In
On the Frontline, one of the most influential photographers of our time, Susan Meiselas, provides an insightful personal commentary on the trajectory of her career—on her ideas and processes, and her decisions as a photographer. Applying a sociological training to the practice of witness journalism, she compares her process to that of an archaeologist, piecing together shards of evidence to build a three-dimensional cultural understanding of her subjects.
Meiselas achieved worldwide recognition for her photographic coverage of the Nicaraguan Revolution in 1979—first published in 1981 and now regarded as a seminal work of journalism—which followed her exploration of the experience of women on the carnival entertainment circuit,