Documentary

Documentary Photography research

Documentary photography is a form that usually reports a story to the audience. This can be emphasized by the nature of the story within the photographs or the angles used and lighting effects. In each photo the overall aim of the photographers is to make the photos objective, truthful and something they are passionate. The genre originally began when people wanted to photograph difficult to access forbidden things in the mid 1800's. As these began to be less strict over the years more and more people had the opportunity to take photographs of particular things. For example woman could photograph about abuse they had or the lack of ability to succeed like a man which she would have been punished for earlier on when the genre was first public.

Documentary and photojournalism photography almost cross link as both have the main goal to tell the audience a particular story. However, the key difference is that documentary photography can prove to be more complex where as photojournalism mainly focuses on recent breaking news headlines, both powerful yet slightly different topics of choice to photograph. An example of a powerful documentary photographer is Angelo Merendio who took pictures of himself and his wife through her traumatic time with breast cancer. These photos are very moving and would be the sort not to be seen within photojournalism.

Mood Boards

Experimental work

As all these photos would have the same analysis i have wrote a short summary here of them all and where i felt i went wrong. I was set on the ice skating enrichment activity which i thought would give me a number of exciting photos from a variety of different angles. However, this wasn't the case as i couldn't gain access to go on the ice and i didn't get as many great shots as i had hoped. The photos i did get i felt did show well that i was documenting the progression and learning of ice skating for the children. Like many famous photographers, my images have a range of natural and posed shots, as i have some where the children are listening to instructions and some where the children are smiling at the camera. I think as a collection, they show that the children are enjoying it even if not all of the images are natural. Some of the photos are very clear and show movement well without over blurring them or making them unclear, by this i mean the image at the bottom where a student is going backwards with her teacher and some of the images where the children are closer to the camera and smiling. One of my biggest challenges was settings as i couldn't find the right setting to suit the ice arenas bright lights and white reflections from the ice. I tried numerous different settings and angles, as well as the ones i was told by miss Higson just before i went and they weren't working as good as i hoped. Despite me thinking this i am aware that i need to definitely work on my camera settings and gather a higher understanding of what each means and what settings to use in each environment. This will ensure that my response will show major improvements of my work.

F-stop = f/4

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length= 24mm

Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/4
Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm
Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/4

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm

Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/4

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm

Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/4

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm

Apeture 4

F-stop = f/8

Exposure time = 1/2 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm

Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/6.3

Exsposure time = 1/6 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length - 24mm

Apeture = 4

F- stop = f/4

Exsposure time = 1/10 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 24mm

Apeture = 4

F-stop = f/5.3

Exsposure = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal Length = 4mm

Apetutre = 4.8

F-stop = f/4.5

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal Length = 28mm

Apeture = 4.3

F-stop = f/4.5

Exsposure time = 1/20 sec

ISO = 800

Focal length = 28mm

Apeture = 4.3

Documentary Photographers

Richard Billingham

Richard was born on the 25th of September 1970 and took photos on his alcoholic father, and his obese heavily tattooed mother. From this he created a photo book called rays a laugh where he displayed a lot of the photos representing what his life was like living with his parents. Instead of using a Professional camera he used a disposable camera as by the looks of his photos, he wasn't in a very high income state of living to afford one. Despite, his photos are still extremely effective, if not more by the brownish,old fashioned, retro finish they have to each photo. I think Richard is a great example of a documentary photographer as he catches the key moments of his situation which would shock and concern most people, but would yet express the authenticity and frankness of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Billingham

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin was born on the 12th of September 1953 and based her topics on transgender and stereotyped different people to normal, people with AIDS and her abuse from her partner. She also created a famous piece of work called the ballad of sexual dependancy, which featured all her images relevent to the title, and explored depict drug use, violent, aggressive couples and autobiographical moments. Many pieces of her work are from personal experiances. For example in 2006 she had an exhibition called chasing a ghost whish included her moving pictures, fully narrated and a voiceover. This was all based on her sisters suicide and how she coped through it. However many of her critics have said that she glamourses things such as heroin intake and her photos are sometimes controversial. I feel her work allows the audiance to really understand her message from each photo, and also makes you think about how she must have felt going through certain emotions which she portrays through her work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Goldin

        Corey Arnold

Corey is most famous for documenting fisherman and the things they tackle whilst they are out on rough seas. He shows the good, bad and magnificent moments and captures them all in such detail and focus it really makes you feel like your in the positions of the fishermen. He takes posed documentary images too of the fishermen lying down next to the fish they have caught and smiling etc. I have never seen a documentary photographer do this kind of photography where there are a lot of dangers and risks that could occur. As you can see in the mood board the shots that he takes are from particular angles that emphasize the situation to the max, for example the one where the wave is coming towards the ship and they are trying to steer a certain direction shows the waves and bubbles and ripples in the water, as well as all the details on the boat. He doesn't just get documentary images as you can see the picture of the fin coming out the water shows a different genre of photography but is just as good as the rest of his work.

http://www.coreyfishes.com/#/info

Analysis Of Photographers

Richard Billingham

During this analysis of the photo I will be discussing all the key qualities and effects of this photo such as the perception, the balance, the texture and much more, that it delivers to its audience.

The first place your eyes are drawn too are Richards mother was she is standing above his father, showing her power over him and that he is inferior to her. Your eyes then follow her arms to see she is using her arms and fighting his father. You then look back up to her face to see if her expression matches your assumption of the positioning of her arms. This is the case so your eyes move back down to see her arms close to his fathers face. Your eye is drawn straight to his face seeing he has an expression where he is flinching, like he has already or is going to be hit by her. It then takes your attention to his body language where you see that he has his arms up and is defending himself, trying to push her away. You then see that he is sitting on deck chair not a proper chair, which shows you the minor degree of poverty they live in. To get a better idea of this you then look straight at the scenery and the background which shows dirty old walls and cluttered shelves. You then start to think how does this relate to there dress code, then leading your eyes to notice they both look like they are in casual clothes and haven't made much of an effort to dress or anything. However Richards father is wearing a blazer which shows he could have just been out to get something that his mother doesn't agree with. As we already know the background of this photo it would be assumed this would be a regular occurrence in Richards house. To the right you then look at the person who looks like they want to stop it but are staying out of it. This can be established by the body language shown as his hand and arm looks like he wants to intervene and stop it. Its unsure to the viewer who it is but if someone else was taking the image, your first guess would be that it was Richard Billingham himself.

This really does give the audience the impression of tension as you realize there is a lot of problems and issues in the family. You also compare it to your own family and in some cases some people feel extremely grateful they don't live in that particular condition. Another emotion portrayed is sadness as you begin to feel sorry for Richard that he lived like that and feel sadness that his parents relationship is not as successful and happy as it should be. I further feel that you feel quiet angry that you cant help or offer advice or anything to help the situation, if you imagines to be aware and in that actual photograph at the time it was taken. It gives the audience time for reflection on there own life's so that if they are facing something similar they are not alone, and could even build a rapore with people who are in the same situation as this. Richards aim was to take real life images of what he faces that aren't posed and aren't exaggerated, which i feel he has done extremely well and caught all the best shots to show the variation between his life in terms of the good and bad times.

This photo is hard to distinguish whether it follows the rule of thirds as Richards mother is slightly in the middle of the image but yet leans more to the right hand side. If you where to imagine the rules grid you see only half of her would be in it. This gives the impression that the layout of the image wasn't thought out properly and as it was a real moment, a picture had to be taken quickly and where ever it laid didn't matter. Your attention is still drawn immediately to them and has a high depth of field showing there details intricately around there face as well as around there house. The background of the image and where Richards father is sat really sets the scene for the audience and allows them to link things together even without knowing the full story of what the photographer is documenting in each image. However, it is not to focused or blatant, as it it was it would take away the attention from the couple in the front of the image, and not give the extreme and truthful effect of his life. As the key element in the image is straight at the front and bigger and bolder than anything else in the image, there are no leading lines or details like that that would imply the image is set up and posed. Like i stated before, like the majority of his images it appears he has simply took the image without thinking of such details, as he cares more about capturing the best images to show his life and what he goes through.

Nan Goldin

The place your eyes draw to first are the bruise on her leg. This is because the black and white of her dress all kind of merge with the pillow and other parts of the background, so even though they would be something the viewer may look at first, as they blend they are almost over looked. In my eyes, i saw the bruise first as it was a feature that shouldn't have been there and was a different colour to her leg. You then realize that it is in the shape of a love heart. As we as the viewers know she suffered domestic abuse, which makes the fact that the bruise is in the shape of a love heart is extremely ironic. This could add a slight but of humor and a snigger to the audience as it is such a contradiction of her situation. you then see her hand pulling down her tights so you can see exactly where on her leg the bruise is shown. Your eyes are then diverted back up to see that she is wearing casual attire, nothing provocative. However you could suggest her body language is slightly seductive as she has her hand placed not holding her tights down firmly so they don't move. This could make people have a different view on the image and create a hole other idea that she could have been unfaithful and he lost his anger. The real story of the image isn't know but it allows your mind to assume a lot of different reasons for the image and make your own interpretations.

You can see that she is in casual clothes, just on her bed in her room which could suggest she is a normal girl and doesn't do anything she shouldn't. It also shows she could be confiding in the photographer by showing the bruise and maybe coming out with the fact she suffers domestic abuse. This could make the audience relate, and like Richard Billingham's photo, allows time for reflection whether you are experiencing something similar or feeling thankful you are not in that position. It also shows the contrast of the relationship in the photo showing she still loves shown by the love heart, despite his anger and aggression. This leaves the viewer feeling sadness and feeling sorry for her that she is being abused and isn't getting any help. This is one of Nan's more posed and unnatural documentary photo, but it has such a strong connection with the audience and still shows her situation extremely well. This image has a high depth of field as every aspect of the image is in focus which allows your attention to go anywhere and not in one position. For example if everything was faded and unclear except her leg where the bruise was, that would have directed our attention even more to that region of the image. In relation to the rule of thirds, you could suggest the heart shaped bruise is directly in the center of the photo, which is why many's eyes are first drawn there, emphasizing it and making it more powerful than anything else in the image.

The contrast of the stripped lines on her dress and the patterned lines adds instability to the audience which can relate to the woman in the photo and her partners relationship. Both in black and white which are quiet dark morbid colours showing nothing is really pleasant in the image, showing there has or will be danger to come. The purple and shadings of the bruise give a sense of hope and relaxation. Hope in a sense that she will be okay and get help to get out of her relationship, and relaxed that she is relaxed about the situation by her body language despite the seriousness of the matter. The fact her head isn't in it could show she is scared and doesn't want to be known publicly that she is a victim of domestic abuse. If her face was in the image you could have got a sense of her emotion as by her body language you could suggest a hole different emotion that is contrasted by the one on the face. This image gives you the advantage of being in both the womans perspective and her partners. If she was unfaithful which is suggested by her body language you would be more understanding, however if not and the woman is simply a victim, you can almost understand and feel her emotions as she suffers the abuse she does. You also can extend that further to think what lies in the future for them and what will happen to her.

Corey Arnold

The first place your eyes are drawn to is the man in the orange jacket. This is because his jacket is the brightest thing in the photo so will automatically direct your eyes towards it. You then analyse his body language and notice he is pulling something that looks quite heavy and challenging from his arched back and leg positioning. His arms could be suggested to be leading lines as they lead your eyes to the massive fish net he is pulling behind him. You notice all the intricate details of this net like the boys and the netting. As it is in such focus, you can imagine the texture and how hard it must be to pull it, especially as there must be more to it that isn't captured in the image. As these lines on the edge of the net lead back up to the man (another set of leading lines), you divert your attention back to him and look more at the scenery this time. You look down his legs to see the sloppy sludgy mud he has to wade through in order to reach his destination. Again this is in high focus so your imagination is allowed to explore, thinking things such as how the mud will make it so much harder for him and how unpleasant that task must be for him. Thus lead you joining his perspective and imagining how he sees his task and what it would be like to be in that situation like he is. As you are looking at the mud you notice two ropes with boys which is another net on either side of each other running down the muddy beach. This shows he has a lot of them to carry and that they could be empty if they are laid so calmly on the surface. You assume it is near the sea as he could be walking and dragging the net to a fisherman boat so they can go and begin their work. As its left at quite an abrupt end, it again allows the viewers mind to think what could he be walking towards, and allows there interaction in the image. These are in focus yet again showing a high depth of field running throughout the hole image.

With these ropes being in focus, you can see the mud on the so you imagine how muddy the man must be and how uncomfortable it must be to walk on for such a long distance. This then leads the viewer to want to know where the man is headed, resulting in the last place you look being the distance where you can see a lot more mud and distance for the man to travel. You see a slight raise in the background showing that land is approaching, which hows that he could be carrying his bait he has caught from the sea shore and into land. You then decide to look at the picture as a hole again to see any other things you may have missed. One aspect i first missed was the flying sand on the right hand side. This could show what he is carrying is very heavy and is raising the sand as he is carrying it. Again putting you in his perspective. This almost makes you feel sorry for him as he could use someone else to help him carry it, making it easier for him to get to his destination quicker. On the other hand you have a lot of respect for him as he must do that every day which could be a tiresome and hard job just to provide fish to supermarkets and people to eat. It again allows time for reflection making you realize where your food actually comes from and the amount of effort that goes into it. This image doesn't follow the rule of thirds as he is directly in the center of the image. However as he is leaning forward, he isn't completely in the center, but the majority of him is. There are a number of straight up and down lines in this video shown by the netting and the ropes, which could suggest repetition and that he does that all the time bringing contents to and from shore. The sky in this image shows dark clouds and very little light which could suggest the day is nearly at an end, or bad weather is coming. either way it could tell us the reason as to why he is moving the net to land.

Response

For my portraiture response my original idea was to use Nan Goldin as my photographer. The model i would have used has close ties with people who are involved in the drug scene and who take and sell them. This is something i would have documented just like Nan did. However, as i know these people too and they would have trusted me and more accepting of me taking photos. I did want to photograph further into it showing deals and sessions where the group socialize and develop Nan's images by capturing things such as pupils changing and behaviors so you can see the effects both good and bad. The reason i am not doing this is because the model i would have used is unavailable and cannot be used, therefore i will not be able to get into contact with her and her friends to take the images.

The idea i am now doing still follows Nan Goldin, but i have decided to use the theme of abuse in relationships that she is most famous for. For this i positioned my models on a bed just as the one Nan did, close ups of images where abuse was taking place and also close ups of the after math, being her bruises and her trying to hide them. These pictures are made more original and differ from Nan Goldin's as mine host a lot more aggression and more of a story to them as i have photos where the female model is on the phone trying to call for help but then the male model comes and stops her. I however dis a portrait image just as Nan did, but mine is at an angle which emphasizes her bruising a lot more and you can also see the bruising on her arm. These images are quiet zoomed in so the tension and drama is intensified. I also considered point of view and tried to get some from my female models point of view when she is abused by the iron. This wasn't as successful as i first hoped as if you didn't see them with the other shots you wouldn't have understood. Also, a lot of his body is missing out the image so it isn't as effective as it could have been. For the makeup i found a supply of old make up that was the right shades for bruising and with help from my male model, placed them in key areas that would look most shocking and effective. I also considered the famous Nan Goldin love heart shaped bruise on her leg. Instead of having mine the same and so obvious, i put it on the my female models forearm so you could see it when she was holding the male model back from striking her. I did this as i didn't want it to be too obvious to the viewer, but eventually when they notice they will realize and consider the irony of it, just like the audience do when looking at the one Nan created. These images are meant to be natural, realistic and untouched by editing so i have decided not to Photoshop them They would be too false looking if they where tempered with on Photoshop, and look a lot stronger with the natural lighting shadows and bruising.