Jo-Anne McArthur, photographer and We Animals Media founder, presented an immersive talk about how to take strong and engaging photographs of your activism. Hear from Jo about what she has learned in her fieldwork and how you can incorporate that into your own photography, even as a non-professional. Register here: https://info.vegfund.org/vegan-activism-photography-webinar This webinar will equip you with: - Composition basics for great event and activism photography - General photography guidelines - A greater technical capability - Ideas for how to build a strong photographic narrative Jo-Anne McArthur is an award-winning photojournalist, sought-after speaker, and the founder of We Animals Media. She has been documenting the plight of animals on all seven continents for almost two decades. She is the author of two books, We Animals (2014) and Captive (2017), and was the subject of Canadian filmmaker Liz Marshall’s acclaimed documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine. Jo-Anne is based in Toronto, Canada and travels many months each year to document and share the stories of animals worldwide. About We Animals Media: We Animals Media (WAM) documents the lives of animals in the human environment — those used for food, fashion, entertainment, work, religion, and experimentation. WAM’s mission is to bring visibility to these animals worldwide through photography and film and to amplify their stories through partnerships with organizations and media. WAM is a not-for-profit organization with international scope, based in Toronto, Canada. The We Animals Archive is a globally accessible resource that holds thousands of compelling images and videos about the human relationship with animals around the world. The work is made available free to any person or organization helping animals.

1. Photography Tips for Impactful
Vegan Activism

2. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube:
@weanimals
Email: info@weanimals.org

3. A bit about me…
Activist 20+ years
Photographer 20+ years
Shoots and speaking engagements in 60+ countries

5. The invisible animals…

11. Why is photography so important for social change?
Because most often, we can’t understand, we can’t imagine or
empathize, if we can’t see.

12. Images shape history.
Migrant Mother. 1936.
Photo by Dorothea Lange
Tiananmen Square, 1989.
Photographer: Jeff WidenerHuynh Cong Ut, 1973. Vietnam war.

13. Both historically and today, photographs bring
war home.
Execution of a Viet Cong, Eddie Adams, 1968
Aylan Kurdi, Syrian migrant boy, 2015

14. Images create
empathy and they
hold us accountable.
Gordon, a runaway
slave in, Louisiana 1863

15. Images are proof.

16. Marianne Thieme, Founder of the Dutch Party for Animals
Proof not just of the bad, but of the good.

18. Images show us what is,
and what should never again be.

19. Beyond influencing public opinion, images have also been
used in criminal cases, influenced moratoriums and have
helped change policies.

20. Working on
investigations
with films and
organizations means
we can get places like
these held
accountable or even
closed.

21. Our work on behalf of animals is historic.
Treat it that way.

22. Animal Photojournalism

23. We have to understand that we’re asking a lot of our audience. To face cruelty is
to face our complicity in that cruelty. To face suffering is to face ourselves.
Regarding the suffering of others….

24. For the most part, the general public in most countries is not ready to
see the world through the lens of animal rights.

25. Some challenges when trying to get
into mainstream publications:
Work seen as subjective by default, or misanthropic
Subject matter unimportant
Subject matter unimportant compared to other animals
Media doesn’t want to upset investors and advertisers
Media can be inherently conservative

26. Part of our job as
photographers is to put a
face to the billions of
animals we consume each
year.

27. When you get close
you remove the
anonymity of those
you photograph, you
individualize the
masses.

30. It’s equally important to make people smile and connect.

32. The use of humour is really important in photos and campaigns.

33. If we could live happy and healthy lives without
harming others, why wouldn’t we? – Edgar’s Mission

34. Before…..
We can’t simply paralyze people with the depressing
reality of how we treat animals.

35. Rescued capuchin at Jungle Friends Sanctuary, USA
…and after.

36. Show that there are different
ways of being with animals.

38. Photos are important.
Stories are better. Be a
hunter of stories.
Sometimes you can get
a full story in a
single image.

41. Pepsi, at
Save the
Chimps
Sometimes the
written or
spoken story
brings the image
to life.

42. Abbey, from the film The Ghosts in Our Machine

43. What we see, what
we are shown, is
often the surface of
things.
Dig ever deeper with
your shoots and your
work.

45. Kiska, at Marineland

46. We suffer from
cognitive dissonance.
This is defined as an
inconsistency between
one’s beliefs and one’s
actions.

47. PHOTO ESSAYS:
When planning for a shoot or story, write out your goals.
Plot a narrative so that you achieve the best possible shoot.

48. Rachel’s Promise. Ape Action Africa, Cameroon

62. Everyone’s most pressing question:
How do I gain access?

63. Street photography. Once you start looking,
there are stories everywhere.

64. Ask permission:

66. Or…if you don’t ask permission….

67. There are of course legal and safety risks.
Legal – it depends on which country or state you are working in.
Find out ahead of time what the risks are.
Examples: fines, jail, eco-terrorism charges.
Have a lawyer’s phone number written on your arm.
Safety – there is no doubt about it, you are at physical
and emotional risk.
Examples: leg traps, ambush, violence and injury, property
damage, being chased and hit by cars, depression, despair…

68. Buy a ticket, sit in the front row… (bullfight, rodeo, circus)

69. Because of films like Blackfish, and events like the cull of Marius the giraffe and
the shooting of Harambe the gorilla, the ethics of captivity are being
discussed globally NOW.

70. The challenge can be to show things in a way that we don’t normally see them.

71. I aimed to show the perversity of captivity, the loneliness, the absurdity of the
spaces in which we keep them. Again, getting us to self-reflect and think critically.

72. It’s a very good way of
getting your story seen.
The stories of animals are also
the stories of us.

73. Collaborations:

74. Collaborations.
Make a list of the pros and cons: Is there funding to get the work done?
Are they good at marketing? Do they have a vision and a strategy?

75. Most importantly: SHOW UP.

76. Some simple techniques to use
and look for.
This is important not just if you’re a
photographer, but when choosing images
to illustrate your work or your point, so
here are a few tips.

77. Interesting angles. Move your feet.

78. (It’s exciting when images are also sociological studies, like this one.)

79. Make time.

80. Get down, get close.

82. Change your angle, move your feet.

83. Lighting…

85. Lighting:
Direct sunlight is
not your friend.

86. A quick trick for better lighting: keep your
subject in the shade.

87. Darker backgrounds....Nice!

88. Bring a background.

89. Make the most of the weather you’ve been handed!

90. Crop.

91. Backlight is tricky but gorgeous when
you get it right. Practice!

92. Lighting in complete darkness...

94. Hand-held light such as headlamps and light panels are
sometimes better than flash.

95. This is a shallow/narrow depth of field. So, f2.8

96. Shallow depth of field (f2.8 or
thereabouts) is what you want
to use for portraits so that the
focus is on the face and the
background drops out.

97. This is a larger depth of field. So, f11 or more.

98. A large depth of field (f8, f11, f18 etc) is what you want to use
when you want to show every detail in the frame.

99. Provide people the opportunity to inhabit your
photographs. They will see themselves in the people
and actions taking place.

100. The Jane Goodall Institute Roots and Shoots program.
Inspire, guide and motivate people through photos and stories.

101. Also very necessary in our work: acknowledging the
overlap of oppressions and working in solidarity with
others to improve the lives of all.

102. Animal abuse intersects with labour
violations and human abuse.

103. Animal abuse intersects with environmental abuse.

104. Progressive
social
change requires
not simply
liberating
specific groups,
but challenging
the
foundations of
oppression
itself.
- Melanie Joy

105. A popular question: How to cope.
First: I recommend these three books:
Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World. A Guide for
Activists and Their Allies by pattrice jones
Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide for Caring for Self While
Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
Beyond Beliefs: A Guide to Improving Relationships and
Communication for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat Eaters by
Melanie Joy

106. I personally
recommend
investing in a
onesie.

107. Nurture joy
Photo: Julie O’Neill for the Unbound Project

108. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a
quiet day, I can hear her breathing. – Arundhati Roy
I think the future IS getting brighter…

109. www.unboundproject.org

110. Author and philosopher Carol J. Adams

111. Shelter staff and first responder Lumka Golintete
Highlighting good work empowers people!

112. Philosopher Elisa Aaltola

113. Women in science, such as neurologist Aysha Akhtar, who
specialises in preventative medicine and public health.

114. Animal Liberation Victoria Founder Patty Mark in Australia

115. Women who are part of innovative strategies, like Yenzekile
Mathebula and Leitah Mkhabela of the Black Mambas.

116. Women who are
driven by a great
sense of urgency
for change, like
The Animal Save
Movement co-
founder Anita
Krajnc.

117. Women entering the growing field of animal rights
law.

118. Young trail-blazers
like Avalon Theisen,
founder of
Conserve it
Forward.

119. Innovative veterinarians like Dr. Gladys Kalema - Zikusoka in Uganda.

120. Women who take leaps of faith, like Raabia Hawa.

121. Tenacious women like Dr. Theodora Capaldo.

123. Take great images of
animals who need
homes to help them get
adopted.

124. Be a part of the photo world and other
visual arts communities.

125. Scrutinize the work of the masters, whoever they are to you.
For me, it’s Magnum and VII, the World Press Photo, Media Storm,
Lynsey Addario. Study these big talents.
Photo by Tommaso Ausili

126. Set your bar high.
Current AR photography shouldn’t be the bar,
Nat Geo and the New York Times should be the bar.
Photo by Lynsey Addario

127. Attend photojournalism and photography conferences. You
can learn a lot simply by seeing and discussing the best
photography in the world.
Examples of photo conferences in Europe and the USA include:
GDT, Germany (October)
Perpignan Visa pour L’Image, France (Aug/Sept)
Montier-en-Der, France (November)
Les Rencontres d’Arles, France
World Press Photo (International)
International League of Conservation Photographers, USA (November)

128. We Animals Media Animal Photojournalism Masterclass
www.weanimalsmedia.org/masterclass

129. GET HELP WITH PR AND MARKETING.
Most of us suck, I mean really suck, at promoting our work.
Hire PR or find marketing and communications volunteers.
Give this job to the experts.
Evolotus
Raison D’Etre Media

130. Most of the time,
being a successful
photographer
=
desk job
(marketing, editing,
fundraising, emails,
planning, writing,
paperwork, etc)

131. www.weanimalsarchive.org
Make your photos available to those helping animals

132. Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible
for everything. And you cannot turn away. You must grow strong enough to love
the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.
– Andrew Boyd

133. As a matter of survival, we must choose hope
instead of hopelessness.
Action is catharsis.

134. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube:
@weanimals
Email: info@weanimals.org
www.weanimalsmedia.org