Lecture 1

As this was the first lecture a large portion of the time was taken up discussing and going through the module and what it entails. We discussed what is expected to be handed in come deadline day and what each weekly lecture will entail.

We started off by looking at Stephen McCurry and discussing as a group this photo below:

As a group we identified what the image makes us feel and what we think it portrays. Personally this image immediately catches my attention due to the red clothing of the woman creating this strong central line in which viewers can then navigate the rest of the image. from McCurry taking the photograph from inside of a vehicle looking on out at the subjects it creates some sort of barrier or wall between us the viewer and the subjects. There is distance, allowing us to look at the photograph and appreciate its form and aesthetic. this barrier in my opinion also signifies the gap between poverty which this mother and daughter clearly live in and us the viewer who live in much more comfortable and healthier lives. 

On from this image we then started to talk about what documentary photography was and how we could define it. We looked at earlier documentary photographer Jacob Reese and then Martin Parr and identified that both are documentary photographers but both final outcomes are completely different (as seen below). This shows how much of a vast area documentary photography is. and how many styles there is. 

 Jacob Reese

Martin Parr

 Each of these photos is completely different yet both are documentary photographs. Martin Parr's photograph is of an elder woman at the races, potentially showing us how the better of live yet Reese's photograph is showing us how the lesser off live. Both photographs are trying to give the viewer an insight into someone else life.

From this we moved on to think about what documentary photography meant to us and how we could visualise that. Below is a a few images as to which i identify with and the direction in which i would want to take my documentary photography.

When i first thought about documentary photography and what inspires me and what style i want to photograph in, the first thing that came to my mind was Bruce Gilden. Gildon is definitely a photographic icon of mine and his methods and ways of photographing excite me and its something i would love to do. below are some examples of Gilden's work:

His photographs just scream honesty and all have a gritty,  and raw quality. they way in which he photographs doesn't give anyone chance to pose or act differently, he captures people how they are without any thought. Personally i feel Gilden is the epitome of documentary photography and someone i instantly think of when talking about documentary photography. I like to shoot in black and white as it requires the viewer to focus on aspects of the photograph more instead of potentially being blinded by colour. 

Another photography who inspires me within documentary photography is Oleg Skrinda. Not a well known name within the photography world but someone who has inspired me for years. Skrinda is a street photographer who captures people who society may neglect or turn away from as they appear different from the norm and he documents these people and puts them in the eye of the mainstream. He shoots in mainly black and white and tries to capture people in a portrait form. All his photos are of real people in real situations. Below are some examples of his work: 

The third photographer which inspires and connects with me is Lee Jeffries. Jeffries is one of the first photographers who i came across and instantly connected with. Like Skrinda he captures people who society don't want to face. he photographs homelessness and creates beautiful portraits from people and situations who most believe to be ugly. Below are some examples of his work: 

Along with street photography i also identify with wildlife photography. Both come under the bracket of documentary photography but one focuses on people whereas the other focuses on animals. A wildlife photographer who i have really connected with is David Lloyd. Lloyd's work takes wildlife photography in another direction. He has turned these wild animals into almost models in the way he produces portraits of them. He occasionally gets so close to the animals that you no longer see an elephant but you see forms, shapes, lines and textures as if you would a piece of fine art. Below are some examples of his work:

There are many more photographers who inspire me and who i connect with including Stephen McCurry and Henri Cartier-Bresson but the four i have spoke about are the main ones. I wanted to create some sort of visualisation of what documentary photography means to me and what style i want to take it in. Below is a mood board of different images from various photographers which just captures the style and direction i want to work within.