What is documentary photography?
Documentary photography is a style of photography that provides a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects and events, and is often used in reportage " from Tate Modern.
Outside and studio photos
Evaluation
The task was to take 6 photos inside and 6 outside, we was paired up and . There had to be good lighting and good backgrounds that showed the scenery.
I found the task ok, it was fun being able to decide the way she sat, looked and where it was. It was easy taking photos of someone because i didn’t need props, i found it easy to take photos of her. I preferred taking photographs outside because the lighting is natural and you haven't got to keep moving the lights, also it seems lighter outside than it was inside.
On the outside photos i think i need to improve on getting full body shots and getting shadows. On the inside photos i need to improve on getting the person in the centre of the photo and the lighting on her face could have been better.
I would like to take more close ups and some in black and white. I would like to take some more photos in the studio so i can practice using the lighting.
I would like to take photographs of her in the studio with a white background in the studio and a greenery background outside.
If i had more time i would have taken closer up photos with a background of leaves and trees.
The task was to take 6 photos inside and 6 outside, we was paired up and . There had to be good lighting and good backgrounds that showed the scenery.
I found the task ok, it was fun being able to decide the way she sat, looked and where it was. It was easy taking photos of someone because i didn’t need props, i found it easy to take photos of her. I preferred taking photographs outside because the lighting is natural and you haven't got to keep moving the lights, also it seems lighter outside than it was inside.
On the outside photos i think i need to improve on getting full body shots and getting shadows. On the inside photos i need to improve on getting the person in the centre of the photo and the lighting on her face could have been better.
I would like to take more close ups and some in black and white. I would like to take some more photos in the studio so i can practice using the lighting.
I would like to take photographs of her in the studio with a white background in the studio and a greenery background outside.
If i had more time i would have taken closer up photos with a background of leaves and trees.
Outside Photos
Inside photos with back drop
My favourite photo
In this task we had to choose are favourite photo i choose this one because it had good lighting and shadows and there was a really nice background.
The second step was to go on photos and turn them in black and white. I think this photo looks really nice in the black and white because the shadows really stand out.
After that we had to put the photo on adobe photoshop. On photo shop we had to invert the photograph.
I had to print it off as a negative which was easy. I used this in the dark room for the next step.
Final piece 1
This was the last step i went in to thew dark room. I used the machine to print the negative on to this then i had to dip it 3 different substances the first one for one minute the second for 2 minuets and the third for one minute. Then, i had to bath it in water and leave it in there for five minutes to soak. I then hung it up on line to dry.
Home Work 1
Dawoud Bey
"I began photographing in the streets of Harlem in 1975. At first these visits were just weekly excursions. On those occasions much of what I did was not photographing, but spending time walking the streets, reacquainting myself with the neighbourhood that I wanted to again become a part of, seeing up close the people and the neighbourhood I had glimpsed from the car window years before as a child. As I got to know the shopkeepers and others in the neighbourhood, I became a permanent fixture at the public events taking place in the community, such as block parties, tent revival meetings, and anyplace else where people gathered. The relationships and exchanges that I had with some of these people are experiences I will never forget. It is in those relationships and the lives of the people that these pictures recall that the deeper meaning of these photographs can be found"
-Dawoud Bey, 1979 |
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I think some reasons for people wanting to take documenting photography is to show how peoples lives are how areas that people live in are like. These photographs link to street photography however they are different because the are not dark or sad it is people just doing there normal day-to-day things like going to church or leaving there house to go out. I think in these photos there is a relationship between the photographer and the models, i think the relationship is that they are neighbours or the live in the same area. I think taking the photos of his community is important to him because he wanted to show how nice it is there and to let it be known to people. I think his inspiration could have been another documenting photographer or someone in his family.
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I choose this short film because it has photos of her daughter and family however her daughter is her main model. I found this video interesting because she takes pictures of them to keep memories. Her daughter is her main subject because she has an illness and she wants memories of her daughter. I think her experience is very brutal because she is taking photos of her daughter for memories because there is a chance she will die at a young age.
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I choose this video because it is a woman who takes photos of very simple things. If someone looked at her photo normally they would just think its simple it has no meaning but she shows it dose have a meaning. Her photos have meanings for her she just needs to tell the meaning and then you see it. This lady takes different ranges of photos she takes photos of her family her home town and sometimes photos looser in terms of it being street photography. Or just day to day photos. She feels she has the "ability to form intimacy" with certain photos she comes across. She uses it to help people remember certain memories of people and memory-based.
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I choose this video because this photographer really inspired me. The photographer takes as many chances as she can to meet new people so she can then take photos of them. She takes the photos of them after meeting them so she can remember that moment. She looks at her photos as a book with lots of chapters, the library is the first chapter. She said "i take photographs but i also try to see how i live with them" she is trying to say she is showing how she lives but is also figuring out how she lives with these people.
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I choose this video because he takes natural photos to show how life really is his photos are realistic. He gets natural photos with the natural setting the natural frame of what she was doing.
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Homework
The task was to take six photos inside and six photos outside, of one person that you know. I decided to take photos of my mum because she is a role model to me. I thought it was a good idea to take photos of her naturally doing things around the house, and outside. We had to take these while listening to music.
Inside
Outside
Gordan Parks
Photos inside and outside
In this task we had to take photos of a random person in our class. The person could be sitting, standing, laying or doing something. For this task i wanted to get some natural shots and just take photos of a normal walk around for him. I think these photos are good because it is natural actions and natural resources and it is not set up. A lot of them are off him walking around or turning. Next time i will take some more inside the school, and take less of him turning or facing backwards. I feel that this task was enjoyable for me because i got a chance to do the style of photography that is one of my favourites.
My Favourite Photo
This is my favourite photo because you can see its not set up. I think this photo is effective because it has the main subject which is the boy and the fact that it is split in to three. The first part is the background. The second is the boy standing and leaning on the tennis table. The third is of the trees and stone bench. I think people would say that it has a very detailed sectioned background, i think this because it has the 3 different sections. I think it's worth remembering that his face is covered and there is a lot in the scenery. I think it relates to Niall McDiarmid photography, because it is detailed and natural but at the same time it is simple.
Final piece 2
This is my final piece i liked this photo but i felt it would give a nice touch if it was in black and white. It has two magpies in the back ground which shows the
Tyler Mitchel
In this photograph i can see a young boy with a bag on his head that is filled with water. It gives a sense of fright and also entrapment however you also get a feeling of calm because he has a snorkel to help him breathe.The goggles and the snorkel are recognisable because people use them to go scuba diving or kids use them just for fun.
This photo reminds me of anxiety and entrapment because he is almost stuck and alone and drowning in his own emotional pain. This picture is different from real life because you don't see someone with a bag on their head because it would normally kill you however the way they have taken this it did not kill the boy. Another way of looking at it as unrealistic is by see the background is blue so it looks like he is under water but the only part of him in water is his head. This photo is very interesting in my opinion because it is very different from other photographs and is makes you question what made them think of this idea. |
Photo-shoot 1
In this task we had to take photos inspired by Tyler's photography. I thought it was a good idea to take photos in. the art department first because Tyler's photography is very colourful and the art department is very colourful. I used all different colours. The main things we had to focus on was colour and lighting and shapes. I used lighting when we was outside and i used shapes both outside and inside. I used the shape of the shadow and the shape of the chairs and the door. The framing focus was head to waist. In the photos you can see there is different angles and some have words.
These photos remind me of happiness because of the bright times.
These photos remind me of happiness because of the bright times.
Interesting compositions
black people leisure
All doing something
non stereotypical
colour
Fashion
props
greenery
plain vibrant colours
bright vibrant colours
black people leisure
All doing something
non stereotypical
colour
Fashion
props
greenery
plain vibrant colours
bright vibrant colours
Photo-shoot 2
In this task we had to take 12 photos inspired by Tyler. The photos had to be close-ups of the head and torso or full body pictures with nature in the background, there had to be bright colours and had to be original. I think they are very original and colourful. This is more of an abstract photo.In these photos me and my model used these two types of sheets to make colour and we also used a big square mirror. This is a good idea to use a mirror because it shows people the back of her as well. These photos remind me of Tylers photos because they are very different and colourful. On one of the sheets there is a checkered pattern of different bright colours.
My favourite
I think this is the best photo because it has been inspired by Tyler but you can see that it is not his. The framing is very clear and has a second frame in the middle of the photo. I have copied Tylers idea of taking photos of just head and torso and the idea of using a colourful greenery background. In the background is grass and in the reflection of the mirror. Also she is wearing a red sheet around her witch also has a little purple on it.
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Photo-shoot 3
In this task we had to take at least 12 photos inspired by Tyler Mitchell, this included being risky. I added a lot of bright colours and the backgrounds are very colourful. I think it is like Tylers work because it is only of the head and torso, it is very colourful and interesting. The drawings in the background of some of the photos are different and original. I decided to go in the art department.
My favourite
Homework
My favourite
Nick Meyer
The local
These photos are his work and i think they are all from one area as he has named it the local. I think this shows he lives in a very unusual place however if u look closely you can see the towns originality. The picture with the tree looks as if its alive and has crouched down because it's sad. These images go together in a weird way because they are different. Three of them contain nature and they all create a representation of life. I think these six photos represent the old because its and an old man and old plants/trees giving up and dropping down. The bottom right photo is a broken tree that has fell and destroyed a house. It shows the tree is old and has almost given up standing and holding its own weight. The top right photo is different to the rest of these photos but it is hard to make out what it is because it looks like water but there is a dip in the middle which is very unusual and unrecognisable.
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Collage
Todays Task
- Review your images from all of your photoshoots and start selecting images.
- The images that you select do not have to be the most successful images.
- Think about grouping photographs that are from the same area or are of the same theme., changing them around
- Group your images together on your website to see how they look together.
- If you want the images from your extended project as your final piece that would be ok too.
- Print your images and have a look at them as a sequence of images.
- Try different combinations of the images.
- You can print the images in different sizes like the images above.
- Some of the images may be printed onto different types of paper.
- You may want to consider printing images singly and mounting them as protest boards as above.
Making a collage
My favourite
This is my favourite photo because its a full body picture with lovely lighting that gives off a shadow. She has loads of nature around her and you have a little bit of light peaking through the bush and a larger bit of light at the top in the centre. I think it is also nice because there is little red things on the bush which it the berries. Which i think it gives a nice element to the photo.
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First attempt of collage
These are the different collages i tried to put together in a small design. I got some ideas online.
My favourite
This is my favourite design that i have created. It is just a ruff picture of what i want and i plan to make two of the photos the biggest which is the two photos with the water in. and i want to make a few photos A5 to make it a range of sizes and i think it will look good.
I may move some of the photos or take some away. Next time i might make it a little less crowded. |
Trying it in bigger size
My favourite
This is my favourite collage because it has a range of my favourite photos. I had two photos enlarged so they would stand out, then four photos in A5 to go around the two main subjects. I also had three photos printed half the size of A5. They all fit in perfectly.
This is the most successful collage because it has a range of colours and a range of sizes. However i am going to redesign this because the three of the photos are blurry and two of the others do not match. |
Changing my design and pictures
These are my new photos that i am going to use. I choose these photos because it is a selection of class mates in my school community and i choose the photo which is in Maidstone of the water. I think i am going to make the water the main photo and surround it with these photos because it is different to the others. I choose to change my collage because there was to many photos and they did not all go together.
My new collage
This was another step in my project that has not come to met my standards for what i want. It seemed like a good idea but when i looked at it i decided that it was not the best fit. As the sea is in maidstone and then i have photos of Marcia and this other girl around it which is in the school community. The Photos do not match so i am going to choose new photos.
Changing my photos
This is a new step in my project because when i look at the other collage it didn't go. So i decided to use photos that are in the same sort of areas as the sea. I think these photos will go better because they have my dad, his girlfriend (Lucy), my brother (Freddie) and step brother (Dempsey). My dad, Lucy and Dempsey live in Kent so i go down there frequently so i get a lot of photos when i'm there, of the community.
Putting the photos in a new collage
This is how i have presented my photos i think they go well together it shows the community collectively of different areas in Kent.
Trying a different style of college
I then decided it was too basic and it looked like work anyone could do. So i tried folding the on the table, but i needed a background and i wanted to put some together.
Printing the photos together on paper
I then pushed some of the photos together to see what they would look like and put them on the printer and printed them on paper. When looking at my work i thought it was a bit to plain. I wanted to get a better background.
Putting a main background
I decided to put the water behind the photos and change the photos around a little bit. I think this is much better and i am going to choose six of these for my final peice.
Photos I decided not to use
These are the three pictures i cut out of my work and decide not to use. The reason is because some of them was very similar but was further apart. The one at the top i decided not to use because it was a bit over crowded and wasn't as nice as the other one.
My final piece 3
These are the photos i have decided to use because they are close together and are interesting. They have different colours and different shapes which i think is very interesting. I am going to trim the edges of the photos and then stick them to the mount board.
Final Evaluation
This is my final piece, for my piece i changed it five times. I tried different styles
Zoe Leonard
I choose these images because they have similar colours and look like the all have houses on top and they all are quite small. The are all selling different things. The shops colours are usually bright colours but it seems like the colours have been there for a long time and have gone dull. I think photographing a series will show how good or bad it now is. All the shops have and sell different things and i feel these photos are taken in different neighbourhoods because the bottom row of shops have things in-front of the windows to stop breaking in but to also show they are closed. The bottom left has bars in-front of the windows but i think this shop is still open so does this show it is so dangerous that they have to keep the windows protected or are they just there for decoration.
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Homework
-shop fronts
These are my photos i have took. For this task i had to take photos of the fronts of the shops.
Cut out
My layout
My final piece 4
Layout Of Shops
For this i printed these photos on an A3 piece of paper together
Final Piece 5
Peter Mitchell
Peter Mitchell takes a lot of his work in multiple areas such as Royal Photographic society, Leeds art gallery and many more. in his work he picks out small shops and factories in Leeds. His photos are small and share the mood in that area. The shops are are hidden and unheard of, not many people know about these shops but they come as a convenience for people who are just walking around. The shops he takes photos of are very dull and hidden.
Documenting Communities - Evaluation
Unit One
fFor unit one, i have done a lot of scrutiny of photographers, to help me with inspiration. I have researched photographers with different styles such as Dawoud Bey, Gordan Parks, Tyler Mithchel, Nick Meyer and Zoe Leonard these photographers have helped me see and understand different styles. One of the artist i have come across when looking for ides is Nick Meyer, he had much originality to his work it was very inspiring these are things i just could not imagine seeing in day to day life. This influenced my process of project three; I wanted originality, something that was different and unusual. I ended up with something that wasn't my initial aim but i'm happy with it.
I have attempted collages, hidden identity and
I have attempted collages, hidden identity and