From its origin, anthropology has had a close relationship with photography. However, in most cases, anthropologists, without analyzing the photos, have used them only to illustrate their articles. Recent evolution in visual anthropology shows, however, some interesting discussions on the analysis of ethnographic photography. This paper briefly examines the history of documentary (or social) photography which is somewhat similar to ethnographic photography. Some arguments on the use of photography in anthropological research will then be presented. Several aspects of photography (its unconscious aspect, narrative natre, and social use) are pointed out as promising for anthropological analysis of photographic data.
