As mentioned in my first post, documentary photography has lots of various sub-genres such as photojournalism, editorial, street photography, portraiture and landscape. However, the main aspects I am focusing on researching at this stage are social documentary photography, photojournalism and street photography.
What is photojournalism?
Photojournalism is a specific form of journalism which is news material for publication. The genre uses photographs in order to relay a news story. Still image are normally the main style of image employed. Photojournalism is differentiated from documentary photography and other sub-genres as it conforms to a fixed ethos. The genre requires the images to be accurate, truthful and unbiased whilst remaining to tell the story. The images should be a representation of the event’s content, nature and manner.
What is street photography?
Street photography requires no specific subject matter and certainly does not need the presence of a street or an urban environment in the image. Street photography is about reacting to the surroundings or atmosphere the photographer finds oneself in. It aims to show ‘a pure vision of something, like holding up a mirror to society.’ Street photography tends to focus on a single human moment, providing a literal and personal image the audience may or may not relate to. Street photography and documentary photography are very similar however have distinct differences which must be made clear. Documentary photography has an objective to record an event or capture a piece of history, whereas, street photography is more subtle with un-manipulated scenes and normally unaware subjects.
International Festival of Photojournalism, Visa Pour L’Image, Article, New York Times
The highly respected World Press Photo Contest triggered outrage in March when it awarded then withdrew the top honour to Giovanni Troilo an Italian photographer who falsified the locality of a photograph. The photojournalism festival, Visa Pour L’Image, announced it would not exhibit the World Press Photo winners’ photography in protest to the controversy. The dispute continued on at a panel discussion with the director of Visa Pour L’Image Jean-Francois Leroy who supported his choice whereas, Lars Boering, the managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation attempted to re-establish the contest by ensuring a review of the rules and a written code of ethics. ‘Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism?’ ‘When technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?’ The issue became even more prominent when a photograph was released revealing the true extent of the migrant crisis, the image of a dead Syrian child clearly depicts the influential control photojournalism has to expose the truth and demand the attention of the public. Mr. Boering announced that he would be reaching out to other leading award groups to discuss standards and ethics. ‘Witnessing the world’. article
Questions to consider after reading the article:
Who sets the boundaries of what defines photojournalism?
What technology makes it so easy to manipulate images, how much manipulation is acceptable?
With viewers more sophisticated and sceptical than ever before, how can photojournalists preserve their integrity and maintain trust?
The National Press Photographers Association is a society that promotes the highest standards in visual journalism. Photographic images can inspire, expose truths, connect people and give hope to many. However, photographs have the potential to cause great harm if manipulated. A code was formed in order to attain the highest quality in forms of visual journalism as well as strengthening the public’s perception of the profession.
Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:
Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.
Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.
While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.
Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.
Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.
Ideally, visual journalists should:
Strive to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.
Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.
Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.
Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one’s own journalistic independence.
Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.
Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.
Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Visual journalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.
Winogrand was a street photographer born in 1928. He often photographed the way of American life, including its social issues. Throughout Winogrand’s life he published four books and was one of three photographers featured in the New Documents exhibition at Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1967 and also had solo exhibitions there in 1969, 1977 and 1988.
A lot of Winogrand’s images come across as very upbeat and as if everyone is happy all of the time. This is a positive representation of the people of New York, where he lived and worked. I think that these images are great as it allows the spectator to see the positive impact that family and community have on people and that we don’t always have to focus on the negatives and we don’t always have to have sad and horrible images in the art of documentary photography. Most images are like action shots produced on a film camera, so each is unique and individual to its own. There are no similar images in his work, for me anyway. I think that Winogrand has approached most the these people and asked if he could make a photograph of them and he has photographed their reaction, not giving them any direction and just allowing them to do as they please. I think that back then it would have been a lot more rare for a person to ask to make a photograph of a stranger as cameras were more expensive and not as many people had access to them, it was mainly just photographers. Nowadays we tend to have cameras even on our phones that we carry around everywhere with us.
I really like Winogrand’s work and I want to attempt to make similar images at a high standard, almost as if creating these images on a film camera. I want to create the most honest images that I possibly can while studying documentary photography as I believe that is what it is all about.
One image that I particularly like is this one. It seems as though there is a mad rush to get to work, rush hour. With all of these people in their suits trying to get to work as a photographer stands right in their way with a potentially large film camera, then at random taking a snap shot with the rush going on. I enjoy looking at all of the different facial expressions of the people in frame, some are happy, some look pissed off and others just look as though they’ve been doing it for years and there is no use fighting the current anymore. I think what draws your attention is the man right in the center of the image wearing glasses. He looks as though he’s been going through the process of trying to get to work on time for many years and is just going with it, contrary he could be partly trying to smile as the camera is right in his face. I then notice the two men right behind the first man to the right of the image. They look angry as though they are shouting at Winogrand himself to move out of the way of the huge rush, especially as the second man seems to be waving him to move out of the way. Next my attention leans over more to the right to see signs of protest. This makes me think that the business people are possibly trying to get out of the way of the countries ‘FIRST TEAM’. My eyes are then drawn right down to the two women on the left hand side of the image. They look a lot happier than the men and seem to be portrayed in a more positive and happy light compared to the angry men who want the photographer to get out of the way. I really like this image as there is just so much to look at and as the spectator you can allow your eyes to wonder across different parts of the image.
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.
