Self-Reflection: Documentary Photography as a Discursive Battlefield in the Case of Sex Workers in Thai society

Abstract

        The objective of this article is to present knowledge derived from the self-reflection process of the author in their capacity as a professional documentary photographer. The study discusses the role of documentary photography as a “discursive battlefield” and “social evidence” regarding sex workers in Thailand. Utilizing a qualitative research methodology comparable to autoethnography, the study employs a “one person, two states” approach, which is a collaborative integration of the researcher’s role and the photographer’s empirical experience.

        The results of the reflection reveal key issues at two distinct levels. At the level of the photographer’s consciousness, the production process serves as a conflict zone between “good photography” from a professional standpoint, which may inadvertently reproduce traditional tropes of sex workers and the “human rights discourse,” which aims to deconstruct such representations and restore the subjects’ humanity. In terms of the social context, the reflection process demonstrates that documentary photography functions as a social record. This includes not only the final product of this documentary photographs but the entire photographic process, which reflects societal shifts, political phenomena, and the evolving media acceptance of the human dimension of sex workers.

        In conclusion, this self-reflection underscores that documentary photography is not merely a recording of facts appearing before the lens. Rather, it covers the photographer’s lived experience and the elements left “unseen” in the frame. Both are integral parts of a social record intimately linked to dimensions of power, discourse, and social transformation.