1. Black photography is no longer about asserting a political identity, it is also concerned with the exploration of that identity by black people as well as white, and challenging stereotypical modes of representation.
2. Not a lot of information is given in regard to changes in black identity during the 1970’s and early 1980’s yet in discussing the work of Mapplethorpe, a famous white photographer, and Rotimi Fani Kayode, a much lesser known photographer yet one who appears to have explored the nature of black identity rather than fetished it, one starts to gain an insight into the socio-political atmosphere of the time. With more knowledge of this era such as the kind of government in power and what kinds of civil unrest might have brought about changes in the perception of black culture and people, one would be encouraged to understand wider perspectives yet the changes that happened were complex and not limited to society and politics alone rather a shift in an understanding of the world and the people in it. For instance, development in communication systems meant that humanity was more unified and openminded towards people of a different colour.
3. The black experience has been much harder in other countries such as the United States and South Africa where segregation was law and people war actively discriminated against; this did not happen in the UK where prejudice has influenced many. Wider knowledge of the black predicament is obviously going to help in understanding the situation yet Mapplethorpe, a photographer from the East Coast of the United States is referenced so this does broaden the view. The mention of a South Africa photographer might have helped yet David Goldblatt, the obvious choice, is another white man and it was not until sometime after that black photographers there started to become prominent commentators. The essay however is not primarily concerned with the socio-politic rather the development of black photography.
4. Both white and black photographers can approach the black issue and often do. Many white photographers choose to document events in the black’s struggle for freedom most notable in the USA while it has taken black photographers time to achieve the same owing to class prejudices with only a few such as Gordon Parks finding their voice. The advantage of black photographers taking up issues that white photographs may also have covered, is that the black photographer is likely to see something different and also be able to see more deeply because he or she is likely to be more directly concerned. The essay points out that Kayode has explored the black condition in a way that “seems to reach back to a longer tradition.” The black photographer is able to reference more material not just because of a socio-political position that gives first hand experience yet because he is in a sense exploring his own identity. However, the white or non-black photographer still has an important role to play in challenging accepted norms of representation that might go unquestioned by black photographers.
Progressing With Digital Photography 