Documentary Photography What is Documentary Photography Images that

Documentary Photography

What is Documentary Photography? • Images that chronicle significant or historical events • Images that tell a story, evoke emotions or inspire change • Documentary Photographers are our eyewitnesses with their observations of the world and its people. They use their knowledge, skills and trained eye to see the hidden messages in our societies and capture the moments of time for all of us to see, now and in the future.

Characteristics of Documentary Photography/ Photojournalism • • Truthful Objective Candid Provide a record of social, environmental and/or political situations with the aim of conveying information and/or instigating change.

Documentary Photographers • • • Matthew Brady William Henry Jackson Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine Dorothea Lange Gordon Parks Arthur Rothstein Walker Evans Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Sally Mann • • • Nan Goldin William Eggleston Lee Friedlander Henri Cartier-Bresson Eugene Atget Sebastiao Salgado David Goldblatt Andrew Stark Bill Brandt Daniel Lorenzetti

Matthew Brady Documented the Civil War

William Henry Jackson In 1869 documented the scenery along the Union Pacific Railroad route for promotional purposes.

Jacob Riis Documented NY City in late 1800’s early 1900’s to bring impoverished conditions to light.

Lewis Hine His photographs were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States.

Dorothea Lange Known for her Depression era photojournalism for the FSA.

Gordon Parks Documented the life of Ella Watson who cleaned the FSA building.

Arthur Rothstein Worked for the FSA. Photographed Gee’s Bend, AL.

Walker Evans Worked for the FSA. Document effects of the Great Depression in large 8 x 10 format.

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Rochester/Zurich/New York based photographer, focusing on projects depicting poverty in the world.

Sally Mann Documented her children growing up.

Nan Goldin Photographed Bowery’s (NYC) hard drug subculture.

William Eggleston's mature work is characterized by its ordinary subject-matter. Eggleston has a unique ability to find beauty, and striking displays of color, in ordinary scenes.

Lee Friedlander Photographed the urban "social landscape. " Fragments of store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, posters and street-signs.

Henri Cartier-Bresson Considered the father of modern photojournalism. He helped develop the "street photography" or "real life reportage" style.

Eugene Atget Noted for his photographs documenting the architecture and street scenes of Paris.

Sebastiao Salgado Brazilian social documentary photographer and photojournalist. Noted for photographing workers in less developed countries.

David Goldblatt Documented South Africa’s human landscape in the apartheid and post-apartheid eras.

Andrew Stark Urban street photography of Sydney, Australia.

Bill Brandt An influential British photographer and photojournalist known for his high-contrast images of British society.

Research one of these documentary photographers • • • Matthew Brady William Henry Jackson Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine Dorothea Lange Gordon Parks Arthur Rothstein Walker Evans Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Sally Mann • • • Nan Goldin William Eggleston Lee Friedlander Henri Cartier-Bresson Eugene Atget Sebastiao Salgado David Goldblatt Andrew Stark Bill Brandt

Answer the following questions on your chosen photographer: 1. ) Give a brief biography of their life. (1 paragraph) 2. ) Describe the type of photographs they take, detailing the who, what, when, where etc. . . 3. ) Why do they choose to document these particular events? What is their purpose? What are they trying to achieve. 4. ) Provide a few of their different pictures, other than the ones displayed here in this Power. Point, detailing what they are of. 5. ) Choose one of their photographs and discuss it in detail. Discuss why you chose it. Where and when was it taken? What story does it tell? Why is it significant? What do you really admire about it? What don’t you like?