Roundtable discussion:

Sebastian Junger

Michael Kamber

Ira Lupu

Stephen Mayes

Lauren Walsh

How are the pressures of the digital era are shaping professional values and experiences for those producing conflict and post-conflict imagery?

The discussion considers the ways in which the photojournalistic industry has responded to the rapidly-changing digital environment and the weaponization of imagery by an array of actors. Who is now involved in the collaborative storytelling processes? Is there a noticeable shift in the aesthetics of war due to the popularity of certain platforms (Instagram, TikTok)? How do photographers or filmmakers ensure visibility of their work in an era of information overload? And how does the Russian war in Ukraine affect our understanding of these issues?

The event is presented in partnership between the Bronx Documentary Center and the Tim Hetherington & Conflict Imagery Research Network and brings together distinguished experts working across photography, filmmaking, curation, and research.

The Tim Hetherington collection is based at the Imperial War Museum (UK), and this AHRC-funded research network aims to explore Hetherington’s approach to recording conflict and to examine his legacy in the broader historical context of conflict imagery. The event will be filmed.

About the panel

Sebastian Junger: Journalist, author and documentary filmmaker | Films include the award-winning documentary film Restrepo (2010) with Tim Hetherington

Mike Kamber (moderator): Founder and executive director of the Bronx Documentary Center | Over two decades experience of working as a documentary photographer

Ira Lupu: Photographer, multimedia artist, and writer born in Odesa, Ukraine | Graduate of International Center of Photography (NYC), and Viktor Marushchenko’s School of Photography (Kyiv)

Stephen Mayes: Has written and spoken extensively on the ethics and practice of photography | Executive Director, the Tim Hetherington Trust; previously CEO VII Photo Agency

Lauren Walsh: Director of the Gallatin Photojournalism Lab, New York University | Author of ‘Conversations on Conflict Photography’ (Bloomsbury, 2019)

Organised by the Bronx Documentary Center, Imperial War Museum, and University of Leeds. This event is supported by funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (Grant ref: AH/T008210/1). Principal investigator is Katy Parry (Leeds) and Co-Investigator is Greg Brockett (IWM). Please contact Katy if you would like to be kept informed about the network (k.j.parry@leeds.ac.uk).