Photography // Brent Stirton

I recently stumbled upon* the work of South African photojournalist, Brent Stirton. He focuses on humanitarian issues such as conflict, AIDS, environmental concerns, rape and poverty.
*quite literally - I found his work on stumble upon...I could spend hours on that site.


Some photojournalists' work, particularly when it deals with subjects such as indigenous peoples, can leave the viewer feeling as through they have been forced into a sort of cultural voyeurism. The photos scream 'Look at these exotic people! Aren't their customs bizarre?!' However, Stirton's photographs generally form part of photo essays which help to shatter notions of exoticness, transforming the images from items of spectacle to simple depictions of long standing traditions. Beautification processes such as the use of lip plates are shown to be no more bizarre than a Western woman highlighting her hair or daubing herself in biscuit-scented fake tan.

Tribes of the Omo Valley: Ethiopia




Gold's Costly Dividend: Porgera, Papua New Guinea






The Price of Progress: Peru



The photographs from Papua New Guinea and Peru demonstrate a fundamental element of Stirton's work: contrast. Images of beauty are shown next to images of destruction, and the viewer is constantly reminded of man's capability to threaten and deplete natural resources. It's a simple but effective technique which enables the photographs to do the talking. Stirton's photographs engage in the long standing debate surrounding natural resources by demonstrating the relationship between both human and environmental exploitation.

Mt Elgon, Kenya: Waiting for Justice - a project by Human Rights Watch investigating the disappearance of around 300 Kenyans between 2006-2009 during conflict between the Kenyan government and local militia group, the Sabaot Land Defence Force.

Stirton's work is unrestrained; images such as the skull and those in the photo essays 'Acid Attacks Bangladesh' and 'Xhosa Circumcision Ritual' aren't for the faint hearted. The photographs have a sense of urgency, which plead with the viewer to engage with the problems of injustice and inequality that are rife in modern society. That's why Stirton's work is so refreshing. After all, we need a little more reality and a little less airbrushing in the contemporary global media.

Check out more of Brent Stirton's inspiring work here.