This training was facilitated by Dr. Richard Jones, a volunteer at Australia Volunteers International (AVI), who has volunteered in IDEP for the past eight months. In addition to pursuing photography and producing several films, he also taught at universities in Australia.

For four days, the participants were invited to learn professional photography techniques, the ethics of photography in a development perspective, and how photo-story telling can support social works. Through discussion and practice sessions, the participants were invited to explore these materials while comparing them with their experiences.

Regarding the participants’ work fields, the ethics of photography received special emphasis in this training. Because, in many practices, this ethical problem is often ignored by many people. As a result, besides triggering a debate here and there, the neglect of ethics also has an impact on the subjects in photographic work. The ethics in question are including, for example, respects the right to privacy, supports the protection of children’s rights, always adheres to the consent form procedures, and do not harm or cause problems for the photographed subject.

In the photo story-telling section, the participants were invited to learn to visualize the message they want to convey through photos. Usually, the message is an abstract concept that needs to be digested properly by those who see it. To hone the ability to visualize the message through photo, the participants were invited to practice some photo-taking in the group. The abstract concept that is assigned to them to visualize is magical. Most of the participants then produced the photos showing the Balinese beliefs in what is called Niskala, an unseen world. The results of the photos were then discussed together. (Fit/Ed)