2. Adapting to differences:

New places can bring new feelings and I believe that deep down no one likes change. My family decided to immigrate to Jersey a long time ago and have been living here ever since. Thanks to their link with other Portuguese people which have moved here; they were able to find out about the island. The alterations from their hometown are immensely diverse. Jersey is a much more technologically advanced region. The modern culture is quite advanced compared to Madeira. This leads me to introduce a second photographer who looks at developed, unconventional and industrialised places. He captures present time moments. “Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like”, stated David Alan-Harvey. This signifies that his work is all about containing emotions that can be translated by the audience into a certain meaning. I believe that the subjects in documentary photographer’s work emulate those in Jersey. I was interested in his study of work called ‘Living Proof’, which displays a current day view on updated society. He stated that in photography: “there are no barriers” and questions “can we even capture what we feel in a photograph?” In my view, Harvey’s work connects to Salgado as his work builds on social interactions between humans and the environment. I highly believe that the social, political and economic differences from the two islands and photographers differ. This created new opportunities in the working world. However, the industrialisation and high-tech technology has a lot of negative aspects. I believe that my family and some locals can become isolated, stresses and depressed because of their surroundings. To me, it doesn’t make sense to live in an area surrounded by concrete walls and fake materials. I think that our lives should be plentiful of nature and fresh air, instead of polluting fumes and unnecessary towers. Harvey’s photographs show many scenes with social interactions. He uses colourful, vibrant and saturated filters, which make a pop and grab my attention. Harvey captures his subjects in busy situations, and I find that his frames are always full and exciting. I believe that Harvey integrates himself amongst his subjects and shoots from their perspective. I personally don’t believe that the pictures have much of a physical impact on the world, apart from making them aware of the ever-growing circumstances that occur. In this series, he portrays the addictive side of our society and depicts pleasures that money can buy. David Alan Harvey grew up in a developed and populated city. He has some similarities to Sebastiao Salgado but also some differences. Their medium is the same, in that they both are documentary photographers. However, their subjects of interest and messages that they want to convey to the world are worlds apart. Typically, I think that Harvey shows the diversity of up-to-date surroundings and how it’s possible to enjoy it and have fun. Nevertheless, in the majority of photographs the people seem sad, which always brings me back to the question; does the location matter and what are the effects on our life ambitions? Culture is an integral part of our lives.

3. Genre of documentary:

As a final topic, I’ll be discussing the comparisons, contrasts and connections between Salgado and Harvey’s documentary photography. Also if their styles and chosen locations are due to their past experiences and knowledge. Personally, I believe that documentary photography is always set up, no matter how little you tamper with the situations. I think that a picture becomes documentation, at the precise moment that the camera snaps. Both Salgado and Harvey create contemporary photography; which portray a chronicle or an account. However, I think that Harvey’s documentary photography is more abstract due to the way in which he photographs. For instance in the use of unusual angles that sometimes frame the picture. Harvey uses bright colours and states: “Most of the pictures that I make are personal pictures and never end up in print.” For me, this effect portrays some meaning, but not too much, therefore I believe that his depictions are quite self-explanatory. Oppositely, the distinctive characteristics in Salgado’s pictures create a variety of associations and make me question them on a philosophical level.