Photographing Community
The great portraitist and social documentarian August Sander once said, “If we can create portraits of subjects that are true, we thereby in effect create a mirror of the times.” These conversations bring together photographers whose work reveals the many ways images can shape, honor, and question our sense of community. From long-term collaborations and family ties to revisiting past projects with new eyes, these episodes explore how artists build trust, navigate representation, and find meaning in the people and places that define their work.
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Photographer and filmmaker Gillian Laub reflects on the patience required to let a project find its own form. She discusses her HBO documentary Southern Rites and why still photography alone couldn’t fully tell that story, emphasizing the importance of trusting her book editor and making difficult cuts to beloved images.
Photographer Doug DuBois reflects on the influence of Larry Sultan and Jim Goldberg during his formative years in San Francisco. He discusses his long-term project My Last Day at Seventeen and the evolving responsibility he feels toward how his teenage subjects, now adults, were represented.
“There are two responsibilities to an audience, and that is to the people I’m photographing, and how they may see what I’m putting together. And then the people who may see that work and interpret those people in a certain way. That’s a tricky calculus, and one I think about a lot.” – Doug DuBois
Photographer Curran Hatleberg shares his journey from studying painting as an undergraduate to earning his MFA in photography at Yale. He reflects on the importance of collaboration, both with his photographic subjects and the broader community that supports his work.
Rahim Fortune explores his origins, how his family and where he is from has influenced his work, and the role certain people have played in his development.
“The insider-outsider conversation in photography is a really interesting one to me, but I’m increasingly of the mindset that you’re never an insider or an outsider no matter who you are, what your identity is or what your relationship is to people.” – Gregory Halpern
Gregory Halpern discusses his latest book King, Queen, Knave (MACK) and revisits his acclaimed 2016 monograph ZZYZX. He reflects on the balance between being both photographer and editor, and the importance of allowing audiences to engage with the work on their own terms.
This collection highlights the diverse ways photographers connect with and document the communities around them. Listen to more episodes of the PhotoWork Podcast, and join us in marking our 100th episode by spreading the word.