Online Session: Debunking Stereotypes – Diversity in photographing Religion

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Image credit: Christian Wiediger, UnSplash

Picture the scene: You have a story about a sensitive issue around British religious diversity. It goes live in an hour. You have to find a suitable photo to illustrate it. What do you do?

In this session we will discuss how stock and commissioned photos of religious minorities are used in the media – appropriately and otherwise.

The panel will include photographers and others who have experience in wrestling with the dilemmas of the photographic portrayal of Jewish, Muslim and other minorities.

The session will include a practical element and will suggest areas of good practice and solutions to common challenges in portraying religious minorities.

Key takeaways from the session will include:

  • Clarifying what ‘religious diversity’ does and doesn’t mean, including diversity within religious minorities.
  • Learning how to ‘know what you don’t know’ while still being able to work with and commission images of religious minorities.
  • Suggesting how to ‘raise your game’ in this area, including avoiding cliches and unintentional offence.

Date: 23rd November 2022
Time: 18:00 – 19:30 GMT
Venue: Online

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Facilitators:

Rob Stothard is a multi-award-winning photographic artist, journalist and educator based in London, England. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times, Vanity Fair and more. He is a two-times winner of the Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Award, the Times / Canon Young Photographer of the Year and the Magnum Photos 30 under 30 Award, and has an MA in Documentary Photography & Photojournalism from London College of Communication.

Rob has co-authored several publications, including What Does a Jew Look Like? (2022), a collection of portraits and interviews showcasing the diversity of Britain’s Jewish population, was published by Five Leaves Books in collaboration with Keith Kahn-Harris.

Dr Keith Kahn-Harris is a sociologist and writer, based in London. The author or co-author of eight books, editor of several collections and many articles and reviews, his career bridges academia and multiple other worlds. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, New Humanist, Prospect, Haaretz, The Forward, New Statesman and more.

Shaista Chishty is a documentary photographer and visual artist interested in the relationship between visual histories and the present, particularly in relation to the (mis)representations of Muslims in Britain. Shaista is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at Cardiff University and is a recipient of the prestigious Jameel Scholarship.

This event is supported by donations – please consider supporting further events like these by donating to the Religion Media Centre here >>

Any queries please contact us >>

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