the essence of the story. Thus, while a sociological study or journalistic report addresses the public attempting to persuade through data and logical analysis, photography presents the hole story in a few images usually appealing to the senses of the public which they will be able to influence and impress only if have been successful in grabbing and expressing the essence of the problem or theme they deal with.

We therefore conclude that a photographer entering the field of reporting and social research needs a priori and more than anyone else to understand society, social developments and social problems in order to function effectively.  This is why renowned photographers, such as Salgado, advise young photographers to study society and social problems in order to become successful photographers.   It is simple, the photographer should know and understand what photographs and is trying to express each time.

Does this mean that the photographer has first to become a sociologist and then a photographer? The answer is, no. He can become a photographer having acquired technical skills, but it is difficult without an understanding of society to become an significant photographer.

Finally, I think that photographic education should be upgraded in order to provide students with basic social sciences knowledge and familiarity with their   research methods.

Photography: Sebastiao Salgado

From the series, Kuwait: A Desert on Fire