Photojournalism is a vital component of journalism, and that extends to deliberative journalism. Being a photojournalist, deliberation is a concept that I am learning to incorporate into my work, but what does that look like? Deliberative journalism strives to address problems in a community by initiating dialogue that is healthy and productive. When done right, it should serve the community, bringing to light important subjects that may not be covered in traditional models of journalism and creating a more robust local information ecosystem. This isn’t something that journalists can do alone, however– community engagement is essential.

The photos we use to go along with news stories have a deep impact on its audience. We are visual creatures, and what we can interpret visually from photojournalism tends to shape our perception of written news. Photos also may have a longer lasting impression. Think about the photos of two-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi washed ashore on a beach in Turkey. These were taken in 2015, but you likely still remember this happening. The photos, taken by Nilüfer Demir, put a face to the Syrian refugee crisis and impacted people’s perception of the crisis around the world.

In northern Colorado, we are privileged enough to not have nearly the same level of gut-wrenching, tragic photojournalism coming out of our community consistently. The idea still applies, though: having a visual representation of an issue, especially when it features a person or people directly affected by an issue, makes that issue stand out in the minds of those who see it. It urges people to care. Where words fall short, photographs command people’s attention and beg their empathy. It is the audience of these photographs that could have power to engage with community issues and be a part of the solution.

To get these types of impactful photographs, photojournalists must put in their effort. Potential for bias still exists in photography. Photographers have the power to choose what to shoot, and what to leave out. We can compose a scene in a way that changes meaning. We use lighting and colors to convey a certain tone with our images, and that has an immense correlation with how people see and understand our photos, even if it’s subconscious– whether to the audience or the photographer. It is an intentional effort to capture a scene, in its entirety, as-is.

Beyond avoiding bias in capturing a scene, there is more bias in our selection of stories to shoot. It is possible for photographers at many media organizations to get by with just shooting what they’re assigned to shoot. They know in advance what a story will be about, when and where to show up. While this model has its place– there will always be important events and other stories that we can plan for in advance– we also miss out on opportunities that we can’t plan for. So much happens in a community that can’t be anticipated or assigned to a photographer in advance. I believe it is critical for photojournalists to be active members of their community, to know people of different backgrounds and experiences, so that we hear about these things we can’t plan for and show up to document it on time. We have to constantly be seeking stories, with our cameras on us at all times, because the unexpected moments happening in our community can be the most important.

Between photographers who put in the work, and an audience that engages with that work, photojournalism has the potential to play a significant role in deliberative journalism. Photos grab people’s attention, are easily shareable, and are powerful communication tools. They can create conversations within communities and draw attention to important subjects, exactly as deliberative journalism is intended to do– and as a photojournalist, I have learned from these ideas to strive to create meaningful work that engages with my community in these ways.