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Types Of Photography. Documentary Photography
The genre of Documentary Photography was born in the end of the 19th century and was connected with such names as Peter Henry Emerson, Lewis W. Hine, Edward Curtis and Karl Bulla. But till nowadays this term has been absent in the professional photographic language.
So, what is Documentary Photography?
It's a genre, which reveals occurrences and events, usually of the social character. It unites the aims of photographic art and photojournalism. There are the following kinds of photo documentary: chronicles, street photography, typology and others, though these differentiations are rather relative and don't have obvious borders.
 (c) Peter Henry Emerson-
As a rule, documentary photography is a series of shots on the concrete topic represented in the chronological order.
- It's also typical for this genre to be amplified with the text,
describing the subject, place and time. The text can be either minimal
or detailed and usually it is the work of the photographer himself.
- It's also not about a concrete period of time - Edward Curtis's photo researches about the life of American Indians lasted for decades.
(c) Edward Curtis
Aims Of Documentary Photography
Documentary photography is now beyond simple narrative fixing of
the burning issues of the day, it becomes more and more subjective. The
author's view and style are highly appreciated - Martin Parr, for example, completely changed the Magnum's attitude to photography and this world.
(c) Lewis W. Hine
 By the way, it was American chronicle photographers, who managed to show that the art can play its role in solution of social problems. In the first half
of the 20th century Lewis W. Hine exposed the immorality, horrors of child labor and homelessness. Jacob Riis
published the book "How The Other Half Lives", in which he revealed the
life of New-York slums. Their photos became the material evidence of
social injustice and the cause of the reforms the society needed.
To show the injustice of the world and to act so that the situation
would be changed to the best. That was the aim of the photojournalists,
who created an international cooperative agency "Magnum" after the
World War II, in 1947 in Paris. Its founders were such acknowledged
masters of documentary photography as Robert Capa, David Seymour,
George Rodger and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Now it has expanded with four
editorial offices in New York, London, Paris and
Tokyo, and a network of fifteen sub-agents.
And it is clear because social reportage is one of the most needed genres in photo documentation.
In addition, documentary photography is a unique historical and artistic evidence. Such photos are notable for their plot culmination and serious issue and leave no one being indifferent.
For your attention we offer you famous photographers, who represent
different views onto the documentary photography and develop its
various types.
(c) Bill Crandall
"The concept of documentary photography is the shot, which aim is to
describe the reality and, perhaps, to transfer some important message
or story. However, the European interpretation shows documentary
photography as subjective. A documentary photographer is closer to an
independent author or even a poet. The main task consists in finding the way of making your ideas visible. So, for a start we need to have the ideas."
Relying on the words of the war photographer Robert Capa, he says: "If the shot is not good enough it means:
1) a photographer wasn't too close to the action;
2) a photographer hasn't read about the event enough;
3) a photographer hasn't had a close emotional contact with the object of his photography."
(c) Jens Olof Lasthein
"Come closer to the stranger.
Enter the new situation.
Discover who you are.
It
is about how to find the balance between the surrounding world and your
place in it. How to tell about the reality of the world through your
personal truth."
(c) G. Kornelissen
"Objective
documentary photography doesn't exist. A photographer, who insists on
it, is naive. Here is always a political, commercial or personal
interest. The border between documentary photography and propaganda is
very thin. We should learn how to reveal the strength of the propaganda
photography visual language. Find the connection between Martin Parr and Rodchenko. Shooting in different places, take one of the sides: positive or negative. And photograph the objects according to your attitude, using the instruments of propaganda."
However, documentary photography should perform the main function - information. It should be direct and truthful to become the unique historical and artistic evidence, creating the archive of time.
Here are some useful tips on documentary photography for you.
You are welcome to share your photos on our forum!
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