“The photo is the hunt. It’s the instinct of hunting without the desire to kill. It’s the hunt of angels. You track, you aim, you fire and—click! Instead of a dead man, you make him eternal.”
-Chris Marker, If I Had Four Dromedaries, 1966
John Dominis, 1964, photos taken as part of the War on Poverty initative.
A photograph is an illusion. While sometimes considered to be the medium of truth¹, photography is less a window and more a magic trick. This was more obvious in the early days of the complicated Daguerreotype photographic process—with its alchemy of mercury vapor fumes and mirrored plates—but remains true even with instantaneous DSLR and smartphone cameras (Daniel 2007). Despite its apparent objectivity, the resulting image of these processes is far from impartial. Present in every photograph are the biases and intentions of its creator, shaping not simply a visual record of a moment, but a narrative of that moment—one that often leans more toward interpretation than truth. Nowhere is this more evident than in the portrayal of the Appalachian region, where documentary-style photographs have played a central role in defining identities and promoting agendas for generations.
From iconic images depicting the hardships of Appalachian life during the War on Poverty to contemporary portfolios, photography has reflected and refracted Appalachia into American consciousness, contributing to (and in some cases generating entirely) the myths and ideas that continue to define the region. It is imperative to understand photography’s role in this process, examining how it has shaped the understanding of the region’s past and present, as well as how a shift in methodology might allow for a reimagining of the future.
¹ Paul Levinson remarks on photography’s ability to use a chemical process to reflect “a literal energy configuration from the real world” (Levinson 1997).
Photography as Narrative Construction
Photography has often been accepted as reality. Photographs are commonly used to authenticate experiences (“the camera never lies”, “pics or it didn’t happen” [Silverman 2016]) leading to a belief that photos are dispositive; a 2007 study in Applied Cognitive Psychology showed that viewing edited images could even significantly alter individuals’ recollections of events they had witnessed (Sacchi et al. 2007). In 2024, with the increasing prevalence of photo manipulation and AI-generated images, the dangers of this phenomenon become apparent. However, a photo does not need to be manipulated in order to be manipulative. The pervasive notion from the viewer’s perspective is that photography is more passive than other forms of art, and thus more objective. For example, while a painter creates a world on canvas, a photographer simply reflects the world around them. However, in both cases, the artist is employing a tool—whether it’s a paintbrush or a camera—to shape a narrative and offer a particular viewpoint for their audience. Additionally, choices of angle, lighting, and composition evoke specific emotions and convey messages. Thus, photography is not a passive medium, but is instead active and subjective, with the potential to manipulate its depiction of reality and influence perception.
Photography inherently involves exclusion: when a photographer decides what to include in a photo, they are also actively choosing what to omit. Capturing something through a photograph inherently assigns significance to it, as described by Susan Sontag: “To photograph is to confer importance” (1977). Even when photography lacks explicit artistic intent, it still carries rhetorical power in that it leads the viewer toward a particular understanding. Photography always suggests something about the subject—a crime scene photo may single out the subject as potential evidence, for example, while a quick snapshot of a pet reflects fondness and appreciation. It is because of these decisions that even unretouched photography possesses the ability to assert a specific viewpoint, make assumptions, and construct its own narrative, sometimes inadvertently. The ubiquity of photographs only amplifies their potency: "Instead of merely capturing reality, photographs have become the standard for how things appear to us, thus altering the very concept of reality and realism" (Sontag 1977). Photographs have become such an important part of everyday life that they lack separation from reality now more than ever. Their tendency to be accepted at face value renders them a useful rhetorical instrument, and one with significant potential dangers. In the context of Appalachia, where stereotypes persist alongside a history of mismanagement and corruption, this susceptibility to misinterpretation through photography is particularly challenging¹. When intentional distortion is added to the already prevalent misconceptions of the region, the visual rhetoric surrounding Appalachia becomes even more convoluted.
¹Appalachia has historically faced economic, political, and social inequalities, as well as exploitation by corporations that have discouraged education, limited civic engagement, fostered dependence, and punished dissent. Scholars such as Dwight Billings argue that this history of corruption has engendered a fatalistic mindset among Appalachians (1974).
Appalachia: A Region Defined by Imagery
In American culture, portrayals of the Appalachian region have historically been used for various cultural and political purposes, largely through photography. Notably, images of Appalachian people brought the issue of poverty to the forefront of public consciousness during the 1960s, exemplified by the famous photographs during the War on Poverty era. These photographs, depicting "an all-white populace, depressed-looking men hunched over from years working in the mines, dirty-faced and barefoot children, and women in shift dresses, holding a baby in one arm, cooking over a wood stove with the other" (Brashear 2019) became emblematic of Appalachia for generations. These images were explicitly intended to position Appalachia as a region in need of assistance. While these photographs aimed to raise awareness and garner support for anti-poverty efforts, they also simplified the complexities of life in Appalachia by framing the region solely as a target for intervention without addressing its multifaced challenges. The result was a largely unsuccessful initiative¹.
A Google Images search for “Appalachian people”.
The conclusion of the War on Poverty did not erase the impact of its images. Both these historical photographs and the modern collections inspired by them have effectively subsumed the visual narrative of Appalachian life. Both in subject matter and style, themes from the War on Poverty era continue to prevail in Appalachian photography and depictions of the region at large. While a Google Image search for “Appalachian people” yields both decades-old and much more recent images, they are all almost exclusively in black and white (see above). For the modern images, this deliberate stylistic choice is one example of how photographic representation of Appalachia has sought to perpetuate notions of primitiveness. This black-and-white photography seemingly seeks to emulate the Appalachian images of the 1960s, connotating pre-modernity and conveying to the viewer that the region is permanently stuck in the past².
For those who may never visit or reside in Appalachia, these images serve as the primary lens through which they perceive the region. This discourse defines Appalachia with a sense of “otherness”, and the narratives conveyed in traditional Appalachian photography reinforce this perception by omitting anything that might challenge or contradict it. While this narrative has persisted for decades—a 1964 report commissioned by President Lyndon B. Johnson referred to Appalachia as “a region apart” (Hall Blanco 2021)—the motives behind this portrayal have evolved. In the 1950s and 1960s, these photographs played a crucial role in highlighting poverty during a period of relative prosperity in America, accentuating the perceived contrasts—modernization versus stagnation, success versus failure—between different parts of the country. The underlying goal was the assimilation of Appalachians into the broader national culture. Today, similar images persist in portraying the region as trapped in a bygone era, reinforcing notions of cultural backwardness. However, rather than serving as a plea for assistance, modern portrayals of Appalachia often position the region as an object of curiosity or entertainment. The overarching theme remains consistent: Appalachians are fundamentally different from mainstream America.
Bruce Gilden, 2015, from “Two Days in Appalachia” for VICE.
This continuation is exemplified by two portfolios featured in VICE's 2015 Photo Issue³, both centered on Appalachia. One, titled "There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" by Stacy Kranitz, focuses on snake-handling pastors and fervent religious revivals, perpetuating the stereotype of the region as steeped in antiquated and peculiar traditions. The second portfolio, "Two Days in Appalachia" by Bruce Gilden, features extreme close-ups capturing the bewildered expressions of children seemingly startled by the intrusive presence of a camera. Despite ostensibly documenting contemporary Appalachia, these portfolios reinforce the narrative of Appalachia as an exotic and outdated cultural enclave, fundamentally distinct from the rest of the country. While Appalachia faces challenges, these photographs neither contribute to addressing them nor accurately reflect the region's realities. In its introductory article, the VICE issue introduces collection of portfolios (each featuring its own subjects, such as Palestinians under occupation in one or blind children in rural China in another) as intending to not only “show our friends what the world looks like to us but to tell them what it feels like” (Jacobs et al. 2015). The Appalachian portfolios continued the history of portraying what the region “feels like” from an outsider’s point of view, to the detriment and misrepresentation of their subjects⁴.
In his critique of the Vice portfolios, Appalachian photographer Roger May describes the role photography has played in the historical extraction within the region: “Taking a portrait, of course, is not an abuse on the same scale as taking land. But it is still taking” (2015). Appalachia has a longstanding history of extraction—of minerals, labor, and timber. These photographs, taken by outsiders and circulated outside the region, represent another form of exploitation of Appalachia beyond its physical resources. In Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes describes the objectification of photographic subjects: “Photography transformed subject into object, and even, one might say, into a museum object” (1993). In the context of the War on Poverty, this was people’s likenesses being used to sell the initiative itself. In modern Appalachian photography, this phenomenon is seen in images created for quick consumption. They photos challenge nothing; they lack depth, serving only to provide immediate shock and awe to cater to trends and thus drive engagement. Rather than prompting thoughtful reflection on Appalachian life, they tend to replace potential introspection with instant gratification—a common pitfall of photography as a medium. These photos cater to the viewer's preexisting beliefs, offering nothing new or insightful. They leverage photography's potent rhetorical power to highlight the most distinct, undesirable, and bizarre aspects of Appalachia, thereby contributing to the perpetuation of its otherness and negative stereotypes⁵. Appalachia has frequently been scapegoated for America's societal issues, including neglect, poverty, obesity, greed, and environmental devastation (McCarroll 2018). These oversimplified images perpetuate this history by obscuring the region's intricate complexity, sacrificing its diversity and commonalities with the rest of the country for the sake of its portrayal as uniformly "other".
¹ Appalachia continues to lag the rest of the country economically. The Appalachian Regional Commission uses a classification system based on unemployment, income, and poverty data to track the economic growth of individual counties. Of the 54 Appalachian counties in Kentucky, only 3 are “transitional”, meaning that they are in line with the rest of the United States. Thirty-eight are considered “distressed”, falling into the bottom 10 percent of counties nationwide (Hall Blanco 2021).
² Similarly, there have been claims that certain images from the Civil Rights era which were originally taken in color have been intentionally disseminated in black and white to make them seem older and thus downplay their relevance (Seemela, 2022).
³ I chose to discuss the VICE 2015 Photo Issue portfolios in part due to the discourse in Appalachian rhetorical studies that emerged from it, as seen in responses such as Roger May’s.
⁴ The article also describes photography as a “great coping [mechanism] for reality's messy too-muchness” (Jacobs et. al 2015)—another example of ostensibly documentary photography apparently seeking to simplify the world rather than document its complexities.
⁵ Susan Sontag says that photographs give us an “imaginary possession of a past that is unreal” (1977).
Rethinking Future Perspectives
Photography encompasses a wide array of genres and technologies, each with its own modes of circulation and effects on the audience. From documentary photography to fine art, the tools and techniques used to take a photograph shape not only the aesthetic of the image but also the ways in which it is perceived and interpreted. In the context of Appalachia, photography has a variety of potential influences; it can be used to highlight socio-economic challenges, romanticize the natural beauty of the landscape, or to explore themes of identity, memory, and place. As we contemplate the future of photographic representation in Appalachia, it becomes imperative to scrutinize not only the images themselves but also the underlying implications they convey. Moving beyond the superficial portrayal of Appalachia requires a deliberate approach from photographers, one that acknowledges the region's multifaceted nature and seeks to encapsulate its complexities rather than simplifying or diminishing them to align with popular conceptions.
This calls for a shift towards a more collaborative and participatory model of photography, one that actively involves Appalachian communities in the process of image creation and interpretation. By centering the voices and experiences of those directly impacted by photographic representation, photographers can move towards a more ethical and equitable approach that empowers Appalachian residents to reclaim agency over their own narratives. Additionally, fostering greater diversity and inclusivity within the field of photography can help challenge dominant narratives and amplify marginalized perspectives, ultimately leading to a more accurate and inclusive portrayal. Doing so would bring photography’s most noble use to the forefront, fostering a deeper sense of empathy, understanding, and appreciation for the subjects captured within the frame.
To accomplish this, it is essential to recognize the value of looking at photography created by Appalachians themselves, not just photography of them. By elevating the voices and perspectives of Appalachian photographers, we gain access to narratives and insights that may otherwise remain obscured by an outsider’s perspective. Photography by Appalachians offers a unique lens through which to explore the region's identity, traditions, and aspirations, providing a counterpoint to external portrayals that often prioritize sensationalism over authenticity. By amplifying these voices and fostering platforms for their expression, we not only empower local communities but also enrich our collective understanding. One effective strategy toward this end is the implementation of “photovoice”, a qualitative research method used in community-based participatory research. Photovoice has been used in community health related studies, in which participants are asked to photograph their lived daily realities, with the purpose of identifying issues that may not otherwise be willing or able to articulate (Ozanne 2013). This methodology empowers individuals to document their concerns, inviting critical dialogue and awareness of important community issues. By leveraging photographs as a medium for group discussion, photovoice facilitates the inclusion of diverse perspectives, helping overcome social, cultural, and linguistic barriers to communication. This approach enables participants, regardless of background, to contribute their insights and experiences, shedding light on hidden or overlooked aspects of the community.
Furthermore, the medium of photography itself presents an opportunity for innovation and experimentation in reshaping perspectives on Appalachia. One such technique is the utilization of diptychs, a format that juxtaposes two related images side by side. The images may be related in that they offer different perspectives of the same subject or in their shared theme. This format facilitates the provision of internal context, enabling viewers to see connections and glean insights that may not be possible within a single image. In the context of Appalachia, diptychs can serve as a starting point for presenting a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the region.
Reimagining the future of Appalachian photography demands a concerted effort to dismantle outsider biases and embrace a more inclusive and empathetic approach. By elevating insider perspectives, fostering collaboration, and leveraging innovative techniques, photographers can play a pivotal role in reshaping narratives and challenging preconceived notions about Appalachia. Ultimately, the journey towards a more authentic and representative portrayal of the region requires a collective commitment to introspection, empathy, and sensitivity. This entails acknowledging the complexities and nuances of Appalachian identity and actively working to amplify diverse voices and experiences. By prioritizing authenticity and nuance over sensationalism and stereotype, photographers can contribute to a more equitable and respectful depiction of Appalachia—one that honors its past, celebrates its present, and envisions its future with dignity.