What is Documentary photography

[hjoseph7]

<p>What is the difference between documentary photography, photo journalism and street photography ? Help, I'm taking a course in documentary photography at a local college this fall.</p>

[SCL]

<p>One thought - I have a cousin who received a grant several years ago, to photograph, for documentary purposes, various parts of the White House (furniture, moulding trimwork, etc.), as well as bridges in Wash DC. I'm sure the genre is much broader than this, but those two examples came to mind.</p>

[Craig_Cooper11664875449]

<p>You will probably find some good definitions of these genres to start with by going to and using this website:</p>

<p>www.google.com</p>

[ted_fisher]

<p>Hello, Harry.</p>

<p>The definitions of documentary photography, photojournalism and street photography are all somewhat difficult to pin down, and opinions will vary greatly. But here are few ideas to start with, in a simplistic form. Keep in mind these are complicated topics, so take what I say and go on with your own research to find out more.</p>

<p>First, we generally think of documentary photography as photography that has a connection to real situations and that attempts to represent those situations with minimal distortion. We know, of course, that even though we think of photographs as honest evidence, they can lie in many ways -- but here the distinction is that we expect the documentary photographer to attempt to present work that minimizes this, or at least doesn't purposefully misrepresent. Walker Evans said that the term should be "documentary-style" photography, because it was really meant to be art, where true "documentary photography" would be photographs that served a function. That is, if you were in an auto accident, you might make a photograph of the damage to the car as evidence for the police or for an insurance company. Someone doing a documentary photography project on auto collisions on a dangerous stretch of freeway, however, wouldn't really care if their image was great evidence for those purposes -- they would be more concerned if it worked for the project they are doing, and perhaps about its aesthetic qualities.</p>

<p>A great place to start looking at documentary (or documentary-style) photography would be the work of Mary Ellen Mark. She has many books you can find in any local library or bookstore. Often they involve immersion into a particular culture or activity or place, and reveal at a very deep level how people live and often something about human nature. They are also usually amazing when appreciated as visual art.</p>

<p>Photojournalism, on the other hand, tends to be a visual extension of journalism and connected to the concerns of that field. Except for a very few photojournalists who can pick their topic and spend significant time on it, most photojournalists are connected to gathering news, working within journalistic ethics and delivering images that communicate information about a story that words alone cannot. Often this is daily news and events, sometimes this is stretched into larger projects. The emphasis tends to be on communication of a story in an intense visual way. There are many awards given for journalism each year, so a great way to start would be to search for "Pulitzer prize photos" or similar terms.</p>

<p>Street photography tends to be more of a private and individual practice of photographing in public places. Usually, though not always, the interest is connected to urban life, since that's where so much happens on the street. Elliott Erwitt and Garry Winogrand are well-known for their street photography. Usually their best images are of people in candid moments doing something that reveals human nature. </p>

<p>Keep in mind, these practices tend to overlap. But if we followed a photojournalist for a day, they would usually be sent out on assignment with a specific goal connected to a known story, and often cover many stories in a single day. A documentary photographer would usually start out interest in a place or people and would immerse themselves to find a story -- the goal often being a book rather than photos in the next day's newspaper. A street photographer would be most likely to follow where chance might lead rather than to work with a preset goal.</p>

<p>Hope that's of some help. And DO NOT even think of copying or pasting any of it. Take these ideas and develop your own. That's what college is for.</p>

[frank uhlig]

<p>Can you walk up to the teacher and ask? He would be able to help you.</p>

<p>Can you think for and by yourself what differences there might be between the three genres?</p>

<p>Finally, in language and descriptive terms, there are almost never completely unambiguous definitions, so the 3 genres of photography will overlap anyway. And a documentary photo may also be street and maybe not, etc. Just think this through before asking others for absolute certainty. There is none in this world!</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Surely death and taxes are absolute certainties? :)</p>

[Damon DAmato]

<p>Ted's answer seems like a good start for you, although I would suggest that documentary work may have a point of view, and is not necessarily ethically bound to an ideal of objectivity the way photojournalism is.</p>

 

[ted_fisher]

<p>Damon, that's a good point. If someone is going to dedicate themselves to a project that might take years, they usually do have a strong viewpoint on it, or develop one in the process.</p>

[marklcooper]

<p>I have the privilege of knowing Abdi Roble, a photographer from Somalia. He has worked on several documentary projects. </p>

<p><a href="http://www.somaliproject.org/index.html">http://www.somaliproject.org/index.html</a></p>

<p> <a href="http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=MU012&i=&i2=&CFID=4108114&CFTOKEN=93854164">http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=MU012&i=&i2=&CFID=4108114&CFTOKEN=93854164</a></p>

<p><a href="http://flashriversafari.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/dan-eldon-abdi-roble-inspire-young-somali-journalists/">http://flashriversafari.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/dan-eldon-abdi-roble-inspire-young-somali-journalists/</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.abdiroble.com/">http://www.abdiroble.com/</a></p>

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