Dianne Hagaman

This is a brilliant example of reflective action, packed with compelling pictures and words that are full of insight into two of the most pervasive cultural processes-religion and photojournalism-by which places are made and people are put in them. In examining her own work, Hagaman eloquently demonstrates "how work is shaped by the process of doing it, the process of discovering what the result will be, the process as an ongoing analysis." As she notes toward the end of the book, this is not "a new set of recipes for creating successful documentary photographs and projects." It is more. It is an invitation to readers to learn not to know all sorts of places and professions in which we have been securely-often unreflectively-placed, to read what is not contained in pictures or in words as well as what is. This is far more than an academic book, though it should be required reading for academics and practitioners concerned with documentary production in any medium; it is an invaluable and accessible account for general audiences who seek to become more critical readers and more creative composers of the worlds in which we live.… (mere)