Documentary Photography

Documentary photography also known as Photojournalism, Photojournalism is a panel of journalism characterized by the use of images to tell a story. The images in a piece may be accompanied by explanatory text or shown independently, with the images themselves narrating the events they portray. Photojournalism photographers use their knowledge, skills and trained eye to see the hidden messages in our societies and captures the moments of time for all of us to see. The photographer’s goal is to bring the attention of an audience to the subject of his or her work and, in many cases, to pave the way for social change. There are many purposes documentary photography is used for one of which is to create awareness from the poor to the rich. This photos show the truth that is happening around the world that nobody really remembers or cares about so when people take photos of the scenarios this get people thinking and creates awareness. 

Eddie Adams:

Eddie Adams was born June 12^th in 1933 and died in September 18^th in 2004. Eddie Adams was an American photographer and photojournalist noted for portraits of celebrities and politicians and for coverage of 13 wars. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for the photograph shown on the right. Adams was awarded more than 500 photojournalism awards during his lifetime, including the George Polk Award for News Photography in 1968, 1977 and 1978.

Looking through Eddie Adams photography work there seems to be a theme running throughout. A theme of wars, poverty and loneliness. All this work seems to be in black and white however this reason might be because most of his photos were taken in 1930’s and they didn't have colour then however the black and white photos create a big awareness to audience because black and white seems to make the photographs look even more lonely and more I poverty.

The first image by Eddie Adams I am going to analyse is "Murder of a Vietcong by Saigon Police Chief" taken by Eddie Adams in 1968. "Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world," AP photojournalist Eddie Adams once wrote. A fitting quote for Eddie Adams, because his 1968 photograph of an officer shooting a handcuffed prisoner in the head at point-blank range not only earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1969, but also went a long way toward souring Americans' attitudes about the Vietnam War.

After Eddie Adams took this photo he began to felt very bad about capturing this shot. He apologized for having taken the photo at all, admitting, "The general killed the Vietcong; I killed the general with my camera."

In this photography the shot used is a two shot also a mid-shot of the two men from the waist upwards. This photography is in black and white, the lighting seems to have a natural lightening, the photograph isn’t low key or high key lightening because it has not been set up. The photographer had to quickly snap this photograph as soon as he saw the man pull out a gun he had no time to think about composition. There is a lot of space at the back of the two men, this shows that it’s a war and everyone is either hiding, fighting or has been killed. The costume in this the man with the gun has got a dirty uniform on, in comparison to this the man who is going to die shortly after this photo has been taken is wearing casual clothes, the way the man who is going to die is presenting his body is that his arms are at the back of his back to show that he has potentially been handcuffed because he is a prisoner.  The purpose of this photograph would be to create awareness and remembrance to the war this photo has been taken in the middle of.

Women sheltered herself and her child from the sun aboard a refugee boat in the Gulf of Siam. “Boat of No Smiles” this was taken 1977. “Boat with No Smiles” has changed lives for more than 200,000 refugees who were being denied entry into the United States.

The camera shot used in this particular photograph is a three shot which is also a mid-shot and is in black white to create a sense of poverty. The mise-en-scene for the lighting is high key however it is natural lighting as you can see the sun on the women’s head.  The costumes used in this photo what I can see if the people are wearing rags and dirty scruffy clothes this shows the audience they are possibly poor, less fortunate and going through poverty as they have not got expensive clothes and are sitting on the floor huddled together. The message I get from this photo is to raise awareness to the audience to try and help these people like the ones in this photograph.  

Robert Capa:

Kevin Carter was born 13 September 1960 and died on 27^th of July 1994. He was an award-winning South African photojournalist and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph depicting the 1993 famine in Sudan. He committed suicide at the age of 33.

In March 1993, while on a trip to Sudan, Carter was preparing to photograph a starving toddler trying to reach a feeding center when a hooded vulture landed nearby. Carter reported taking the picture, because it was his "job title", and leaving. He was told not to touch the children for fear of transmitting disease. He committed suicide 3 months after winning the Pulitzer Prize.

On 27 July 1994 Carter died of carbon monoxide poisoning, aged 33. Portions of Carter's suicide note read: "I'm really, really sorry. The pain of life overrides the joy to the point that joy does not exist... depressed ... without phone ... money for rent ... money for child support ... money for debts ... money!!! ... I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain ... of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners ... I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."

Kevin Carter’s theme of photography seems to be about dying people of hunger, this runs throughout his work.

This is the most famous photograph Kevin Carter took in his lifetime. The camera shot has used the rule of thirds, the vulture is more to the left and the baby is lying down onto the right, nothing is in the middle as the main focus. However the baby has been placed more towards the camera, the vulture is more to the back this shows the audience that the bird is lingering behind the baby waiting for it to pass away so it can eat the baby. The mise-en-scene, the lighting is natural lighting as the photographer didn’t have time to get any artificial lights to create a dramatic feel to the outcome photography he just quickly took the photo and left. The costume on the human shows that the human is poor because he has no clothing on and his in a setting where no one is around there is just dirt and hay everywhere this shows that where the photograph has been taken the economy is bad.

Another photograph taken by Kevin Carter is this one on the left this was taken on the 31^st of December in 1969. This photograph has used the rule of thirds also the setting in the background looks very bare and deserted this says a lot about why this human is the way it is. The lighting again is natural lighting because he didn't have time to get artificial lighting to create an atmosphere. However this photo creates its own feeling itself.

Abbas:

Abbas Attar was born in 1944 is an Iranian photographer known for his photojournalism in Biafra, Vietnam and South Africa in the 1970s, and for his extensive essays on religions in later years. He was a member of Sipa from 1971 to 1973, a member of Gamma from 1974 to 1980, and joined Magnum Photos in 1981. The photograph was taken in Great Britain Belfast when a wall was crumbling down after having been set on fire by presumably by the IRA.

The camera shot if a long shot this photographer used the rule of thirds to make this photo look more interesting and eye catching. The lighting used for this photograph is low key lighting however it’s been created by natural lighting.

  

Distinction

I agree that these images can be factual images because the photographer captures a particular feeling in one shot so the audience can feel a particular feeling the photographer wants them to see. However I do think documentary photography can be unreliable to, I think this because some photographers can make up a scene with actors and lighting and take a photograph that might not be true and possibly isn’t actually happening in the world.