Photographers across Asia weigh in on the power of visual journalism to raise awareness, evoke empathy and put a face to statistics
In 2015, Turkish photojournalist Nilüfer Demir took a photograph that would become one of the defining images in recent history. The image of Alan Kurdi, a two-year-old Syrian boy who lay drowned on a Turkish beach, went viral in a matter of hours. The harrowing image put a human face to the ongoing refugee crisis, drawing global attention to the atrocities families faced as they fled war-torn Syria for safety. Remembered as 'The Boy on the Beach', the image became symbolic of all children who had lost their lives trying to reach safety in Europe.
The global impact of Demir's image was instantaneous. The news of the toddler's tragic death trended on social media with the hashtag "Refugees Welcome", which was used more than 20 million times. News organisations worldwide published the image, and those who didn't were forced to publicly defend their decision not to. Finally, the continued public pressure resulted in some European governments temporarily shifting their border policies.
Throughout history, certain images have stayed in the hearts and minds of millions, even decades later. The Tiananmen Square Tank Man, the Napalm Girl of the Vietnam War or the Falling Man of 9/11—all images that became universal symbols of the struggles and triumphs humanity has faced in the past.
Here, we speak to five award-winning photographers about the role photography plays in evoking meaningful change. All five are covering some of the most consequential events in current times, from the protests in Hong Kong to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
Hannah Reyes Morales
Hannah Reyes Morales is an award-winning photographer whose work documents tenderness amid adversity and how resilience is embodied in daily life. She has reported on forced marriages in Cambodia, documented women’s experiences with assault in the ongoing conflict in South Sudan, the toll of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs and the "long-term effects of the colonisation of women’s bodies in the Philippines." Her work can be found in National Geographic, The New York Times and The Washington Post and she was selected to be part of the prestigious World Press Photo's Joop Swart Masterclass.
Have you had a particular photo assignment you felt made significant difference?
"I'm not sure that any single story of mine takes precedence over the others. Each of them stays with me, and I carry them with me as I approach life and work. Often one story leads to the next, and each work offers nuance that I hadn’t quite seen before," she says. "One of my recent works, Roots from Ashes talks about the Malaya Lolas, a group of grandmothers who came together to try to seek justice from a mass rape that happened in the Second World War. I learned so much about healing and safe space-making through them. I also learned new things about Philippine history that I had never seen before. I don’t think I am done with that work, but I think about those grandmothers all the time when I think about survival and the role of community."
How can images be used to give the viewer a more intimate understanding of the story?
"I think good photographs can elicit empathy, which I believe is one of the roots of change. Images can put a face to the statistics that we hear. It brings us closer to those at the intersections of inequity, of injustice, of poverty, of abuse. Images also have a power to shape the narratives around social justice issues," says Morales. "For me it’s always been important to portray the people living hard realities when they experience not just suffering but also joy, tenderness, pleasure. While it is important for me to know my own privileges when I am photographing I also want to be sure that when I am photographing I am viewing people in a position where I am looking at them eye to eye."
