Children in Documentary Photography
Many of the worlds strongest documentary photos depicts children. Since 1955 there have been 50 winners of the prestigious World Press Photo award, and 40% of the winning photographs depicts children. Again and again we see documentary photos of children in magazines, news stories and as leading photographs in fundraising campaigns for aid, development work and catastrophe relief efforts. Why is that? Well, not only are children cute, but because of their innocence and vulnerability, they evoke strong feelings of sympathy in the viewer. We simply can’t help empathize with the child we see in the photo, even if it was taken on the other side of the planet. With children too young to be seriously mixed up in politics and religion, the photos of children have the ability to cross all borders and reach out to our hearts. If they are produced rightly, that