Dipole-strength distributions in the nuclides 92Mo, 98Mo and 100Mo have been investigated in photon-scattering experiments with bremsstrahlung at the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE of the Forschungszentrum Rossendorf. A simulation of gamma cascades was performed in order to estimate the distribution of inelastic transitions to low-lying states and thus to deduce the primary dipole-strength distribution up to the neutron-separation energies. The absorption cross sections obtained connect smoothly to (gamma, n) cross sections and give novel information about the low-energy tail of the Giant Dipole Resonance below the neutron-separation energies. The experimental cross sections are compared with predictions of a Quasiparticle-Random-Phase Approximation (QRPA) in a deformed basis. Photoactivation experiments were performed at various electron energies to study the 92Mo(gamma, n), 92Mo(gamma, p), 92Mo(gamma, alpha) and 100Mo(gamma, n) reactions. The deduced activation yields are compared with theoretical predictions.