WHERE COURAGE IS FOUND
SUSAN HOWELL-JENSEN

As part of an Art History course about Photography, students were asked to write
a series of reflective journals. One of the goals of this assignment was to help
students develop their written voice, an important skill in building a robust
academic language.
In this selection of journals titled “WHERE COURAGE IS FOUND” the writer has
found a common thread, namely, courage. In “When the Family Photo Album Isn’t
Picture Perfect”, the writer revisits a family photo album that documents some of
her father’s experiences in Norway during World War II. “Angry Broad Brush, a
reflection on Angela Kelly’s essay ‘SELF IMAGE Personal is political” considers
how we have come to expect narrowly defined norms in photographic images.
“Enlightened” looks at the work of a female photojournalist and asks, does it make
a difference if the photographer is male or female?

“If students—especially basic writing students—are to acquire academic language
in a meaningful, powerful way, the emphasis on exploring ideas in personal,
expressive language cannot be neglected.” 1
As part of our work in an Art History course about photography, we were asked to
write a series of reflective journals. The assignment was both deceptively
challenging and incredibly rewarding. In the journal “When the Family Photo
Album Isn’t Picture Perfect” I revisit an old family photo album that was usually
kept from public view. The photographs document the courage of a young man
fighting for his country and the album made for an important lesson: a lesson where

1

Mlynarcyzk, Revisiting the Debate, 12.

HiPo Vol. 1

103

March 2018

immigrant parents taught their daughters that being foreign was not a source of
shame, but their family history was a source of pride.

When the Family Photo Album Isn’t Picture Perfect
Our personal photographs play an important role in our image building. Who are
we? Who do we aspire to be? What are our lives supposed to look like? We humans
are very concerned with how we are viewed, how and where we fit in social groups.
We present the image we think ought to or should be portrayed. But is it so wrong
when the picture doesn’t fit neatly into the usual social conventions? What do we
make of it when a family photo album isn’t ‘picture perfect’?
These questions have been crossing my mind since I was a young girl. Growing up,
there was one photo album that was often tucked away. That was the one that I
found most fascinating, the one that Mom didn’t really want us getting into as she
knew it might lead to difficult questions. As it was ‘not suitable for young ladies’,
if I had any questions I would need to keep them to myself.
The album was one that my father brought with him when he immigrated from
Norway. Most of the photos span his adolescence, and as he was born in 1925, his
teenage years were during the Nazi occupation in WWII. Like many other
Norwegians, he actively resisted the occupation. His specialty was radio
communications and when the Nazis became suspicious of his activities, he had to
flee his hometown. His escape route took him from his home in the southeast, north
through the middle of Norway and eventually east to escape into Sweden. The
photo album documents this time. What he and others did was dangerous work, not
only for themselves but for those close to them. While the Nazis hunted for my
father, they held his mother and sister house hostage, and sent his father to a
detention camp. What he did was remarkable, but what is more remarkable is that
he was one of the thousands of Norwegians who actively resisted the Occupation.
He died many years ago so there are few traces remaining, the photos and the
memories retold by relatives in the old country. It’s been decades since I’ve had a
good look at this album and given the nature of our studies, it seems fitting to see
what this album tells me now.
The pictures. A desolate spot in the mountains. Young men build onto a log cabin.
Interior shots of a radio communication post. Groups of men, friends posing for the
camera, men in uniform, sometimes in formation. Candid, posed, working, basking
in the sun but revolver safely in hand. The countryside changing from lush
mountains to a treeless north marked by snow fences. The difficult pictures.
Pictures of people excavating corpses from dirt graves and giving the lifeless bodies
the dignity of a box for burial. The sad ones of a cemetery filled with countless

HiPo Vol. 1

104

March 2018

fresh white crosses. The photos filled with pride. A welcome home parade,
dignitaries walking with war heroes. Women and children smiling, crowds of
people waving the Norwegian flag.
What did these photos mean to the teenage boy that took them? Why are they so
important to me? These photos document an aspect of WWII that is not well known
and not expected to be found in a personal family album. They are not the usual
stuff of happy, joyous or silly celebrations of family life. Had my parents left this
album out with all the others, they would have faced stern judgement for their sense
of decency, and further scrutinized for their oddness and egotism. And, while I
agree these photos may not be for casual viewing, I think they are important. What
happened during that young man’s adolescence was unusual and shocking. This
album may have provided a way for him to resolve the trauma from these events.
It helps me to better understand the past. Had it not been for this album I would
have missed an incredible example of courage and decency, of setting aside
personal interests for the sake of country, and that it is not the efforts of one, but of
many. These photos document the power and tenacity of brave people. Yes, there
is a place for the light-hearted family photos. But there is a place for the albums
that document our lives beyond the picture perfect. This album has shown me that
we can be much more than just a shiny image.
***
Looking at the work of two well-regarded photographers, I find there is more to
their work than the photographs alone.
***

Angry Broad Brush
A reflection on Angela Kelly’s essay “SELF IMAGE Personal is
Political”
In reading Angela Kelly’s essay “SELF IMAGE Personal is Political” I find myself
stumbling over a few areas. This essay intends “to dispel a few myths and raise a
few questions about photographic self-portraiture” 2 and to consider this from the
perspective of the “photographic self-portraitist.” 3 It was not until the third or fourth
reading and a detour to see if ‘The Personal is Political’ is a thing that this essay
begins making more sense to me, but with what seems to be a few departures from
the original intent. My understanding of ‘The Personal is Political’ is as a slogan
from the time of second-wave feminism. It was calling attention to issues about
2
3

Kelly, Self Image: Personal is Political, 410.
Kelly, 410.

HiPo Vol. 1

105

March 2018

women’s health, what we call ‘woman’s work’, and that these issues need to be
brought out and dealt with within a political context.
After multiple readings, I’m left feeling that Kelly views the world in black and
white with but a few patches of grey. This essay mentions issues that seem to be
distant from the original intent, issues such as self-portraiture is acceptable to the
artist but not the photographer, that either claim to illustrate what lies beneath
versus capturing the likeness and that it is “contradictory for women to see
themselves as persons before women.” 4 These are all problematic for me, possibly
due to what small strides have been made since the article was written, or possibly
that at this point in my life I am less inclined to play nice and buy into those kinds
of sexist notions.
I appreciate her bringing attention to the myth that contrary to what we may often
see in photographic print, not all women are young, slender, flawless and eager for
a sexual encounter. Let’s challenge the status quo and raise a few questions. To that
end, take the image of a provocatively posed women and replace her with a man.
Yes, that pose is ludicrous, and it is not representative of most women. And what
was she thinking to turn the camera on herself and claim herself as worthy to be the
centre of attention? It would be a few years after Kelly’s essay, but I think it’s fair
to credit Madonna as the trailblazer and fierce protector of feminine narcissism.
It is interesting to see Kelly’s exploration of photographic self-portraiture and how
her images have matured over the course of time. There is one that I find very
powerful. It looks to be from when she was a younger woman, standing in a flowery
print dress, partially hidden in the shadows. The light streams in from a large
window on the left-hand side, the light so bright it nearly overexposes an ad painted
on the exterior wall. Only a portion of the ad is visible, LES & SER, it leaves me
wondering if she may be feeling ‘lesser’, or perhaps she is ready to leave her lesser
self and step into her power.
Kelly’s article reminds me of some of my own experiences. I was a young career
woman around her ‘lesser’ time and I cannot forget shocking levels of sexist
behaviour that were accepted if not tolerated. It was not unexpected to have male
coworkers try to put girls into their place, but it was crushing when female
coworkers would try to keep you from reaching beyond their interpretation of a
woman’s proper place.
Hopefully, the passage of time has been as good to Kelly as it has been to me. The
process of aging is not for sissies but there is a lovely freedom in being a cranky
(dare we say bitchy) mature women. It is far easier in these autumn years to call out
4

Kelly, 416.

HiPo Vol. 1

106

March 2018

the bullshit. Better yet, there is less time to bellyache about a countless number of
inequities for, wherever possible, I grab what I can of what is rightfully mine.
***

Enlightened
One of the benefits of our studies is learning about photographers that were
previously not known to us. As women are underrepresented in the photographic
industry, I now seek them out intentionally. It’s a small way to help get us to a more
equitable balance. A search of female photographers led me to Time Inc.’s “Women
in Photography: 34 Voices from Around the World” 5. It is unfortunate to read that
only 15% of the entrants to the World Press Photo Contest are female. It is also a
bit disconcerting that some classify photographic styles based on sex. Art historian
and curator Val Williams believes there is a distinct difference in the way that
women photographers approach documenting versus that of men, and perhaps there
is, but does that male-female classification serves us well? Unless specific sex
organs are required to produce or consider photographic work, do we really need
to support that type of stratification? Can we not leave it at: different photographers
have different perspectives, and accept that their perspectives may change over the
course of time? As viewers, is a better approach is to seek out various points of
view and in doing so, come to know a larger body of photographic work? The article
about these talented photographers, all of them names that are new to me, does not
disappoint. After a cursory review of extraordinary work, I’ve settled on Meridith
Kohut. What I see brings me to tears.
The subjects covered in these photo-essays are rich and moving. A photojournalist
by trade, Kohut is a regular contributor to The New York Times, a publication I
hold in high regard. Much of her work relates to issues within Latin America. These
assignments put the photographer into some very precarious and potentially hostile
situations. Of particular note I’m deeply moved by her photo essay about the
shortage of drugs for patients in a Venezuelan psychiatric hospital. I’m reminded
of our course text and its reference to Gerry Badger’s BBC television series, where
the subtitle reads “How photography has changed our lives” 6. It is through these
photo-essays that I, as a viewer, am able to witness worlds I otherwise would not
see.
The power of these essays is more than the subject matter. Without question, the
skill of the photographer in capturing and composing the images is crucial to the
viewing experience. And there are several decisions made during post-production
5
6

Time Inc., Women in Photography: 34 Voices from Around the World.
Wells, ed. Photography, 60-61.

HiPo Vol. 1

107

March 2018

that make for richer storytelling. Specific choices made in editing, cropping and
employing colour schemes add to the overall impact, creating more drama and
leading the viewer. These visual stories feel complete.
There is a sense of integrity in these photo-essays. The subjects are presented as
they are. I am seeing something that is beyond my day to day world, but it does not
feel like there is an intention to classify them as lesser than us. The photographs
provide a vivid visual story of people and their circumstances, and it is achieved
without a condescending perspective, condemnation or victimizing. The aftermath
of an act of God, a country in tatters, a society losing hope, a hospital without the
tools to provide care. These stories are rich. What would the photographer have me
do? Karin Becker Ohrn points out “The photographer’s goal was to bring the
attention of an audience to the subject of his or her work and, in many cases, to
pave the way for social change.” 7 Kohut’s body of work has the power to do just
that.
***

Conclusion
Looking back over these journals, there is a constant thread about courage. Courage
is found in the photo-essays of a photojournalist, the questions posed by a feminist,
a young man’s efforts for his country and the lessons taught about finding pride in
your heritage. But it is more than the just the journals. From the audacity of an
instructor who assigned this unconventional task, to the personal effort of digging
deep and expressing ideas, it is evident that courage has been found.

7

Wells, 79.

HiPo Vol. 1

108

March 2018

BIBLIOGRAPHY
KELLY, ANGELA. 1979. “Self Image: Personal is Political.” Camerawork, 12
(January 1979), pp.410-416. http://williamwolff.org/wpcontent/uploads/2012/01/kelly-pr-1979-2003.pdf, URL. 30 October 2017.
KOHUT, MEREDITH, “Meredith Kohut Photography”,
https://meridithkohut.photoshelter.com/index/G0000K4OcybozF.I/I0000x
eMKIYZLOuM. November 3, 2017.
MLYNARCYZK, REBECCA WILLIAMS, “Personal and Academic Writing: Revisiting
the Debate”, Journal of Basic Writing, Vol. 25, No.1, 2006,
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ773395.pdf
TIME INC.’s, “Women in Photography: 34 Voices From Around the World”,
March 6, 2017. http://time.com/4671986/women-photographers/.
November 5, 2017.
WELLS, LIZ, ed. Photography: A Critical Introduction 5th Edition. Oxon:
Routledge, 2015.

HiPo Vol. 1

109

March 2018