Edition Forty Four

Have you ever heard of documentary photography?

Starting something new feels amazing.

Taking up photography is awesome. Finding out about the tips and tricks. Editing photos & using filters on lenses. Playing around with shutter speed and aperture. I consider this feeling of wow as my brain adapting to all the new things it learns.

Develop a passion for learning.

As you keep going on the journey it might become boring and feel familiar. New things aren't always around every corner. If you have been taking photos for a few years you will know what I am talking about.

It starts to feel repetitive at some point.

As a hobby photographer you might feel like you are stuck at this point. How do you get out of these ruts? Is there another thing to try? This question is a firm favorite among creators to spawn “how to get out of a rut” content.

Fear not if you feel like this. There is something you can try and it's called documentary photography.

If this is new to you think about photographers such as Dorothea Lange. Walker Evans. Sebastião Salgado. They documented various events in the past which made them become iconic photographers. The effort and commitment they put towards photographing life and documenting reality, often very harsh reality, is inspiring.

Let's step deeper into the documentary photography wilderness and see how it can help you get excited again about photography.

What is documentary photography?

The purpose of documentary photography is to record events, places and people.

The advancement in photography and growing awareness made this more powerful. It has become a tool for social commentary which often fuels change. There are a few documentary photographers who stand out for their work.

Dorothea Lange and her photos around the Depression era under the FSA project. Matthew Brady and his work on the American Civil War between 1865 - 1869. Gordon Parks who focused on issues of civil rights, poverty, race relations and urban life.

These photographers focused on events which, in a word, shaped the world. Many of these projects spanned a few years or more and brought light to various situaions where people was going through suffering and difficult times. They brought these troubles to the attention of the world.

Perhaps your ambitions aren’t as lofty but let's take a look at some principles you can use in your work the next time you go out to take photos.

How does documentary photography improve your photography?

There are a few intermediate aspects of photography which documentary photography puts focus on. Below I list three aspects which you can use to see and approach your work from a different perspective.

Storytelling.

Photos tell stories.

Documentary photography takes it to a different level. It might even be more story driven. Think about one of the most famous portraits by Dorothea Lange - The Migrant mother. It tells a story of difficulty. Of hardship. It tells us, without any words, the struggles the mother had to face. We understand and we empathize.

As I mentioned all these photographers focused on aspects of society and life which were difficult and in many cases unfair. Their images captured these aspects perfectly.

When someone in your circle comes back from vacation - everyone wants to see the photos. It makes you think about the experiences you friend had. The smell of the ocean. The tide rushing past your legs. Pulling down a sandcastle. Or the beautiful sunsets over the ocean.

A series of photos builds a narrative. It tells you the why. It explains the how. It brings the viewer along for a journey. Documentary photography's power lies in its ability to tell you a story. It needs a strong visual narrative. Think more about the why and the who in your images helps you to build this narrative.

The right selection of images can tell powerful stories. It can make peole aware and change their thinking. If you want to get more impactful images think about the story you would like to tell.

Building connections.

In documentary photography there are two sides to this.

You want to build connection with your subject. Treating the subject as a person, being able to relate to them will make it easier to work with them. People have to be comfortable with a camera.

Ask questions. Think. Relate. Respect.

For anyone who isn't behind one or using one on a regular basis it is difficult. Your subject might be shy or self-conscious. Perhaps they feel a photo is an intrusion into their privacy. Whoever you're photographing has to allow for this intrusion in their lives. A big part of this is respect. Showing up, taking photos without asking is likely to break down a relationship.

Your second connection is to the viewer.

People looking at your images should feel a connection. They should feel included in the process. The photos you take should connect them to the subject or the situation. You want them to ask questions. Why this photo. How did this happen. What happens next? The process should draw them in.

The photos should pull in the viewer and make them rethink their behavior or the thoughts on a particular subject.

Technical skills.

A wide range of subjects means a wide range of photography environments.

It could be a room with low light because of a sleeping baby. A young man working in the fields on a bright sunny day. Or you are photographing a chef as she is working in a kitchen under lots of lights and people moving around her.

If your only tool is a hammer every problem looks like a nail.

This is a chance for you to improve your technical skills. Learning more about the Sunny 16 rule. Figuring out a long exposure will make the chef seem to be standing still in the mad kitchen environment.

More challenging situations can push you to explore different equipment combinations.

Instead of a 50mm you might switch to something wider, a 35mm or even a 24mm. Landscape type photos are often best viewed as wide as possible. The 50mm or 35mm might be a better option for a close-up portrait. Or the 85mm could do the trick. This is the point of the exercise - explore more options to find the best fit for your visual narrative.

I recently decided to take photos using only my old compact camera. It definitely has plenty of downsides - slow auto-focus, hunting to find focus. Many times I end up with a blurry nothing but it's okay. It's a learning curve.

All these challenges are opportunities to improve your skill set. Opportunities to become proficient with different gear. We might become relient on a specific tool only to find ourselves without it at a crucial moment.

In closing.

The aspects I listed a but a few of the things documentary photography can teach you.

It canalso improve your skills in researching a specific subject. Navigating the often difficult waters of cultural sensitivity. Editing your photos to match a specific feeling. Or getting the best images together in a great sequence to tell an amazing story.

Picking up documentary photography might seem like a big schlep to you.

Why let all these concepts and ideas spoil your fun when you just want to take photos? Why would you? You could ask yourself how would my photography improve? What can I gain from all this?

And you make a fair point - why go through all this? Is it really necessary to be this dedicated to your photography? But go through the photos of the photographers in the article and then ask yourself why not do it.

Thanks for reading : )

PS.

If you’re interested in reading more about some important documentary photographers you can have a look at this link