Untaken Photographs

The Personal and Relational Value of Field Photography among the Kággaba Community

Resumo

This article proposes the phenomenon of ‘untaken photographs’ as a hybrid research-creation methodology that moves from representational photography to relational visual practice in the context of fieldwork with the Kággaba community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, and extends into digital media contexts. It shows why a photograph is sometimes not taken and the importance of preserving the moment only in the photographer’s memory. In an environment overflowing with digital images, we prefer the return to introspection, poetry, personal experiences, and a personal journal. The article emphasises photography as a way to relational knowledge and discusses how digital abstraction can foster deeper connections with the environment and people. The text combines reflection on the medium of photography with journal entries from the field to demonstrate how the photographic act is transformed in a situation where the decision not to photograph becomes an approach that creates meaning.