Background:

Photographs depicting suffering in humanitarian contexts are important to communicate the extent of crises and to document atrocities. Such images of “distant suffering” may also be exploitative and dehumanize those pictured. Despite these aspects, what is perceived as “suffering” in an image remains undefined. This study uses a humanitarian lens to explore how suffering is perceived in images.

Method:

Through a photo-elicitation approach, 24 images of suffering were chosen by curators from a humanitarian archive. Seventeen professionals were purposively recruited from humanitarian organizations or refugee health research. Participants submitted up to four images of suffering from the curated images or other sources, with narratives describing why they chose the image and why it conveyed suffering. Twenty-seven photo-narratives were submitted. Descriptive visual analysis of images and thematic analysis of narratives were conducted.

Results:

Fourteen photographs were from the curated images and two from other sources. Images varied in hues and settings. All featured one or more persons, and many with emotional expressions. Perceived suffering was described in themes of decoded emotions and their facial or bodily expressions, a nexus of uncertainty and vulnerability, and through relatability or resonance. Descriptions included emotions like sadness and grief, lack of safety or options, and how participants perceived they would experience a situation.

Conclusions:

Perceived suffering was conveyed in situations of vulnerability or uncertainty, relatability or resonance, and expressions of perceived emotions. These findings may foster understanding of forms of distant suffering in people’s lives and how this form of suffering takes expression.