MiamiPhotoFest Presents
IRIS Collective
Still Photos Still Matter
With the onset of the digital age, are we moving so fast that we often forget to gather our thoughts, reflect on our lives, and critically asses, think and question before we act? Before we hit the like or share buttons, before we double tap?
“This is why I make images because in a ever changing world what is needed is not speed but time. Time to reflect, clear minds, and stand still. The image is the mirror that reflects our true humanity, and that why we can not rush by it. It is the one of many reasons why still images still matters.” – Carl Juste
© Carl juste - cw griffen
Iris Collective’s “Still Images Still Matter”
What would happen if we actually slowed down? If we stopped treating our subjects as just visual props?
The photographic process has been my passport to understanding, my method of engagement with the world. In other words, "it has always been personal." I work to re-tell stories, "catching them" in fractions of seconds in hope that they move audiences for years and they become a source for good.” – Carl Juste
The thirst to be first has been augmented by the hunger for the latest devices, technological advances, and "coolest" perspectives, causing audiences to suffer from over-saturation of visual stimuli. Yet most don't realize this and continue to scroll faster and faster, getting their visual fix without reflecting on what they are looking at and often missing the nuance, the message or the story altogether. We, as visual communicators, are forced to feed the beast, moving as if the photographic process travels at the speed of light, but at what cost?
Iris Collective’s “Still Images Still Matter” - will be on display at MiamiPhotoFest 2019 - Feb 27th - Mar 3rd.
In 1998, four acclaimed photojournalists joined forces to form Iris PhotoCollective with the intent of representing and disseminating the stories from people of color around the world. Iris’s photographers, writers and culture activists create work that explores and documents the lives of people of color throughout the world, with the goal of empowerment for all. These four members have amassed two Pulitzers and three Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards, among some 400 national and international prizes. They’ve worked alongside esteemed writers and journalists at publications including the Miami Herald, the Baltimore Sun, the Associated Press, and the Los Angeles Times.