Documentary Photography

M R. B A L L ’ S C L A S S

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

"DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY IS EVERYDAY REALITY RECORDED WITH A VISUAL ARTISTRY THAT CATCHES ITS 'FEEL' AS WELL AS ITS LOOK". - Geraldine Norman Vivian Maier

"THE KEY IS TO NOT LET THE CAMERA, WHICH DEPICTS NATURE IN SO MUCH DETAIL, REVEAL JUST WHAT THE EYE PICKS UP, BUT WHAT THE HEART PICKS UP AS WELL." - Paul Caponigro

Vivian Maier

Therefore, documentary photography involves capturing the moment in time as it happens naturally, in its environment.

Ideally, the photographer will capture the image in a unique way, as a means of communicating something interesting or novel about the subject.

Vivian Maier

TRY TO TELL A STORY

Alfred Eisensteadt

Dorothea Lange

Yousuf Karsh claimed that his primary goal was to reveal something deep within his subject, stating that “the revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world” (National Gallery of Canada, 2013)

CONSIDER POINT OF VIEW

SIMPLIFY THE BACKGROUND

Steve McCurry – National Geographic

SIMPLIFY THE BACKGROUND CONT…

FOCUS AND DEPTH OF FIELD WITH A POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA

Typically, basic point and shoot cameras will try to get as much of the picture in focus as possible. Try getting as close as possible to the subject. Also, you can try getting as much distance between the subject and background as possible.

FOCUS AND DEPTH OF FIELD WITH AN IPHONE CAMERA

Tap the screen where you want to focus. Tap and hold a spot on the screen for a few seconds until you see a yellow box flash around your finger. Let go, and you’ll see the message “AE/AF Lock” on the screen. You can now re-compose the shot, and the focus and exposure will remain the same until you tap the shutter release button.

Simulate a DSLR’s depth of field.

The smaller a camera’s image sensor, the larger the depth of field it creates. That’s why smartphones and compact digital cameras can’t compete with Digital SLRs when it comes to taking photos with romantically blurred backgrounds. There’s help, though. Try an app like AfterFocus ($1). Open an existing photo or take a new one, and then outline the areas that you want to be in sharp focus and in blurry relief. The app then blurs the background for you, giving you a convincing shot with simulated depth of field.

“There are quite a few apps that can help you simulate differing depth of field effects with your mobile photos. There are some apps such as Big Lens and Tadaa SLR that were designed specifically with this effect in mind. In addition, many great full-featured editing apps that you may already have like Snapseed and Filterstorm Neue also provide tools for creating this effect.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT VIVIAN MAIER:

The Story of Vivian Maier

The Documentary – Finding Vivian Maier

SOME OF MY WORK

Self-Portrait with Bees, 2013