WHY DO “GOOD” PICTURES MATTER IN ANTHROPOLOGY?

Abstract

There are “good” and “bad” pictures—ask an editor, curator, or photographer. You might also have an idea of what a supposedly good picture is. What makes us see a picture as either “good” or “bad”? What do “good” and “not so good” photos do for anthropology? Why is it important to understand the moral ecology surrounding their creation and dissemination in anthropology? With this provocative title, my article explores both the phenomenology and the politics of photographic experiences in the field. I consider the pragmatic relationship we have with photographs through a series of ethnographic encounters based on critical, sensory, and situated practices.