In this guide about documentary photography, I have proposed to describe as clearly as possible what it is, how to do it, and how to approach the subjects and situations in real life.
Documentary photography is like street photography as they have many standard features but is entirely a distinct discipline as its purpose is to tell a story. It is a photography genre that offers a straightforward representation of its subject, which can be anything, including people, objects, places, or events. It is mostly used in reportage.
Table of Contents
Documentary Photography
It is a type of sharp-focus photography that revolves around capturing raw and candid real-life situations for most people. Through it, the photographer gets the opportunity to show viewers the complexities of life. Usually, the capturer is narrating a story over a while. This differs from photojournalism, which is mostly about covering events in real-time.
The images in documentary photography usually follow a theme. These themes are commonly based on social and political issues like conflict, injustice, and inequality. Many renowned photographers became famous because of their compelling portrayal of such topics, including horrors of war.
As documentary photography relies on an accurate depiction of its subject, it is hard in practice. It relies on the shooting of richer subjects that reflect deeper meanings. They have to reflect the world as it exists, without any editing. Even though it is anti-interventionist, it is not a dispassionate form of art, as it is significant.
Exceptional documentary photography doesn’t only accurately represent a subject but also represents the handiwork of the photographer. The critical eye and the ability to narrate the story is also vital.
To capture decisive moments, the photographer must have a healthy amount of intuition and skill to discover the perfect scenarios and convey them accurately.
Thus, mastering documentary photography requires a lot of practice and effort. You can begin with the fundamentals, which are always the right place to start, but exclusive provenance of rules will not help you excel in documentary photography. To become a professional, you will have to grasp this craft from its core. Here are some tips on how you can do this:
Developing personal and social skills so that you can get close-up and delve deeply
Technical photography skills are not the only thing you need here. You need personal and social skills as well to support them. Documentary photography relies on people skills, and then it does on camera. Most of their work is done when the camera is in the bag – like conversations, learning, and research.
Committing time
Part of documentary photography is to understand what is happening around you. To do this, you have to commit yourself to spend some time with your subject. Do not act quickly or rashly to document, as time can be a great advantage. The higher the time spent, the more intimacy will develop, which will yield more meaningful works.
Protecting and managing the work
Mostly, a documentary photography project lasts over a long period over which things can get messed up. The shoots can take days, weeks, and even years, so there should be a system for managing and organizing the work, getting lost easily. To survive the ordeal and protect your work from loss or damage, it is advised to immediately duplicate everything and save your images in a few different locations.
It is also recommended to add metadata daily. Remember that a lax approach can sink any project, as documentary photography is unpredictable, and you can lose all your work within a blink of an eye, along with all the effort and time spent on it. Avoid making such mistakes, and be cautious.
Indulging in curiosity
Documentary photography involves intimate exploration – be it a subject, event, or environment. You have to indulge in it for your gratification, or else you won’t be able to capture its depth. So if you wish to narrate historical stories or share a unique message through images with the greater world, you have to understand it first.
Quench your curiosity and delve deep into the realities and challenges of life and explore them before presenting them. Make sure that your images emit something personal. It touches the viewer’s soul, and for this to happen, you have to put in your soul first.
An essential skill in documentary photography is to build your curiosity into your work. Your desire to better understand the subject and its surroundings will allow you to make moving work, which will surely impress and influence others.
Documentary photography is not very difficult. It doesn’t look effortless, but all you have to do is harness your powers and take the first step. Once you dive into it, you won’t be able to hold back as it is very intriguing and compelling. Become a part of it now and experience bewilderment in its most raw form!
