Does a documentary photographer have a responsibility to history - or to humanity?
The question makes an ideal subject for debate for a college art history class, and it is also a real-life dilemma that faced Canadian photographer Wendell Phillips who, years ago, decided to toss in his job at a daily newspaper for a life less ordinary.
Since walking away from the Winnipeg Free Press in 1995, Phillips has stomped across much of the globe with a backpack, tripod and a well-worn camera bag at his side.
His travels have taken him from the frozen valleys of Iceland to Cuba, to China and Southeast Asia.
'Are we dispassionate observers recording our own history or that of others?' Phillips asks, in reference to the classic debate about the appropriate distance between a photographer and his subject.
'Some question the legitimacy of our intrusion, while others applaud our curiosity. I would like to think my contributions have made a difference.'