A typical documentary photographer job assignment is not a quick-turnaround gig; the project usually entails significant amounts of preparation, research, and story development. One of the fundamental duties in any documentary photographer job description is the ability to take effective photos. Those working in the field possess advanced knowledge of the technical side of photography: understanding how the camera functions, the role of proper lighting and positioning, and the workings of various digital imaging equipment and software applications.
Equally important is the photographer's emotional sensitivity to his or her subject. Since the documentary photographer is capturing a specific place and time for posterity, he or she often has an innate ability to read people, gain their trust, and make them comfortable in front of the camera lens. It is closely related to street photography and photojournalism but differs from each one in that it is focused on shedding light on a greater social issue.
The goal of the documentary photographer is to create an accurate representation of the subject. There are no poses, and the images are not glamorized in any way. Unlike photojournalism, which is limited to a single news story or event, documentary images are used collectively to illuminate a deeper issue. One photo alone seldom suffices, and it is more common for a set or collection of photographs to tell the complete story and to speak accurately to the problem.
Here is an article on what is photojournalism and how is it different from documentary photography. To simplify the matter even further, most photographers are familiar with documentary wedding photography. This is photojournalism in its most real sense, the recording of an event. Candid images and capturing the emotionalism of the day are the goals of the wedding photographer. Read this article on how to master the nuanced art of Wedding Photography.
But images for a documentary go further. They capture not just a day's events, but an underlying issue. So if you are using a documentary wedding photography image series to shed light on the high cost of wedding ceremonies, on family dynamics issues, or on LGBTQ marriage and equality issues, then you are beginning to understand the power of a documentary series.
Many people are familiar with film documentaries, or the latest Netflix photography documentary. This movie genre has become very popular and has been a tool for change around the world. It is just the latest advancement of the documentary image, the evolution of the artform as technology changes and improves. Photography documentaries are still around, and still just as powerful. Documentaries have always been geared as a powerful tool towards social change.
Since the camera was invented, photographers have used it to capture images of the world around them, and that includes the problems they see in it.
Wars, hunger, poverty, and social injustices are just a few topics that have been recorded in photographs. It has proven itself a powerful medium for change by simply connecting uninformed masses in a deep and meaningful way to the issue. Some of the earliest photography documentaries occurred during the American Civil War.
Likewise, the settling of the American West was also the subject of many powerful images. The post-war years and the turn of the 20th century were marked by rapid industrialization and urbanization in the United States. Pictures of wild places untouched by man and the vast open spaces of the West connected deeply with people who lived in the big cities along the coasts.
Documentary images were vital in building support in Washington, D. The Industrial Revolution created many less glamorous issues for photographers to document, as well. Many mills, factories, and sweatshops were using child workers, taking advantage of gaps in labor laws that had not kept pace with industry and business. Photographers used their lenses to focus national attention on these social injustices. As public sentiment solidified against these practices, laws changed, and working conditions improved.
Like the Civil War before it, World War I catalyzed documentary photographers to share the carnage of war with the rest of the world. From the front-line trenches of Europe, photographers captured the real cost of the war.
The Great Depression that resulted from the stock market crash of blighted much of the western world. Photographers used their power to document the poor and suffering, and the hungry and despondent. To this day, some of the most famous documentary pictures came from the Depression Era. The Farm Security Administration was formed in and hired many now well-known photographers to help them take persuasive images of the endemic problems associated with the extended economic recession.
This was not only done to maintain a historical record but also used successfully to boost public support of the government's social programs.
Images of the Holocaust and atrocities throughout Europe during World War II remain powerful reminders of one of the world's darkest hours. Besides wars and major economic events, documentaries have also been used as a powerful force for conservation. Ansel Adams' vast collection of landscape works are often cited as a conservation documentary.
Legions of photographers have helped document decaying ruins of past civilizations and various location's histories. John Beasley Greene Much of documentary photography is about recording history and events for future generations or just for scientific study.
Greene was a French Egyptologist who traveled extensively to photographs ruins of the ancient world. Additionally, he and others of his day worked with French historical societies to document the rapidly disappearing heritage sites around France. During the war, records are fuzzy about exactly how O'Sullivan served. In all likelihood, he was a civilian who documented maps, records, and plans. He documented other events along the way. He continued to document the war through photography.
He traveled with other photographers and artists and documented important events like the Battle at Gettysburg and General Lee's surrender at the Appomattox Court House. His work was often shockingly brutal, showing dead bodies, gore, and the general horrors of war. He pioneered a new type of landscape photography that was not influenced by classical painting techniques. Instead, he focused on science to use the art of photography to capture accurate records.
O'Sullivan also helped with early surveys for the Panama Canal and was one of the first people to document the ancient ruins and pueblos of the southwest United States. Jacob Riis Riis became a police reporter for the New York Tribune and working in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden parts of the city.
His reporting was known as melodramatic, and he was accused of exaggeration, so he looked for better ways to show the upper classes the conditions in which the poor lived. Riis turned to photography to document the blight that he saw daily. He began by hiring professional photographers to work with and eventually learned the artform himself. Throughout his career, he documented the terrible living conditions of the slums of New York.
In addition, you will now be able to come up with a general theme for the shoot. This is also the perfect time to decide how you want your documentary to run. In short, plan out your shots and decide which scene or aspect to shoot first. Basically, you need to make a storyline for your documentary photo project. Since you already have a storyline and a plan of action, deciding what kind of lens to bring, figuring out whether to use additional flash or not, and determining if you will need a tripod will be easier for you.
Part of your preparations should be asking permission from the authorities or whoever is in charge of the venue or location where you will shoot. This has to be done at least several days before the shoot. Also, be prepared to ask permission from the people who will be in your location.
It is important, as always, to get approval before you shoot something or someone. This is a good way of showing your subject s — and the people you work with — that you respect them. Remember that documentary photography is all about events or issues happening right before your eyes. You cannot predict or choreograph them. You have to have patience and wait for the developments to unfold before your eyes.
So, if your task is to photograph the traffic situation in its worst state, you have to wait until rush hour to get the best shots. Fitzmaurice agrees: simple curiosity is the origin of any meaningful documentary photography project.
What is the most important documentary photography skill from her perspective? Should a photographer remain a neutral observer? In many ways, I am extremely jealous of all the photographers that are embracing documentary family photojournalism these days because there….
Visited 28, times, 1 visits today. So how do you do it? Develop your people skills to get close-up and personal. Protect your work. Indulge your own curiosity. Previous Post. Next Post. Shop Related Classes. Fundamentals of Photography John Greengo.
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