ABSTRACT
Visual anthropologists have long cautioned that photographic images are not objective recorders of reality. Rather they are subject to the biases and purposes of the cameraperson. I shall not labour this point. Instead, I wish to shift the focus from the photographer and remind readers that the audience's own biases affect how they view and make meaning from photographic images. To demonstrate this point, I shall describe the comments elicited from members of the King Island Native community who viewed archival film images of King Island from 1937 to 1938 in order to show how they reflect the audience's experiences and interests. Thus, not only are moving images manipulated and shaped by the filmmakers, but the interpretations of moving images are manipulated and shaped by the audience. These comments and reactions were elicited at different times and reflect a change in the context and motivations of the people viewing the films 1
