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The VII Foundation

214 videos from The VII Foundation, free to watch in the PhotoWings Media Archive.

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245: hours of interviews and presentations

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Context Legacy Perspective Reflection

The Camera at War: 170 Years of Weaponizing Photography, with Hilary Roberts

86 min · August 2026 · Featuring Ron Haviv

All forms of visual media are vulnerable to being manipulated or ‘weaponized’ in the context of modern conflict. However, the consequences of manipulating photographs are potentially far-reaching and long-term. In recent years, advances in digital technology have led many to question whether photographs of war and conflict can ever be trusted. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as other world events, have lent urgency to this debate. Drawing on an incredible range of imagery from the Imperial War Museum’s vast collection and other major archives around the globe, expert curator Hilary Roberts presents a new perspective on the role of image manipulation in this field over the past 170 years, exploring the consequences for our understanding of historic and contemporary conflicts. Join Ron Haviv in conversation with Hilary Roberts as they discuss the complicated relationship between conflict photography and the ‘truth’. The discussion will explore the application and legacy of photomanipulation techniques in conflict photography and the myriad ways in which layers of meaning can be added, erased, or changed completely.

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In this project

"A City Ruptured" with Ashley Gilbertson and Renee Melides
Sebastião Salgado
John Stanmeyer's Kit: On Assignment with National Geographic
Physics of Photography With Fujifilm – Session 1: Cameras in Film and Digital
Reporting the Siege of Sarajevo
"Congo in Conversation" with Finbarr O'Reilly
Hyperlocal Storytelling in the Time of Pandemic with Ed Kashi
Physics of Photography With Fujifilm – Session 2: Optics
Dialogues on Photography with Stefano De Luigi and Florence Drouhet
The Spirituality of Seeing with John Stanmeyer
Nolan Ryan Trowe in conversation with Ashley Gilbertson
Creating Impact: New Visual Perspectives on the Climate Crisis
Ed Kashi, Julie Winokur, and Tim Raphael Present "Newest Americans"
Maciek Nabrdalik – New approaches to documentary storytelling
A Presentation of Ed Kashi & Julie Winokur's film, "Sheila and Joe"
Linda Bournane Engelberth – Outside the Binary: Changing Perceptions of Gender
A Journey To All 1078 Nazi Concentration Camps, Witnessing The Sky Above
Basic Business Skills for Freelance Photographers, Parts One & Two
No Choice: Reporting on Sexual Violence in Refugee Contexts
Reporting on War in Afghanistan
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Sara Terry
Photographing the Sudanese Revolution
Jo-Anne McArthur – What is Animal Photojournalism?
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Maggie Steber
Book Club – Anush Babajanyan, The House of Culture
Kris Graves – 1492/1619 American Aftermaths
Preserving the Archive with Alison Nordström and Hilary Roberts
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Stefano de Luigi
Brian Storm – A Guide to Online Storytelling
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Jocelyn Bain Hogg
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Mary Gelman
Photo Editors Series – Noelle Flores Théard
Photography from Pasifika – New Digital Storytellers in Aotearoa
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Ali Arkady
Photo Editors Series – Thomas Borberg
Ethics in a Time of War
War and Sexual Identity: Ilvy Njiokiktjien's Report on the LGBTQI Community in Lviv, Ukraine
Bosnia 30 years later: Lessons from reporting the Bosnian War
Telling the story of refugees in Ukraine – John Stanmeyer
Photo Editors Series – Wacera Njagi
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Danny Wilcox Frazier
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Ed Kashi
Photo Editors Series – Andrea Wise
Reporting Myanmar: The Photojournalism of Ta Mwe
Photo Editors Series – Mikko Takkunen
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Ashley Gilbertson
The State of Visual Storytelling in China
Photo Editors Series – Sarah Leen
Newspaper Club – Ali Arkady and Eric Bouvet
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Maciek Nabrdalik
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Nichole Sobecki
The State of Photography 2022, with Tara Pixley
New Voices – Kimberly dela Cruz
New Voices – Natalia Neuhaus
Documenting the Housing Crisis, with Sara Terry
Building a Ukrainian War Photo Archive
Photojournalism and Animal Rights Advocacy, with Seb Alex
New Voices – Nada Harib
Creating Visual Narratives, with Mike Davis
New Voices – Jackie Molloy
Hyperlocal Journalism with Andrea Bruce
Wounds Ukraine by Joseph Sywenkyj
Bearing Witness and the Yugoslav Wars, with Paul Lowe
Photo Editors Series – Hector Guerrero
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation With Ismail Ferdous
The DJ and the War Crimes: Using Photography to Seek Justice
New Voices – Marko Risovic
VII Community Presents: Perspectives from Africa
Ask Us Anything, with David Campbell and Ilvy Njiokiktjien
Documentary Photography in the Era of Generative A.I., with Tomas van Houtryve and Fred Ritchin
Exodus – American Migrations, with Nicoló Filippo Rosso
Covering the Climate Crisis from China, with Sean Gallagher
VII Community Presents: Perspectives from Asia
Lecture Series on Ethical Literacy, Parts 1–3: Photography Ethics
Four Questions on Photography: Ilvy Njiokiktjien in Conversation with Paolo Manzo
How to Apply for Grants, with Sara Terry and Raymond Thompson
Photo Editors Series – Gabriel Eisenmeier
VII Community Presents: Stories about Climate and the Environment
Documenting the Danger to Democracy
Telling Stories with Impact: Smita Sharma
Curator Series – Azu Henry Nwagbogu
Ukrainian Warchive: Collecting Stories of War
Documenting Abortion Restrictions in America, with Stacy Kranitz and Andrea Wise
Photo Editors Series – Abir Abdullah
Retratistas do Morro: Reshaping Brazil's historical records
Visualizing the Climate Crisis (Series: Climate Migration, Deforestation, Ocean Acidification, Virtual Water, The Fashion System)
How is The VII Foundation Addressing Visual Journalism's Challenges? — Gary Knight
Photo Stories from the Square Mile Initiative
Photo Editors Series – Carla Rosorius
Artificial Intelligence and the Threat to the Real
Monumental Photography: Investigating Representations of Colonialism and Nationalism
Latin American Photobooks: A Curator's Perspective
How to Edit Your Story, by Marc Prüst
Covering Sudan's Refugee Camps: Nicolò Filippo Rosso and Finbarr O'Reilly
Curator Series – Iris Sikking / Nestan Nijaradze
Photo Editor Series – Fiona Shields
Documenting Women's Rights in Afghanistan, with Kiana Hayeri and Mélissa Cornet
Visual Storytelling for Positive Change in Wildlife Conservation, with Jasper Doest
Visual Storytelling Techniques with Acacia Johnson
Reimagining History with Artificial Intelligence: A Conversation with Phillip Toledano
Re-Framing the Narrative: Unconventional Imagery From Trump's Not-Normal First 100 Days
How Is Latin American Journalism Resisting Authoritarianism?
Triumph & Defeat in Washington D.C: Capturing the Inauguration & People's March

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