In, Around, and Afterthoughts

Rosier's assertions concerning the legitimacy and purity of documentary photography are somewhat disconcerting. Her thoughts on modern photography seem to contradict the entire practice of documentary, claiming that images are now being utilized moreso to please the photographer, rather than identify cause for social change. It can be said that both agendas still fall into the category of documentary; where documentarians of old sought reform, we presently seek to merely identify.
Throughout the entirety of the article, Rosier struggles to find the definitive characteristics of a documentary photograph. She cites a variety of ambiguous instances in the history of photography in which the viewing population has had difficulty determining the overall purpose of the photographer, from staged images to photographs with no "polemic apparent". Of course, it can be argued that these are indeed documents, but she also argues, knowingly or not, that any still image can be identified as a document. In addressing this, she also addresses the main struggle of the contemporary documentarian.