Documentary Photography Research Paper

One of the biggest aspects of my life is photography. Ever since I can remember, picking up any camera within reach was almost a natural reflex. Capturing moments, a split second in time, has always fascinated me, especially the beauty in that nobody is quite the same. Investing in a camera of my own, as well as all the incredibly expensive equipment to go along with it has arguably been one of the best decisions of my life- allowing me to freeze the time I want in the way I want.

Everyone has something special that they cherish, whether it came from a loved one or a loving memory. Something that I treasure the most is a picture of me and my friends in an eighth grade event taken in a photo booth. I would say that this object would be in the class of a souvenir. It came into my possession during the winter ball from the man who ran the photo booth. Under the circumstances of an eighth grade activity/trip.

For everyday pictures, you can mix things up by telling a story with your photography. Instead of snapping pictures as they happen with no influence on the shots, this style of photography involves planning and executing your vision. The storytelling is completely up to you.

While emotions were extremely high in the sense of angst for a better life, photography provided a new sense of reality to Americans and for others around the World. Photography all around the World is unlike anything else of its kind. People are able to tell stories and elicit emotions that bring the audience to that desired response. Throughout the 1930’s, photography from governmental institutions or advancements alone brought a new beginning to the end of a terrible time that Americans all around the nation

George Eastman invented roll film and an easy to operate camera that made photography easier for anyone to experience photography. He founded the Eastman Kodak Company to manufacture cameras and photographic supplies, making the art of photography available to the masses. This talks about his life and how he came about the inventions that made photography easier for people to use and produce their own photographs.

My MYP project topic is Photography. I am researching photography because it is a subject that really interests me and that I enjoy. Photography falls under the global context of Personal and Cultural Expression because it is a form of art and a way for people to express their creativity. Throughout this MYP journey I hope to become a better photographer and explore more of Washington D.C. Some questions i’m trying to answer for this project are, What are some restaurants in D.C that are highly favored? What are some cool places I should visit in D.C? How can I become a better photographer?

When examining American photography you must discuss the Farmer Security Administration-Office of War Information, also referred to as the FSA/OWI. This administration was the single and most significant documentary photography project in the history of United States. Photographs taken by members of the FSA/OWI all display and represent American society in different ways to help give a better understanding of major historic events occurring in the United States at this time. The members of the FSA use many formal elements to help illustrate society and its cultural that will enhance our understanding of the FSA/OWI project and United States. In addition, these formal elements such as lighting, framing, subject matter, and detail are used

The original thought that photos were far superior to other visual aids have been re-evaluated in consideration of graphic artwork. The invention of photography initially provided the belief that a photo was simply a reproduction of the original. The progression of improved photographic equipment supplied the photographer with the choice of what to include or exclude from a picture. As an example, Jacob Riis transferred his belief of a sturdy, upstanding family with high morals into his photos by taking pictures of families in their apartments. However, his photo labeled “Five Cents A Spot” reflect an alternate picture of men and women packed in one apartment supported his viewpoint of the people’s poverty. Considering the subject matter of his reports it is a small wonder that his photos were not connected with a direct bias for both article and

people. This was almost like a new way of photography, but it was another way to do fine art

The documentary film connected to the writings of Crimp, Wells, and Bates as they showing us how profitable the modern photography became. As the video mentioned, that in this modern day, Gregory Crewdson creates and sold his superb photographs for large amount of money, such as over $200,000. In addition, a single photograph can be priceless or worthless as sold for over $200,000, has amused me because I didn’t know it was cost that much. However, the readings explains how photography developed in the modern day and enlighten that the photographers developed their various photographic methods of making photos, while the film tells us where and how the photographers are making their money from. While watching the film, I realized that the arts

Practiced by thousands who shared no common tradition or training from the earliest days of taking photos, the first photographers were disciplined and united by no academy or guild, who considered their medium variously as a trade, a science, an art, or an entertainment, and who often were unaware of each other’s work. Exactly as it sounds photography means photo-graphing. The word photography comes from two Greek words, photo, or “light”, and graphos, or drawing and from the start of photography; the history of the aforementioned has been debated. The idea of taking pictures started some thirty-one thousand years ago when strikingly sophisticated images of bears, rhinoceroses, bison, horses and many other types of creators were

Photographs are re-collections of the past. This essay is about photography, memory, and history and addresses the relationship between photographic images and the need to remember; it is based on the notion that seeing is a prelude to historical knowledge and that understanding the past relies on the ability to imagine. At the same time, the role of thought and imagination in the production of society--as reflected in the earlier work of Louis Althusser (1970), Maurice Godelier (1984) and perhaps more significantly, Cornelis Castoriadis (1975), suggests yet another role for photography in the construction of a social and cultural reality. Photographs in capitalist societies contribute to the production of information and participate in the surveillance of the environment where their subjective and objective qualities are applied to the private uses of photographic images in the perpetuation of memory.

Before the hand-size cameras people carry around to visually document the interesting events, persons, and objects they approach, photography was not an easy feat. Despite the size and tedious process to capture photos, Mathew Brady, a documentalist from New York, employed a team of photographers to venture into the American Civil War and document its time (Megs and Purvis, 2012). Due to the overwhelming public response after this experiment, photography has proven itself to be a great documentary and communication tool upon the time of the American Civil War.

Robert Frank is a photographer and documentary filmmaker best known for his book The Americans. It was during the publications of his book that he began taking an interest in cinematography. His book is the most influential book of photographs. He started photography for expression as well to escape the pressures of his business-oriented family. Frank never attended school for photography or film. He felt as though America was a bleak and lonely place with a fast pace society that cared to much for money.

What is a photograph? The simplicity of taking a photograph leads many to ponder its artistic value. Yet, it is undeniable that there are some photos that cause an emotional reaction deeper than simply observing a recorded point in time. Surely, there are photographs that cause more reaction than some modern art pieces. There seems to be two types of photographs. The first classification is the ‘time capture’ photo – an image with the sole purpose of recording a particular event or point in time. The second nature of a photo carries a ‘deeper meaning,’ which has the ability to change the observer’s mood and cause a reaction. But what distinguishes these two varieties? There are a