2026 Photography Ethics Symposium
In June, the Photography Ethics Symposium brought photographers, curators, archivists and researchers together at Queen's University Belfast for the 2026 Symposium. Rather than seeking to delineate any universal ethical truths, the symposium undertook this messy endeavour, asking: How are photographers and other image-based practitioners negotiating the ethical decisions they encounter? Who is implicated or involved in these decisions, and who or what is at stake? Conversations spanned questions of representation and participation, as well as the challenges presented by archives, digital technologies, and the environmental crisis.
Posters and Panels
Julia Huỳnh, Curator for the Southeast Asian Archive at the University of California, Irvine, presenting at the 2026 Photography Ethics Symposium.
The six panels were arranged by theme, starting with History and Theory, Case Studies and Ethical Interventions, Museums and Archiving, Care and Collaboration, Digital and AI, and Environment and More-Than-Human Ethics. Two additional panels, Representation and Responsibility and Photography in the Digital Era, were held online and live-streamed at the event.* Speakers were selected following Call for Papers in autumn 2025. The speakers and moderators guided us through the field's most urgent topics, one delegate put it simply: “the quality of the presentations was truly world-class.”
Ten posters, shown in two sessions, brought the same intellectual rigour into more intimate dialogue, while a visual ethics card game added an interactive and hands-on approach to topics and challenges raised.
*The online panels were recorded and will be made publicly available in due course.
Conference Posters
Community and Connection
Conference delegates playing the Photographs & Consequences card game, developed by Dr Savannah Dodd, Dana Statton Thompson, and Carol Record.
One of the highlights of the symposium was the warm and welcoming atmosphere which created real engagement and meaningful connection. 62 delegates attended over the two days, travelling from as far as California and Canada to join colleagues from across the UK, Ireland, and Europe. Many remarked that it was large enough for real diversity of thought, but small enough that everyone had a chance to meet and talk with one another. Conversations carried on beyond the conference room: over coffee, through the off-site visits, and into the drinks reception.
The cohesive programme cultivated a shared frame of reference and sustained engagement. Delegates said that having everyone attend the same sessions created a good sense of community. The poster sessions also contributed to this, sparking one-on-one conversations and connection.
"Being fairly new to the field, the Symposium was an incredibly welcoming and generative space for me, which encouraged me to keep developing my practice, learn and share with everyone."
- Joyce Mak, King's College London
Situating the Symposium
Toby Smith of the Belfast Photo Festival speaking to conference delegates at the opening of Camera Obsolete at Belfast Exposed.
The symposium’s location played an active role in the conversation. On day one, we visited the Ulster Museum's Troubles and Beyond exhibition, introduced by curator Rebecca Laverty, whose insight into representing a long and painful conflict echoed the morning's discussions. As one delegate reflected, it offered tangible insight into the challenge of representing socio-politically and emotionally charged histories. For a Belfast-born delegate, seeing the Troubles exhibition again “through the nuanced lens” of the group was a personal highlight. For others, it was a vivid reminder that ethics in photography is never abstract, it lives in specific places, with specific histories.
On day two, we ended the day at Belfast Exposed for talks from CEO Deirdre Robb and Community Engagement Manager Mervyn Smyth, as well as from John Duncan, editor of Source Magazine, about the history of these two Belfast-based organisations. Toby Smith from the Belfast Photo Festival closed out the day with the opening of Camera Obsolete, a participatory installation confronting the end of photography's mechanical era.
“The meaningful conversations and connections will be on my mind for a long time, and surely will influence future projects.”
- Dr Heather Diack, Toronto Metropolitan University
Next Steps
Nilupa Yasmin responding to a question from the audience during the panel on Care and Collaboration, featuring Dr Ashle Bailey-Gilreath, Nilupa Yasmin, and Dr Christine Slobogin and moderated by Dr Tara Pixley.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback, received directly from delegates and in an anonymous survey, reflects the inspiring and invigorating energy of the symposium. We heard from delegates that it “felt like the start of something”, whilst one called the event “life changing”. This shows the need for continued dialogue, and the enduring importance of photography ethics today. We’re looking forward to the forthcoming special issue of Photographies in 2027, which draws from the symposium.
Thank you to Photographies, Routledge, and Queen’s University Belfast for supporting the symposium, as well as the ESRC for the funding that made this event possible. Thank you to the VII Foundation for hosting the two online panels, which increased the accessibility and reach of the event. Last but not least, thank you to all the delegates for making this a truly inspiring event.
Following the success of the 2026 Photography Ethics Symposium, we intend to make this a biennial event, with our next planned for 2028. Stay tuned!
Thank you to the presenters: Dr Michael Pritchard, Dr Teemu Hupli, Dr Tiffany Fairey, Dr Megan Carnrite, Veera Ojala, Maria Kowalski, Aindreas Scholz, Anthony Luvera, Frances Dorenbaum, Joyce Y. T. Mak, Kerstin Hamilton, Dr Savannah Dodd, Siorna Ashby, Dr Tara Pixley, Dr William Nieberding, Alana Duggan, Julia Huỳnh, Mercedes Almagro Ocaña, Beatrice Harbour, Dr Ashle Bailey-Gilreath, Nilupa Yasmin, Dr Christine Slobogin, Mark Bessoudo, Dr Heather Diack, Dr Kyveli Lignou-Tsamantani, Dr Andrea Jaeger, Elin Berge, Dr David Eckersley, Dr Ozan Yavuz, Avishek Ray, Dr Gwendolyne Cressman, Jay S. Dash, & Seung Won Choi. And to the moderators: Emeritus Professor Liz Wells, Anthony Luvera, Jess Crombie, Dr Savannah Dodd, Dr Tara Pixley, Dr Tammy Law, Professor David Bate, and Dr Julia Peck.
