'Photographs on Syrian refugees convey peoples’ courage'

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Photographs on Syrian refugees convey peoples’ courage

Visitor at the Arab Media Forum at Dubai World Trade Centre under on May 10, 2016.

Dubai - The forum is held at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme 'Media for Good' and will continue until May 11.

By Sarakshi Rai

Published: Tue 10 May 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Wed 11 May 2016, 11:07 AM

Leading photographers speaking at the Arab Media Forum 2016 in Dubai on Tuesday said that - contrary to popular belief - photojournalism is thriving and more important than ever in a digital age in which images can be widely and quickly distributed to millions of people in an instant.

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Speaking in particular on the Syrian Migrant crisis and how photographers bear witness and spread awareness, Reuters Bureau Chief William Maclean said that "a photograph is as powerful an imagery as you can get."
"A photograph builds a bridge between the subject and the person looking at it. A print story at the end of the day is just words on a page. It's the photograph people look for to tell the complete story," he added.

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Talking about this year's Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Yannis Behrakis, the 30-minute session explored the different reasons why photojournalism will never die.
Yannis is just one of the many photographers who set out to document the journey of hundreds of thousands of refugees aboard flimsy boats on the coast of Turkey hoping to make it to Europe.

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"You are Yannis. You brought me here, your pictures are the reason I came," that was what most of the NGO workers, volunteers would tell the Greek photojournalist when they met him in the summer of 2015 in Lesbos- demonstrating the sustained power of a photograph. This was just one of the many instances mentioned in the session to shed light on how powerful imagery is associated with the Syrian refugees.
"Photographs on the Syrian refugees convey more than pity, it conveys peoples' courage, determination, hope and dignity of people and how they conduct their lives during a time of great personal trauma," Maclean added.
Putting emphasis on the modern world and how every person with a smart phone and dslr camera is now a photographer, one of the points that struck out during the session was the view that not everyone is a photographer.
The speaker emphasised that, "the best photographers know how to get that powerful image, that is not just perfect in composition and lighting but also to convey the message he wants in just one image."
One of the questions that arose from the session on the "Syrian Migrant and the Photographers who bear witness" was how does one photograph a subject like the migrant crisis while at the same time keeping their dignity intact and not violating their privacy so that you can send it over the bridge to be consumed.
In conclusion the session highlighted that because of the powerful imagery produced changed the stance of many European countries on the Syrian migrants after the horrors face by Aylan Kurdi and the other refugees were documented.
"That is how powerful an image is, it can change the minds of people and more importantly governments," Maclean said.
sarakshi@khaleejtimes.com