by admin | Jan 11, 2017 | Blog, Documentary Photography
Why documentary photography is an important method of recording history, sharing emotional truth, and often inspiring change.
“Tank Man” by Jeff Widener, 1989
Why take photographs? What is it that makes a photograph so very different from a painting, a sculpture, or a poem?
There are several answers to this question. One that is primarily important is this: the photograph documents reality in an instant, using light and time to reproduce a moment, as it is perceived. This is what makes photography one of the most important methods of documentation of people, events, and feelings, both historically and in the present day, expressed an online photography portal learnmyshot few years ago.
Looking back, documentary photography has made waves of impact as a method of truth-telling in difficult times, a way of exposing disturbing scenes to raise awareness of things like poverty and famine, to ultimately reshape the public’s opinion on government policies that were often the direct cause.
“V-J Day, Times Square,” or “The Kiss” by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945
Documentary photography proves that pictures can change the world. For example, photos revealing the death and destruction caused by U.S. presence in Vietnam resulted in America’s withdrawal from the war. The key to this is not in the telling, but the showing. Photographers were able to capture the emotion and trauma of suffering humanity, and inspire viewers to create change. The communication of emotion visually is valuable and strong, even in singular glimpses.
Granted, documentary photography does not always depict loss and despair. Realism, context, and timing are key roles that documentary photographers must always consider. Does the photograph truly represent its subject? How is this photograph a symbol of a larger issues, feelings, or events? Why is this moment significant?
For example, this photograph of Tiananmen Square by Jeff Widener in 1989 (cover photo), in which one man stands in protest in front of government tanks, revived a belief in courage and represents the notion that a small figure can make change. By this logic, the documentary photographer could be compared to the man in the photograph, as he too has created extraordinary impact with one act – in this case, the iconic photograph.
‘Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper’ By Charles C. Ebbets, 1932
Vulture Stalking a Child by Kevin Carter, 1993
“And babies” by Ronald L. Haeberle, 1968
Styles of documentary photography vary, as well. For example, wedding or event photography is a documentation, as photographers take pictures candidly to capture the moments that make the event special, and provide a thorough and beautiful overview through a series that represents the event as a whole. Likewise, sports can be documented through action shots that capture the movement of the game. Food photography as well can be a documentation, especially when capturing pictures of the preparation, during which the food is revealed via its most important aspect: its creator, the chef.
In modern times, documentary photography is still extremely important. Photojournalism as a profession has become increasingly difficult to maintain, due to the rise in iphone photography and layoffs sparked by changing demands for media. Nonetheless, it is as crucial as ever to document life in real time and share true and moving stories with the world.
Some people believe that as a photographer, it is your responsibility to document the places, events, and people you come across in life that you feel are important, beautiful, or special. It’s a compelling belief, and may just be true. History happens, and with it, memories, but photographers alone are able to capture it in frames.
by admin | Jan 10, 2017 | Blog
In the age of digital exploration, there are no norms or ethics of using others work in various horizons.
Ravi Dhingra : Image taken from his Facebook Profile
Works of visual artists are affected mostly, because of unsorted usage of their creativity. Most of the business enterprises, irrespective of the business volume, use images and creatives in illegal ways even not giving a courtesy quote! Visuals and images are used randomly by others and it is quite tough to get noticed the works of the artists. Photographers around the globe suffer in this for quite a some times. Popular social media such as Facebook do not display the image details when downloaded in your device, this also causes a major issue of misuse of photographs, and getting details of that particular photo is quite time taking jobs for others.
Posters Framed at Dilli Haat, shot by Ravi Dhingra
Posters Framed at Dilli Haat, shot by Ravi Dhingra
Posters Framed at Dilli Haat, shot by Ravi Dhingra
Posters Framed at Dilli Haat, shot by Ravi Dhingra
Ravi Dhingra, New Delhi based independent photographer and Photography mentor recently raised the debate again when he saw his images are being used in various food stalls in Dilli Haat, a craft market in Delhi. After seeing his images are being used by others, he started communication and there after he added few of his photographs used in the stalls at Dilli Haat in his Facebook page. In his Facebook post very recently, on December 25, he elaborated a detailed note that was sent to the Copyright Violator; and in another Facebook Post on January 10 this year, Mr. Dhingra highlighted how the Copyright Violator questioned about the ownership authenticity of those images which were taken from Dhingra’s Flickr Account! Conversations are there in his blog also. It is not a very new thing to him just like many others. Few times ago, he shouted when one of the largest selling dailies of India published his images without notifying him.
The debate should go on, with a justified solutions specially in favour of the artists. Ravi Dhingra’s expertise advise in his blog post ‘Copyright or Right to Copy?’ is very simple yet effective for others too. He wrote :
“From the experience above, now I try to keep things simple and follow the following steps:
‘1. Immediately intimate about the copyright violation at the mail id mentioned on the website of the violator clearly mentioning that it is a criminal offence.
‘2. Use the social media to publicise and connect to the right person in the organisation (Facebook and Twitter work perfectly well). In all cases I have been able to get the details of senior people in the organisation.
‘3. Write to these senior people informing them about the violation and seeking a solution to resolve the matter.
Image stolen from Ravi Dhingra’s Flickr Account
‘4. Most of the time, matter is resolved at this stage..the standard replies are: our employee did it, we normally pay Rs 500/ for the image but will pay Rs 1500/- as a special case. I don’t agree to these submissions and quote a reasonable amount ( definitely not six figures) as compensation for the unauthorised use.
‘5. If this does not work, I threaten them with filing a criminal complaint with the IPR Cell of Local Police. These companies have strong legal departments and serving legal notice does not affect them. It is a matter of filing another response in routine. But a threat of criminal complaint makes them think twice as it is a non-bailable offense and if the complaint is proved to be genuine, the directors or senior employees will have to appear in the court to seek bail and this is not easy-money and time both will have to be spent. So their ‘strong’ legal department suggests a settlement.
‘A few things to be taken care before taking any action for copyright violation :
‘1. Ownership of the photograph: you should be in a position to prove that the photograph was taken by you. The RAW image, unedited JPEG if don’t have RAW, EXIF Data ,MetaData ( in some cameras you can feed the copyright information which shows in the metadata).
‘2. Exclusivity of the photograph: there is a possibility that the photograph was taken during a photo walk or any other place where many other photographers were present. They might have similar frames, not exact. It will be difficult to prove ownership, not impossible but will need more efforts.
‘3.Keep the compensation amount reasonable. An exorbitant amount (others will suggest) will delay the whole process of settlement. But once you decide on a figure, which you feel is reasonable, stick to it. No further negotiations.
Image copyright : Ravi Dhingra
‘4. Patience is the key here. The replies to your mails may not be prompt. There is a possibility of no reply also but once the violation has been brought to the decision makers, some action will definitely be taken . A few reminders will keep the issue alive.”
by admin | Dec 28, 2016 | Blog
Street Photography is a branch of realistic fine-art photography that records non posed scenes in public places.
The primary subject is people, at rest or in motion, alone or with others, going about the every-day activities of life.
Framing and timing can be key aspects of the craft with the aim of some street photography being to create images at a decisive or poignant moment.
This is a list of some of the best living Street Photographers from all around the world.
Copyright : David Alan Harvey
David Alan Harvey (June 6, 1944) is an American photographer. Harvey is based in North Carolina and New York City and has been a full member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1997.
He has photographed extensively for National Geographic magazine and in 1978 was named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association. Harvey is publisher and editor of Burn Magazine, an online publication featuring the work of emerging photographers.
Copyright : Bruce Gilden
Bruce Gilden (born 1946 in Brooklyn, New York) is a street photographer. He is best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a flashgun.
He has had numerous books of his work published, has received the European Publishers Award for Photography and is a Guggenheim Fellow.
Copyright : Alex Webb
He has had a number of books published, his main works being Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds (1986), Under a Grudging Sun (1989) From The Sunshine State (1996), Amazon (1997) Crossings (2003), Istanbul (2007) and The Suffering of Light (2011).
With Rebecca Norris Webb he has also published Violet Isle (2009) and Memory City (2014).
He has contributed to Geo, Time and The New York Times Magazine.
Copyright : Elliott Erwitt
Elliott Erwitt (born 26 July 1928) is an American advertising and documentary photographer known for his black and white candid shots of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings— a master of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment”.
Copyright : Martin Parr
Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector.
He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in particular documenting the social classes of England, and more broadly the wealth of the Western world. His major projects have been rural communities (1975–82), The Last Resort (1983–85), The Cost of Living (1987–89), Small World (1987–94) and Common Sense (1995–99).
Since 1994, Parr has been a member of Magnum Photos. He has had around 40 solo photobooks published, and has featured in around 80 exhibitions worldwide – including the international touring exhibition ParrWorld, and a retrospective at the Barbican Arts Centre, London, in 2002.
Copyright : Matt Stuart
Matt Stuart (1974) is a British street photographer, a member of the In-Public street photography collective and a nominee member of Magnum Photos. As well as making his personal work, street photography, he works as an advertising photographer, and leads street photography workshops.
Stuart’s book of street photography, All That Life Can Afford (2016), includes photographs made in London from 2002 to 2015. His work has also been published in a number of survey publications on street photography, and exhibited in solo exhibitions in Britain and the US; as well as included in group exhibitions in Britain (including at the Museum of London, which acquired his work for its permanent collection, and which travelled to the Museum of the City of New York), France, Bangkok and Stockholm.
In 2005 Photo District News considered Stuart one of their 30 “New and Emerging Photographers to Watch”.
Copyright : Tatsuo Suzuki
Tatsuo Suzuki is a Japanese street photographer, living and working in Ota, Tokyo.
Born in 1965, Suzuki came to photography later than most. Having had a successful career in business, he started photographing the streets of Tokyo in 2008.
Although largely self-taught, in 2014 Suzuki studied for a year at Resist Photo School, Tokyo. His work was first exhibited in Kanagawa, Japan.
Copyright : Eolo Perfido
Leica Ambassador since 2013, Eolo Perfido has been shooting street photography for more than 15 years.
Born in France, he is based in Rome where he walks the city streets every day.
Eolo Perfido photography has been featured in magazines such as NY Times, Communication Arts, Panorama First, Vision, Vogue Russia, GQ Russia, Comunication Arts, L’Espresso, and Computer Arts.
Eolo is also an Educator and in the last 10 years he developed a series of very successful international photography workshops dedicated to Portrait Photography, Travel Portraits, Street Photography and Post Production.
Copyright : Eric Kim
Eric Kim is an international street photographer currently based in Los Angeles. Through his blog and workshops, he teach others the beauty of street photography, how to find their own style and vision, as well as how to overcome their fear of shooting strangers. In the past he has done collaborations with Leica, Magnum, as well as Invisible Photographer Asia and is currently an instructor at UC Riverside Extension, teaching a university-level street photography course. Last year he was also one of the judges for the London Street Photography Festival.
His life’s mission is to produce as much “Open Source Photography,” to make photography education accessible to all.
Copyright : Thomas Leuthard
Thomas Leuthard is a passionate street photographer based in the heart of Switzerland.
He travels to the big cities of this world to witness and document life on the street. He currently works with an unobtrusive mirrorless camera to capture the essence of the ordinary life happening in public.
For him the camera is a black box capturing the moment seen by his eyes.
There are more important questions in photography than asking about what gear we are using. He has written several eBooks over the last few years.
by admin | Mar 19, 2016 | Blog
We are suckered into thinking that we can only take photos if we travel to exotic places (India, Tokyo, NYC), if we have a super glamorous lifestyle, and if we have the latest cameras and fastest lenses.
All of this is just bullshit that the camera companies and advertising companies try to feed you, to breed discontent with your simple and humble life. They make you think that your life isn’t exciting enough, and you cannot make any good photos without traveling and spending thousands of dollars, or if you don’t have the newest greatest digital camera.
“I totally took that as a compliment,” laughs Pentagram New York partner Emily Oberman. “Everyone moans about Pentagram because we have been trucking along doing the best work we can over many, many years and either we succeed or we fail, but at least we try.
“It’s funny to read all the things that get said about Pentagram. Some of it’s accurate and some of it’s so off the mark it’s crazy. And whatever people might think, at its core Pentagram is – and always has been – about doing good work. That is basically the business plan. The fact that we have been successful is as much a positive statement about the world of design as it is about the world of Pentagram.”
Photo © Pentagram New York
IT IS NOT LIKE JOINING SOME BIG CORPORATION
Team Oberman can be found on the lower ground floor of the New York office, right next to that of Michael Bierut, the longest-serving US partner. But the partners all sit together, in a line of desks that stretches down the left-hand side of the office’s first floor. From the waiting area, visitors come face-to-face with perhaps the most concentrated stretch of graphic design talent to be found anywhere in the world. It is an unusual arrangement, and while Michael and Emily can call straight down to their teams, other partners have to go upstairs to the upper floor to discuss their projects’ progress.
This building though was never designed to be a studio – it started life as a bank, became a clothing store and later a nightclub called MK, which Michael Bierut recalls as being themed around the idea of an illicit house party of a louche South American playboy who’s magnate father was away. Michael, it must be said, has an extraordinarily detailed knowledge of the New York nightclub scene of the 1980s and 90s.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
The first time Luke was interviewed as a potential partner he was actually turned down – “I was too nervous or too needy” – but he was accepted second time around, fresh off his huge success redesigning New York magazine “I was funnier and I think that really matters”. Now he describes the interaction between the partners when they all get together as “a little chaotic, a little dysfunctional.”
