WHY WE EXIST
August 28, 2022
By Kenneth Jarecke, Editor-in-Chief
By capturing the present, photography changes the future.
In 1871, William Jackson documented a place that many didn't believe existed. A year later, because of his photographs, it became known as Yellowstone National Park. His images helped preserve the place that today, even when seen with one's own eyes, is still hard to believe.
In 1908, Lewis Hines photographed the plight of child laborers working in factories and sweatshops across the United States. By shining a light on the conditions these children were working under he helped to eliminate the hellholes in which they were trapped.
In 1936, Dorothea Lange put a human face to those suffering through the Great Depression. Six years later George Strock brought the horror of a war raging thousands of miles away, into the homes of every American. A couple of years later, David Douglas Duncan showed that same audience exactly what a "thousand yard stare" looks like. A decade later, Eddie Adams, captured a street execution, and Nick Ut, defined the term "collateral damage" with an image of a little girl running down a road, on fire.
Most of these images were made before we were born, yet they still managed to impact our lives today. They'll do the same for those who come after us. These images were made on purpose, by professionals who knew exactly what they were doing. Not a single one was made by accident. Photographers working at this level expect those who properly see their work to be moved. Occasionally, their work will even move a nation.
That's the power of the still image in the hands of a professional witness. Unfortunately, we're running out of these people and we're also running out of places for their images to be properly seen.
This kind of work is made by technicians with the eyes of an artist. They are curious observers filled with empathy, who are gifted with courage and driven to successfully share what they've seen with an equally curious audience. What they do has recently fallen out of fashion. Not the idea mind you, everybody still appreciates the romantic notion of the dashing photojournalist, what has become passé is the dedication and support it takes to become one.
There's no money, patience or understanding for what we do anymore. It's troubling, because with just a few historic examples one can easily see how important our work is when it comes to unifying a people. Since it was invented, concerned photography is the fuel that has powered our national dialog. It has started conversations that might never have happened without the visual persuasion it provides.
The Curious Society exists to empower the individuals who create this kind of work and who will make it vital again. We are a member-supported, apolitical nonprofit which is passionately dedicated to supporting documentary photographers.
To do so, we've created the best publication devoted to concerned photography that has ever existed. It is the ideal platform to view photographs. It is designed to be a high goal for photographers to reach and to also serve as a modern-day example of documentary photography's power. It is a visual time capsule that collectors will cherish and historians will find priceless. The rare luxury item that is underpriced for the value that it delivers.
We award grants to encourage young photographers to explore their own communities. Because if you can't make pictures where you live, getting on an airplane isn't going to help you get any better.
We properly license the work of the photographers we publish, both in print and online.
We hold gatherings to share knowledge, make connections and exchange information. Sure, we are a group of strong individuals, but we still depend on our community to grow, learn and survive.
Making impactful images, publishing them and teaching others how to do it isn't easy. Our Board of Directors has over 160 years of combined real-world experience under their belts. Impressive, considering photography wasn't invented until 1839. We really know what we're doing. We've worked at the highest level. We learned our craft from the best, and one of the first lessons they taught us was the importance of passing along our knowledge to others.
Sadly, today's mainstream media is designed to pit one half of the population against the other. They do this because it makes them a lot of money. Conflict sells and the most successful ones have learned how to create it, not just report on it. Dividing a nation in order to sell more pillows and prescription drugs is not what we do. Concerned photography is based on empathy. What we do takes time, it's expensive and oftentimes contradicts their narrative. It should not be surprising that there's no place for our work inside this business model.
Wherever you are on the curious scale, one who likes to seek things out, or one who likes to have new things presented to them, the mainstream media has failed you. They've abandoned us as well as those who appreciate our work.
They like to say democracy dies in darkness, but there's nothing darker than neighbors who don't talk to each other, communities who don't support their members or citizens who've been conditioned to hate one another.
Our mission is to help support, publish and mentor the passionate photographers who wish to follow in our footsteps. These idealists, both young and old, who think their work can make a difference, deserve all the help we can give. In order to do so, The Curious Society could use your help as well... purchase a copy of our first issue, make a donation, and help spread the word.
Concerned photography starts conversations. It's more powerful than words. It hits the brain unfiltered and free of spin. When done right, it cannot be ignored and the conversations it starts today, will change our tomorrows.
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