Film Review
A new documentary explores the work of activist and photographer Misan Harriman, but it may inadvertently beautify the protests he captures.
Still from Misan Harriman: Shoot the People (2026), dir. Andy Mundy-Castle (all images courtesy Watermelon Pictures)
In a 2013 essay, Barrett Swanson posed the question: “At what point does the aesthetic excellence of the photograph eclipse the depicted event, or, worse, distract the viewer from inquiring into what happened?” This concern is particularly relevant today, given the surge in digital news content and ongoing global crises. In the context of protest and social movement photography, images that overly flatter protesters might be seen as promoting performative activism and detracting from the underlying issues. If the images are too aesthetically pleasing, they could obscure the potential for state violence. Conversely, if they are excessively graphic, they risk stripping subjects of their dignity, turning dissent into mere spectacle.
These complexities are well known to Misan Harriman, a photographer-activist who has gained recognition for documenting protests since the summer of 2020.
Harriman’s story is the focus of Andy Mundy-Castle’s documentary Shoot the People. It follows the 48-year-old Nigerian-born Brit as he captures activist movements across three continents. Harriman’s journey from an amateur photographer to becoming the first Black photographer to shoot the cover of Vogue‘s September edition is remarkable. However, his nuanced portrayal of protests, especially those predominantly involving Black and Brown individuals, is even more critical.
