On May 29, 2025, MoCP presented a series of conversations that explored topics of authorship, representation, and the dissemination of information as they relate to the past, present, and future of photography.

This special edition of Focal Point Extras captures the conversation between artist Dawoud Bey and scholar Leigh Raiford on the topic of “The Photographed Person was Always There.” The two explored the critical role of the photographed person in portraiture, and how they shape images and their meaning.

This symposium was in conjunction with the exhibition, Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography in Dialogue with the MoCP Collection curated by Wendy Ewald, Susan Meiselas, Laura wexler, and MoCP Curator of Academic Programs and Collections, Kristin Taylor.

Images discussed in this conversation include:

Dawoud Bey, A Man in a Bowler Hat, from the Harlem, USA portfolio, 1976

Dawoud Bey, A Woman Waiting In The Doorway, from the Harlem, USA portfolio, 1976

Dawoud Bey, Untitled #7 (Branches and Woods), from Night Coming Tenderly, Black, 2017

For more information on Dawoud Bey’s work in the MoCP collection, please visit this link.