Talk Overview

Photographs shape how we see the world. When we take and share photographs, we are shaping how others see the world. This means that we wield enormous power when we use photography and other visual media – whether we know it or not.

Therefore, the use visual media comes with responsibility, whether we are taking photographs, recording reels, or sharing videos made by others. To meet this responsibility, we need to cultivate an understanding of visual media ethics.

In this talk, I will demonstrate how photographs shape our beliefs, how ethical photography can bridge divides in society, and how we all can use visual media more responsibly. Ultimately, I will share why I believe that visual media ethics has the power to change the world.

About the Speaker

Savannah Dodd is an anthropologist and visual artist based on the Ards Peninsula. She founded the Photography Ethics Centre in 2017 with the aim of raising awareness about the ethics of taking and sharing visual media. Savannah designs and delivers workshops, lectures, and other educational content for international audiences across sectors. In 2020, her edited volume titled Ethics and Integrity in Visual Research Methods was published by Emerald Publishing Group.

Savannah earned her doctorate in anthropology from Queen’s University Belfast (2023), her master's in anthropology and sociology at the Graduate Institute of International Development Studies in Geneva (2015), and her bachelor's in anthropology and religious studies at Washington University in St. Louis (2012).

Savannah sits on the ethics panel for the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award, on the board of Source Magazine, on the UK committee of the Ethical Journalism Network, and on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Rural Deliberative Forum. In 2021, Savannah was recognised as one of the UK's 100 leading female entrepreneurs in the Small Business Britain #ialso Campaign.