Just how important is Documentary Photography for Charities?

From the spectrum of contradictions that emerge from the juxtaposing portraits of Ralph Gibson to the ambiguous nature of a Gregory Crewdson tableaux, photography at best aims to make the viewer engage with controversial debates around societal and cultural values. The work of great documentary #photographers perfectly demonstrates this sensibility of engagement. From Dorothea Lange, W.Eugene Smith and Mary Ellen Mark to more contemporary photographers such as Pieter Hugo, Alec Soth, Lynsey Addario and Tomasz Gudzowaty. These and many other accomplished practitioners of the genre, use the camera as an implement for us to observe the world around us, the unseen parts of our society, representing voices without sound, highlighting injustice or focussing on events that would otherwise go unnoticed or on many occasions unreported.    

Documentary photography has long been a significant part of my professional practice. With the emergence of social documentary becoming a substantial tool for social change for many, the camera, either within a smartphone or digital SLR’s have become ubiquitous, shedding a brighter light on subjects as diverse as what we eat from day to day, how we keep fit to social injustice, cultural politics, inequality and gender issues.

Notes on Blindness - Sisters Carolyn and Elizabeth. Photograph by John Ferguson

The use of documentary photography for charities has been a consideration for larger international #NGO’s for some years now, and I’ve been fortunate to have produced many projects and campaigns using my skill as a #documentary #photographer. Creating work that requires that unique insight into storytelling, my job is to represent the people, the places, the events and the objects within each story. Understanding, awareness and empathy all come into play when tackling subjects as diverse as #poverty, #addiction, working with children and the vulnerable, while also being preceptive and sensitive to my immediate environment and surroundings. This awareness plays a crucial part in building trust, not only with my subjects but also with my clients. 

You can see more on my insight to working with #charities, and also examples of some of these attention-grabbing images which have produced remarkable results for my clients worldwide, #campaigns that have enabled them to gain more exposure and received more #donations.  See my website here: