Documentary

Documentary photography has essentially been around since the 19th Century, for example, Photographers tended to capture moments from the American Civil War in 1861-1865. It has since then been used to document events, historically and everyday life.
Documentary Photography is a form of photography that is a type of 'report.' It is used to document certain events in someone's life to produce truthful, objective photography of a particular subject, which is usually people.

Moodboard on Documentary Photography

Gary Austin;
A documentary photographer from Derbyshire, UK, who has worked as a freelance photographer for over 27 years. His documentary photography is very intimate and personal. He enjoys photographing people on the street and location, exploring the subject of people, combining traditional documentary with portraiture. Austin uses a small flash whilst capturing documentary photographs as a way of highlighting the subject and it's importance as it separates them from the unimportant parts of the composition.

Moodboard on Gary Austin

Austin's documentary photography is a slightly more modern take on the genre. Typically, documentary photography is in black and white, however, Austin has produced colour photographs. In this particular photograph, objectively, there is an elderly woman as the main subject and focus. The woman is slightly off centre in the composition and is brightly lit by the flash that has been produced when the photograph was taken. This highlights the subject, to which Austin described his use for this technique. The background of the photograph is dull and the lighting is natural. It seems to be a typical rainy day, as enhanced by the woman's attire. The background is out of focus due to the movement of both the people and the camera. The subjects face is neutral and emotionless. Her body language shows the uncertainty of the photograph, as if she was unaware of this being taken. Subjectively, the 'on edge' mood to the photograph creates the documentary style of documenting ones life. As this focuses on an older woman, capturing her in her everyday life, gives the audience something to question. Subjectively, she could be on her way shopping, or visiting someone, but you would not know this detail by a simple photograph, yet you can relate it to your own mum or grandmother, thinking of the things she does and where she goes, so that you can almost guess at what is going on in this photograph.

Erica McDonald;
A photographer and educator who lives in New York City. Her style includes photojournalism, fine art and documentary photography. She believes in photography with a narrative and lineage.

Moodboard on Erica McDonald

McDonald combines different styles of documentary photography. In some of her series, she captures events in colour, yet in other series, she has used traditional documentary style, by using black and white photography. The photograph is square, creating a snapshot effect, which enhances the style of documentary. Objectively, this photograph captures a boy, no older than 11. He seems to be leaning against a railing at what appears to be a stand at a sports venue. The boy is central to the composition. He appears to be of a larger build, wearing a dirty shirt. His stomach is hanging over the edge of the railing he is leaning against with his arms either side. His facial expression, shows one of a calm nature and his positioning appears  forthright. There is an element of confidence that is given off as the boy is portrayed on his own in the composition. Subjectively, he is not trying to hide away from the camera, yet he is trying to look as presentable as he can given his current state, which can possibly show some insecurity. McDonald has captured this  to document the lifestyle of this boy. Subjectively it relates to the on going debate of childhood obesity. It also documents the lifestyle of the majority of the population present in New York. To me, it is almost as if this photograph is a representation of a proportion of the country  that McDonald has used his photography skills to capture this effectively.

James Wakefield;
A social documentary photographer based in East London who focuses on urban life, social housing, architecture and nuclear power.

Wakefield's approach to documentary photography is different to the other photographers I have looked at. Here, we have the subject as the asylum Wakefield went to visit. This photograph shows a busy composition, however, it is one I am most intrigued by. Objectively, it shows a messy room, filled with old clothes and chairs. The area has been left deserted due to it's uncleanliness. There are shelving which is to the left of the composition which creates a leading line towards the back of the room. This creates an interesting visual to the viewer. The assemblage of items around the room, creates a distinct atmosphere. As well as this, the effect of the black and white adds to this atmosphere. The dark tonality in some places of the photograph adds an eery texture. The window from the back of the room aids the natural light source, which is then reflected upon the items of clothing. The contrast show the areas of the light which hit the room.Subjectively, the black and white filter is representative of the past, reflecting the asylum of how it is now rather than before. It also adds a mood of emptiness despite the busy composition. This photograph arises the questions of who would have been in this room? What was it used for?   

My Documentary Photography

Above, is my own documentary photography. I created a series of  photographs that told the story of my mum and I's trip into town on a Saturday. This is a regular trip that me and my mum take together almost every week. I then thought it would be a great opportunity to document this. My main inspiration for these were Erica Mcdonald from my chosen photographers. Some photographs contain people, and they are aware of the photograph being taken, whereas some contain people who are unaware and capture a moment in time. Firstly, I chose to document the journey into town, capturing a photograph of the car and my mum driving, to then going into the car park. I then progressed to taking photographs whilst in town shopping, therefore containing, shops, places that we went to, with certain distinctive things. As a regular routine, my mum and I always go for a coffee, therefore this is something I needed to document. I chose a photograph of the sign to the coffee shop and a few inside which document the scenery and what we purchased. Lastly, I captured the journey home, the route we walked back to the car and then finishing with a photograph in the car.
As an improvement, I could think more of the compositions I am taking, capturing the essence of what is going on- to create a theme all the way through. I feel that my photographs seem more staged compared to other documentary photography. Experimenting further, I would create more natural and 'by chance' photographs.