Mead and Bateson's Ethnographic Photography at Bali

Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson pioneered ethnographic photography and film in Bali during the 1930s, producing 6,000 meters of film and 25,000 photographs. Their collaborative method involved Mead transcribing events while Bateson filmed and photographed, often focusing on children to capture spontaneous cultural expressions. Their work, compiled in the book 'Balinese Character' and films like 'Trance and Dance in Bali' (1951), is considered the first ethnography based primarily on field photographs. The article discusses the complex relationship between photography and anthropology, emphasizing that ethnographic representation relies on three relational dynamics: between photographer and subject, photographer and viewer, and subject and viewer. The authors argue that true ethnographic work requires the photographer to step back and focus on human relationships rather than self-expression.