Paper short abstract:

I have devoted 20 years to photographing human trafficking in Asia, initially as a documentary photographer and later as a social anthropologist. This article addresses a question that has long preoccupied me: how does one simultaneously assume the roles of both a photographer and an anthropologist?

Paper long abstract:

I have devoted twenty years to photographing human trafficking in Asia, initially as a documentary photographer and later as a social anthropologist. This article addresses a question that has long preoccupied me: how does one simultaneously assume the roles of both a photographer and an anthropologist? This question arises from a persistent belief that photography and anthropology were incompatible, and that the latter could offer a more scientifically accurate portrayal of human trafficking than the former. To bridge this dichotomy, I propose an intermediate epistemological approach that emphasizes the alignment between photography and anthropology: ‘visual storytelling’. This concept encompasses the utilization of photo-ethnography to generate visual ethnographic data and narratives, which render social issues and invisible communities visible to both general and academic audiences. Moreover, it encourages a reflexive standpoint on epistemology, theory, and methodology. By presenting this argument, I aim to contribute to scholarly discussions on the reciprocal enrichment of photography, anthropology, and sociology.