Street and documentary photography captures a subject or situation in a candid moment. The theme of the images can be broad. A portrait of a begging homeless child on a city street to a man walking his dog in an inner city park can remain under the umbrella of street and documentary photography as the photographer is capturing an honest reflection of that particular environment.
The introduction of portable cameras has made it feasible for anyone with basic knowledge of how to use a camera to now go out and record what they see. However, what one chooses to photograph is still a reflection on them as well as well as the scenes they witness.
Street and Documentary photography can send shockwaves throughout the world. Whether a professional photographer or a member of the public takes the photo, the image that is captured could potentially change society. Photos were used as a form of propaganda by the Nazis to sway people’s views on the Jewish and to gain more support. More recently, images of the London riots have captured the public’s attention. With photos circulating around the Internet and media, this may have played a part in the spread of the riots throughout Britain. The images may have been seen as people looting and rioting and getting away with it.
Photos documenting pivotal scenes throughout history can influence people years after. For example the image of the Vietnamese monk setting himself on fire was later used as the album cover for the band Rage Against The Machine’s self titled debut album (Image D). This photo was perfect for the overall sound of the album as the image of the monk showed defiance, which was a strong theme throughout the album.
The Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York has ha...
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...an's fall, to tell us that as it begins, it will also end.
The man in the photograph remains unknown. The picture is deceptive, however, as it suggest that man was falling straight down, however, this is just one of many photographs of his fall. It is evident from these other pictures that he tumbling out of control.
Many people find the image disturbing because it is a horrific image of what people had to resort to during the attacks. The subject was one of some 200 people (called “jumpers” by the press) trapped on the upper floors of the skyscraper that apparently resorted to jump rather than die from the fire and smoke. In the United States, people have taken pains to banish it from the 9/11 records. Newspaper stories commenting on the image have attracted a barrage of criticism from readers. In most American newspapers, the photograph ran once and never again.
Have you ever been at the beach safely shielded by a dark pair of sunglasses and just watched? Being a silent third party to a father screaming at his seven-year-old daughter for putting the inner tube in the wrong place. People watching has for a long time been one of my favorite activities as third party you are able to see people for what they are, unbiased by already having known the person. Eugene Richards’s book has made me look at my hobby from an artistic vantagepoint. He’s made me start to think that one day I would like to be one behind a telephoto lens capturing those moments that people don’t think anyone else saw. Richards photographs have made me relies that photography is more then a point a shoot process.
Even though people aren't seen throwing themselves out the windows like in other images it is said that a spiritual image was seen in the smoke of that tower. September 11 is a day full of nightmares for many individuals.
Cameras are everywhere. More people died while taking selfies than were killed by sharks in 2015. On the British television show Black Mirror, one episode called “White Bear” was a satire of how these cameras on our phones, computers, and buildings affected our society. The premise hinges on a woman who passively filmed her boyfriend torturing a young girl they kidnapped. Although it may seem that cameras are causing us to become a passive and voyeuristic society, they actually have done more good than harm. “White Bear” does not show the reality of these situations, documentation of horrible events has led to a better understanding of history and public action.
It’s too much. It’s just so real” (2011). This opinion shows a potential reason why the photo should be shown. The reason this is because even though it represents bad memories it should also help people remember how we came together to help one another and overcome this horrific day. “I want to see the world as it really is.
This work follows in that of the purveyors of documentary photography. Like Richards, Jacob Riss went into the city slums a century earlier armed with a camera. In New York, Riss saw a glut of people, mostly immigrants, jammed packed together and feebly existing in filth. Riss, who was primarily a writer, found that his words were not communicating the ailments of society to the public as he wished. Then, the primitive flash was invented. Riss saw this as way to communicate the troubles he saw in the dark areas where the grossly impoverished lived. The outcome of Riss’ efforts was a startlingly powerful book of his images and text appropriately titled How the Other Half Lives. Though the photographic equipment has change through this time span, the aim of the photographers is the same: to educate the rest of the world of those that are forgotten or ignored, and in that way, bring about change.
Vernacular photography, photographs taken by amateurs or unknown photographers, features scenes of ordinary life from snapshots of the family to images of pets, possessions and holidays. Vernacular photography is the common language. People have used photography as a way of keeping a visual record of their lives for over a century. It could be argued that there is something perhaps more honest, direct and straight-forward with this kind of photography, it has an innocence and naïvety that the work of a professional may simply lack. “Perhaps because of his very alertness, and his very numbers, this nameless picture-taker may in the end be the truest and most valuable record of our times.” (Graves 1977) Though in order to fully answer this question of 'authenticity', I think it is important to go back to the beginning and look at the rise of amateur photography and how it was introduced to the masses as well as looking at today's explosion of the digital age, a far cry from the early days when photography required huge cameras, patience and money.
When using the words “street art” to describe someone’s work, you are generally stating that their art is displayed for the public eye to see, and could be used through graffiti, stickers, posters, sculptures, or even video projections. Street artists’ main focus is to reach out to the public presenting something with ample amount of meaning without restrictions from the formal art world. The anonymity of street art interests me because I find it more expressive than formal artwork. I see it as a way to get people’s attention in an altered condition and getting their point across (whether it requires thought or is obviously stated). Some major street artists that we will focus on are Blek le Rat, Banksy, and Dolk. All of these street artists are European based artists, but some occasionally travel to America to express their talent through graffiti. These mentioned visual artists are known for using stencil graffiti, which uses cardboard or other media cut into an image to make it easily reproducible.
Because of blatant injustices and at times an unwillingness or know how to bring about change by the adults in the community. The denial of medical treatment, lazy elected officials to retrieve legal documents, unwanted children in schools because they were or thought to be products of prostitution, and thought to carried diseases were just a few of the obsticals. Giving the children the opportunity to learn how to use a camera gave the community a first hand look at their surroundings, the life that was being modeled before them, those outside of the community a glimpse at the injustices, lack of empathy,and isolation these people were forced to endure on a daily basis. though their community was not the cleanest, the education was not the best, and housing was crowded.The people managed to provide housing, food, clothing, and dependability to these children in the face of what seemed to be insurmountable odds. The pictures also helped to create resources otherwise denied to these people. Private schools began to take in some of the
Sontag, Susan. "Essay | Photography Enhances Our Understanding of the World." BookRags. BookRags. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
As you can see, there is a big world waiting for you to capture and mold its image. Whether you just want to remember that sunset on your honeymoon, your little one’s first steps or even if you click your shutter at everything you pass… the right equipment certainly helps. Whatever equipment you use, with good lighting and attention to such details as film type and speed, distance from subject, rule of thirds, and an eye for what you want, you can make beautiful photos that you and yours will cherish for generations to come.
Robert Draper, a professional journalist and nonfiction writer, as well as a contributor to The New York Times Magazine, once stated, “Photographers use their cameras as tools of exploration, passports to inner sanctums, instruments for change” (“Draper”). As we all know, digital single-lens reflex cameras, better known as DSLRs, are being replaced over time with a variety of various modern smartphone cameras as they are becoming the new standard of photographic convenience and affordability among ordinary, everyday camera users. However, the simple convenience of smartphones can also be a strong shortcoming when it comes to photography as it forces manufacturers to fabricate products that are capable of far less than a professional camera,
John Hillcoat directed The Road film in 2009. It is a frightening visual adjustment of the novel composed by Connor McCarthy. The movie starts by setting a dark, dull and cold state of mind in a convincingly reasonable post-apocalyptic world. The film revolves around the journey of a little family’s survival. The only main comfort to be found in the dark setting of the scene is the loving bond that exists amongst father and son.
When going for a walk, a person takes in the beauty around them. On this particular day, the refulgent sun is extra bright, making the sky a perfect blue. White, puffy clouds fill the sky, slowing moving at their own pace. The wind is peacefully calm, making the trees stand tall and proud. There is no humidity in the air. As this person walks down the road, they see a deer with her two fawns. The moment is absolutely beautiful. Moments like this happen only once in a great while, making us wanting to stay in the particular moment forever. Unfortunately, time moves on, but only if there were some way to capture the day’s magnificence. Thanks to Joseph Niépce, we can now capture these moments and others that take our breath away. The invention of the camera and its many makeovers has changed the art of photography.
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
I am quite interested in the topic of street photography; one of the biggest reasons is because in most cases street photography is very real. Street photography is all candid images, they are not posed, they are not set up; but they are real, they are in the moment and most of the time the artists are so stealthy about the way that they capture the photographs that no one really ever knows that they are even taking the photographs. There are a few photographers that are very important to street photography that I would like to talk about; Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus and Winogrand. These are photographers really created what people might consider to be the face of street photography, you can think of street photography without thinking of one of their works. Personally, I am very fascinated with street photography. I believe it to be very beautiful. In my opinion street photography seems to be a lot similar to photojournalism, in the way that both of the photography styles are extremely, I do not know if I would use the word ‘candid’, I am not sure if that would be exactly the right way of putting it, however maybe the right word would be more like, well a phrase really, both of the photography styles of both photojournalism and street photography are really quite in the moment, they are not set up, instead of making the shot perfect, finding the camera angles and waiting for just the right moment to make that image wonderful and amazing.