By Charlie Devereux
I've been asked by openDemocracy to write from Visa Pour L'Image, the international photojournalism festival that takes place every September in Perpignan, south west France.
The festival takes over the entire medieval centre of town (hence why everyone calls the festival 'Perpignan' not Visa) with exhibitions, conferences and symposiums spread out in various venues. There's even a fringe festival called Visa Off with mini exhibitions in clothes boutiques, the post office and even butcher's shops!
There's an army of war and social documentary photographers walking around in the obligatory uniform of flak jackets and khaki trousers. The established photographers come to socialise with their peers and give talks. The young photographers come to network and meet photo editors. Everywhere you go you'll find groups of people huddled over Mac laptops viewing someone's portfolio.
If you want an overview of the events that have shaped the world in the past year then Perpignan is the place to come.
There are at least 30 photographic exhibitions with subject matter ranging from the Maoist rebellion in Nepal, Mexican emigrants to the US, Iraq, the Kashmir earthquake, the anniversary of Chernobyl, Hurricane Katrina - all the main events of the past year are covered as well as many you might not be aware of if you are a mainstream media-only consumer.
The lack of exposure in the mainstream media is one of the primary reasons for the existence of the festival. Gone are the halcyon days of Picture Post when photojournalism brought images from trouble spots of the world to the general public. Today, while there are still some publications which will publish difficult-to-digest images, the majority of press coverage is dominated by text and front page pictures are reserved for celebrities.
The president of the festival, Jean-Francois Leroy sums up the photojournalism industry's preoccupations succinctly in his welcome address:
"For as long as Zidane's head butt...is reported in the media ahead of fighting breaking out between Israel and Lebanon, Visa pour L'Image has a duty to get everyone in the photography business together and review the situation: looking, showing, discovering and gaining recognition for reports which offer an understanding of the world we live in."
So how do war photographers make a living? Many rely on commissions from NGO's and some have diversified into gallery sales and photography books - it's not all bad: the nature of books and exhibitions allows them to spend more time in the field, bringing back stories we would otherwise never see or hear.
So what of the future? Will the mainstream media realise the error of it's ways and bring photo reportage back into it's news pages? It's doubtful. The advent of internet journalism has brought more competition and budgets for imagery are being slashed across the board. Ergo, photojournalists will have to find a new way to generate income from the work they do.
This afternoon I'm going to a symposium called "Photojournalism: when the subject becomes an object" which will address new developments in participatory photography and citizen photojournalism. A further threat to the industry or something that should be embraced? It will be interesting to hear reactions.
Picture via Kahala's flickR webpage.
