Documentary photography is produced usually to express a lot of significant meaning behind the photographs that relates to historical events or events that happen in everyday life. The popular form is clearly linked historically to the development of print technology and the proliferation of large scale mass press in the 1920’s and £0’s of popular illustrated photograph magazines and publications such as ‘ Life magazine’ in the USA and ‘Picture Post’ in Britain. This type of photography can be greatly slated due to the simple reason of the public thinking the image is disrespectful or outrageous. However, these type of photographers allow the public notice that significant things need to change in the world, without visual proof, people won’t react quick enough or at all to a situation that requires attention. For example the recent migrant crisis of the toddler that drowned trying to reach the island of Kos has been published across the world news. Thousands have died trying to migrate, but only now, since a photographer captured a toddler face down in the sand have people realized. There is also other types of documentary photographers that like to document photographs or personal use such as photographing their mother through the stages of illness perhaps or a sibling growing up.
Turkish gendarmerie stand near by the washed up body of a refugee child who drowned during a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos, at the shore in the coastal town of Bodrum, Mugla city, Turkey, 02 September 2015. At least 11 Syrian migrants died in boat sank after leaving Turkey for the Greek island of Kos.
It could be seen that every photograph is actually documentary photography as each photo documents/records something. People document performances some use this photography to create elusive fictional stories. Social reformers such as Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine used the medium of photography to bring evidence of their claims to these viewers. Their style of photography may best be called “social reform,” for each photographer used the medium to effect social change. Jacob Riis did a project of ‘How the other half life’ and photographed some people living on the streets/in slums in Manhatten.
Documentary and Narrative- Faith, Family and Community
What is Documentary photography? What sub-genres fit into documentary photography?
Documentary photography is a medium that focuses on and explores a story in depth either over a short or extended period of time. Documentary photography is primarily concerned with photojournalism and real life reportage. The objective is to create truthful and meaningful art that visually tells a story which we can relate to or understand. Documentary photography informally show ordinary lives though story form using photographs. Simply put documentary photography is a record or document of life from the lens of a camera.
‘Time in photography isn’t only about its passage, whether measured in hours, days or months. It’s about its captured moments, be it in a second, or five hundredths of a second.’
Documentary photography includes and has sub genres such as street photography, photojournalism, portraiture, landscape, social documentary and editorial. This form of photography is considered to be a very intimate style of art, it creates a connection between the viewer and image, it shows the world as it really is. The photographer chooses a specific moment in time, framing and message in order to capture an influential and informative photograph to shock and grab the public’s attention; the aim is to change opinion and persuade people. Henri Cartier-Bresson is pictured as the father of photojournalism and street photography. Martin Parr is another powerful name, Parr’s work focuses on a negative perspective of British culture. I will look further both photographer’s work in my photographer study, however, I wanted to mention them in my introduction to the coursework as they are both pioneers of the genre.
“Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle both significant and relevant to history and historical events and everyday life.”
Documentary photography is a form of storytelling, usually with one powerful photograph and deeper meaning which often moves people. This form of photography is used to ‘document’ events and people in everyday real life situations which in the past has been used to bring the attention of an audience to a particular subject, change their perspective and create a social change for example: a photograph taken by Nick Ut in Vietnam in 1972 of children running from a bomb explosion caused outraged protests in America and changed the outcome of the war. Views on documentary photography are controversial as some people believe that certain situations should not be documented which also brings in social and political associations such as whether or not it is deemed ethical or moral to take these pictures and publish them.
A more recent example of documentary photography is a a photograph taken of a young refugee boy washed ashore aged 3 who was travelling into Europe from Syria. This photograph has been seen all over the world and has alarmed people about how serious the refugee crisis is, it has also incentivated people in power to take action to try and help these refugees. However on the other hand some people have a negative view on this photograph as they think it is disrespectful and shouldn’t have been taken.
“Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle both significant and relevant to history and historical events and everyday life.”
There are many similar branches of documentary photography such as social documentary photography, street photography, celebrity photography and photojournalism, however Documentary photography tends to follow a single topic or story in-depth over time, as opposed to photojournalism’s real-time coverage of breaking news and events. Documentary photography can capture and sustain public attention, and inform people about pressing social and human rights issues.
There are some photos which stand out as having made a difference in the world by showing the truth to people in a shocking way to make them change how they view certain situations.
The most recent and obvious example of this is being the photos of the Syrian Child, Aylan Kurdi, whose body was captured washed up on a Turkish beach. These photos have helped to shock people into seeing how extreme the current migrant crisis is and has made a lot of people realise that more needs to be done to help these people.
Another example being this photo of Marcy Borders which was taken as she was fleeing the World Trade Centre in the 9/11 disaster. This wan’t so much shocking people to realise they needed to do something more about a situation, but shocked them into seeing what it must have been like being in the buildings.
The title of our next topic is Faith Family and Community.
These titles are very interesting because they can be linked together in different ways.
Community is the widest of the three words, as both Faith and Family can be interpreted as being communities.
Faith can be something you’re brought into because of your Family and from having been to church when I was younger a lot, there was a very strong community of people who all knew each other and all had something in common.
Family is a different type of community in that most of the time you don’t get to choose to be in it.
Some people don’t have a normal sense of family community, for example, people who have to go through Foster care because they have lost the family they were born into or because their Family community isn’t accepting of them; However some of these people find new Families, who they choose, and who choose them, and some manage to find community within a family of others who are in the same position as them;
And for some Families, like in some Portuguese and Italian families, the community that their family holds is one of the most important things to them, and they celebrate having big families.
One thing which I am going to explore with this project is the buildings and places that bring these three things, Faith, Family and Community together. Faiths have religious places in which they congregate, Families have certain places where they may go every year as a tradition, or somewhere they see each other often. All together I think I will look at the places that bring Communities together, and look at the different kinds of communities there are.
The photos which I will be collecting have to contain these things:
Either are places with lots of people gathered, or where people would normally gather (e.g. a church on a Sunday or a church when its empty)
Can be places with strong Faith/Family/Community connections or without. (e.g. a church, where everyone is of the same faith vs a Plane, where people are all gathered together, but not necessarily of the same faith/family/community)
If you break it down into the basic meaning of the words, documentary is defined as a factual record. In fact, it’s very difficult to give it an exact meaning as photography in itself is a process of documentation. However, it has been previously described as the following: a genre, a traditions, a style, a movement and also as a practice.
Here are some pictures which I found to illustrate it:
In photography, the genre of documentary is crucial to capture real moments. The normal elements of composition that we should strive to include in a picture are not so much needed. It’s more about the meaning behind the image, rather than how it’s set-up.
Documentary photography demonstrates a story and can be taken over a various periods of time. Also, documentary images transmit a life long effect. Meanwhile, photojournalism is meant for short-lived moments and is normally published in magazines and news papers. Photojournalism only depicts what the certain viewers, or in this case, what the writers, of a news paper believe to be the truth. It doesn’t explore the deepened subjects behind it. Here are some examples of the both:
Photojournalism example:
Zaatari Camp, in Jordan, run by UNHCR for refugees from war in Syria. Daily bread ration supplied by WFP. Photograph by James Nachtwey.
Documentary example:
Where am I? – by Yavuz Sariyildiz.
Documentary photography and Photojournalism are linked quite closely. The main difference is that documentary photography aims to tell a story over time and some pictures can be set-up. Whilst, photojournalism captures events from one time period and may take the photographs in such a way that it portrays something else, that perhaps is untruthful.
Documentary photography is designed to capture real life moments. Some images have the power to even change peoples points of view. A single picture can have create a stronger reaction than anything else. Many photographers use this medium because it can open people’s eyes. For example, recently there was a controversial news story, in which a three year old, Syrian boy washed up at shore. A Turkish photographer was at the beach when it happened and she decided to snap a picture. For some this was a shocking move. Many people questioned whether it was right for the picture to be taken, or whether she should of helped out the baby toddler first.
Here’s a link to one of the Syrian boys’ news stories: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/04/world/europe/syria-boy-drowning.html?smid=tw-share
The photograph was taken by Nilüfer Demir, a photographer working for the Turkish agency DHA.
For me, in this case, I probably would have taken the picture also. I think that she was trying to show the rest of the world the saddening moment and wanted to share how critically severe it was in an attempt to make a difference. And in result, when the pictures actually were released they affected many individuals.
Documentary photography first began in the early 19th century. A man named Jeremy Bentham was the first person to use it. Later on, a famous film maker called John Gierson used this word to describe a film and this is what prompted people to start using this term in visual arts. Meanwhile in France, during the mid 19th century, Eugene Atget described his work as ‘documents’. His work was mainly of buildings and empty streets. Also, in Denmark, a Danish reporter called Jacob A Riis, referred to his work in the same way. On the other hand, Riss’s work was focused on poverty in the slums during the 1880’s. And finally, the much later work of the American man Lewis Hine, that reflects a modern version of social work campaigns and child labour. Here are some examples of these three:
Jacob Riis example (Danish,1849-1914):
Jacob Riis – How The Other Half Lives.
Here’s a link to a website showcasing some of Riis photography: http://www.moma.org/collection/artists/4928
Eugene Atget example (French, 1857- 1927):
Eugene Atget – St. Gervais, Old Paris, 1900.
Informative link, with details on Atget’s life: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Eugene-Atget
Lewis Hine example (American, 1874-1940):
Lewis Hine
Here’s a link to an article on Lewis Hine’s work: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17673213
It first started to become a phenomenon when it began to appear in the 1920s when print technology was beginning to evolve. Most of these prints were placed in worldwide magazines. The main motive behind the magazines was to document a story. They included many different pictures which all portrayed different emotions and meanings. In result, it inspired the photojournalism movement to begin.
Documentary has a wide range of key words linked to it. It has many different approaches, styles and practices. There are also many different categories and types that apply to it. A few of these include: photojournalism, reportage, street photography and contemporary fine-art. Documentary photography can be used as a way of learning. For example, if you photograph political and moral values, you may start to comprehend the situation in a better manner. This genre can lead us to question many things. It may question you on your personal morality, and what you’d do if we were in that situation. It may also make you view places and people differently. For example, there could be rare sights shown in the photograph that show things you would normally not see.
This type of photography, in itself, is very controversial, especially with the word ‘documentary’. Some people argue that documentary photography is always set up, no matter how little you tamper with the situations. This is because a picture, in itself, is a documentation. The moment in which the camera snaps, a document is supposedly taken.
Many people use this genre to capture stories, which can be fictional or non-fictional. While other use it to capture performances. Just like the typical photographic styles, it can vary.
A very touching and famous example of this medium is as follows:
Taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt.
This is Glenn McDuffie, a former sailor which was famously featured as a part of this documentary photograph. At that moment, the photographer was able to capture the couples emotional kiss as they celebrated that Japan had surrendered. I believe that Eisenstaedt caught a very precious moment of love, which was later identified as being this man in the picture.
Nowadays, contemporary documentary photography still portrays a lot of meaning. However, one distinct characteristic is that, now the audience has more freedom to interpret individually. Whereas in the olden days, documentary pictures used to have a specific and driven meaning behind them. Contemporary photography is often set up in a series, it normally demonstrates a chronicle or account. The images can be a collection of various different genres, such as portraiture.
Contextual Study: Your first task is to describe the genre of documentary photography. In class last Friday we discussed a few issues around aesthetic, moral and ethical considerations when you are depicting truth, recording life as it as and using your camera as a witness. We used current news images as case studies, such as the drowned Syrian boy (read article here) and to continue the debate I would like you to read the following articles when you are considering writing your response to the task on documentary photography.
Visitors at the Visa Pour l’Image festival in Perpignan, France, where a searching debate about the ethics of photojournalism is unfolding.
Currently, the International Festival of Photojournalism, Visa Pour L’Image is in Perpignan (South France) where a debate about ‘Standards and Ethics’ in photojournalism is raging. Here is an article published in New York Times yesterday which features different views on how much manipulation is acceptable in making images when you consider yourself a photojournalist. The debate is between staged photography and photojournalism claim to only bear witness.
Task 1: Read the article carefully, especially the views expressed by festival director, Jean-François Leroy, Lars Boering, Managing Director of World Press Photo and Canadian documentary photographer, Donald Webber who served as the chairman judging the Documentary section at the contest earlier in 2015. Consider the questions below and write a paragraph or two where you try and include direct quotes from the article and comment in your own words as a response. For further context, make sure you follow hyperlinks in the article to take you to other sites and comments.
Q1: Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism? Q2: When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable? Q3: With viewers more sophisticated and skeptical than ever before, how can photojournalists preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
Link to NPPA (National Press Photographer’s Association) Code of Ethics. Compare views expressed in the article above with these.
Link to article about the photographer who took the photos of the dead Syrian boy where she speaks about why she took them.
A photograph that was part of a winning package at the World Press Photo awards. The image, of an intimate scene in Charleroi, Belgium, came under scrutiny over whether it broke contest rules. Credit Giovanni TroilFrom La Ville Noire by Giovanni Troil
Last week we also discussed if photographs can change the world. Again we looked at a few examples, notably Nick Ut’s famous image from the Vietnam War.
Vietnam Napalm 1972 South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children, including 9-year-old Kim Phuc, center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong
Task 2: Consider if photographs can change the world or change people’s perception? Here is a a blog post by photographer and lecturer, Lewis Bush where he discuss the above in light of recent images of dead Syrian refugees in Europe. Include quotes in your answer.
Street photography is simply photography featuring the human condition within public places. I think this kind of documentary photography is very raw and something that a lot of people enjoy doing nowadays. This is the movement in which the photographer isn’t trying to send out a message about one form of society that needs to be changed but is simply documenting the world around them, showing the rest of the world what their own personal world looks like. I think street photography is the documentation of the people. We often forget about ourselves as communities when looking at the news seeing famine and crisis in other parts of the world as well as being hypnotised by the celebrity world. Our regular lifestyles are going to be the ones that the people of generations to come are going to focus on and look into.
Street photography is all about the timing and capturing people and places in its greatest form. It is less news and more everyday average life. These photographers tend to capture elements of peoples days that we would often overlook or not even think about. I like this style of photography as it shows that normal people are just as interesting as those of the celebrity world and that sometimes they can be even more interesting than those who are constantly in the tabloids and always camera ready. Here photographers are able to capture the most raw images of real people, some not even noticing the camera as they go about their lives. They can capture a person unexpectedly, like when we wonder we come across new people often unexpectedly. I think that street photographers simply photograph the usual elements of life that we see everyday and ignore. Here many amazing images can be produced.
I like to take photos of public spaces and put them on my social media sights. I do this as a way of remembering how my world was at this point in my life. I like to capture different people in my shots and to reflect on them and see what kind of people I’ve captured in my images, business people, parents, teenagers, tourists, children etc. Here are some of my own images that I have taken for my social media.
Documentary is the recording of observations through film, media, writing and other artistic means. It has been used throughout centuries for many different purposes, ranging from caveman making artistic sketches on cave walls, to the documentation of the most important and significant political events of the 20th and 21st Centuries.
Documentary Photography is the process of making such observations using still image. The photographer (or photojournalist’s) intention is the create a narrative of their experiences and observations. Documentary photography in my opinion is all about conveying a story, whether that be through a series of images that structure a narrative, or through a single image that captivates a powerful message. On the other hand though, it could be argued that all photography is technically documentary, because the act of capturing light is in itself an document of reality.
Images like this, capturing the first contact between two individuals of the same fractured nation, separated by 40 years of cold war, symbolizes the immense power that photography has as a means to document humanity at it’s most powerful extremes. The accidental blur of this image captures the moment in it’s most spontaneous essence, a moment in time with a sense of movement which symbolizes and expresses Germany’s desire to move forward.
Robert Frank’s, ‘The Americans’ is seen as arguably the most influential body of documentary photography
Robert Capa’s iconic photographs of WWII are seen as a benchmark for modern War photographers.
The role of a documentary photography is to express through the image, a particular moment visualizing the message which the photographer is attempting to convey. Their images reflect their view of the world and society, either subjectively or objectively. The war photographer Robert Capa for example, would deliberately photograph harrowing, grotesque images of pain and death in order to shock the audience and express his ant-war stance. In contrast, Swizz photographer Robert Frank, greatly renowned for his candid photo-book series, ‘The Americans’, photographs far more objectively, basing his work on chance and from a fresh, outsider perspective. Photographs which do not explicitly state any particular mood, idea or emotion.
This image, taken by photojournalist Nilufer Demir earlier this week of the tragic discovery of a dead Syrian boy on a beach in Turkey. This extremely harrowing image emphasizes the important question that many Documentary photographer face concerning ethics and morality. Morally, is it acceptable to photograph a dead child? The fact the this photographer will now profit greatly from this devastating and tragic circumstance is a very controversial issue which has angered very many people. On the other hand, do photographers in fact have a moral duty to document such events, as a way of communicating truth to the rest of the world?
Robert Capa was a Hungarian war photographer [photojournalist]. He covered five wars; the Spanish civil war, the Second Sino-Japanese war, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and the First Indochina war. Capa died while capturing images during the First Indochina war after stepping on a landmine, in 1954.
Robert Capa
“It’s not always easy to stand aside and be unable to do anything except record the sufferings around one” – Robert Capa
Robert Capa was one of the co-founders of Magnum Photos and the International Centre of Photography. I think that Capa was a risk taker and did so to make the best, most inspiring images possible. One of his most iconic images came from the D-day landings, this image is one that inspired Steven Spielberg to make Saving Private Ryan. All of the images Capa took on the day of the D-day landing in France, June 6 1944, were almost ruined as the editor of the paper wanted them developed as quickly as possible. The photos that weren’t destroyed became some of the most iconic images from World War II. These images were slightly smudged and blurred but to me these look more raw and real as if the photographer was running in on the action and getting out of the way. I like the way this image looks as it gives you a sense of how fast pace the action is down at the war front that not even the photographer can stand still for a second to capture a photograph, he too has to remain on the move. I like this image as it shows one soldier clambering his way through the blood covered waters in an attempt to make it to shore and fight the enemy lines. This image shows the rest of the world what soldiers actually went through during the war and how tough it was to fight and how easy it was to lose your life. The soldier in the centre of this photograph looks very serious and in the zone as if he is ready to fight for his country and to protect those he is fighting for. The barriers in the background show some soldiers hiding behind them, trying to avoid bullets. Sometimes I feel that we are numb to the struggle that soldiers went through during the war, we forget how many of them lost their lives and how many of them barely survived. We forget that they are not only left with physical scares but also mental ones too. This image makes you remember, it makes the spectator believe every moment and allows them to remember the kind of tragedies that they went through every second of the war. Not only did innocent people die, but there were actually people willing to risk their own lives and happiness to defend their country to make a stop to the madness which was uncovered during World War II.
