Lecture 2

last week we talked about how we can define documentary photography and all the different sub categories can fall under the branch of documentary photography. This week we looked into the 'roots of modern photography'. We looked at the roots of documentary photography so that our understanding of todays practice is rooted in an informed and critical appreciation of the past and how it worked. Through this lecture it helped inform us as we became visually literate as we understood the language and the origins of documentary photography. 

By studying the 'classics' of photography it helped us to understand where we are now in terms of the equipment available and the way the cameras have developed and work. It has also inspired me within my photography to go back to basics and try and shoot on film as i feel it will test my photography skills and improve me as a photographer. 

The time period in which we looked at was from 1930-1950. This time period is often referred to as the Golden Age of photography. There is something really interesting about this time period as there was such an explosion of styles and material and also technology. New hand held cameras came out which allowed photographer to take more candid photos and also photograph a lot easily. Also with the number of conflicts at that time and extreme conditions it really produce a passionate response from photographers and really fuelled their creative impulse.

We looked at many photographers and there work and below is a list along with an example of their photography: 

 - Martin Munkacsi

Erich Salomon - 

Alexander Rodchenko - 

Kurt Hutton - 

Bert Hardy - 

Stanley Kuberick -  

Rober Capa - 

These are only a few of the photographers we looked at but as you can see from the examples of their work, there is so many different styles and content for a 20yr period. This is what made this time period the 'Golden Age' of photography. Photographers during this time were trying different things and they were paying off, people loved the different styles and the wide range of content. Some photographers were giving people the 'slice of life', showing them snippets from disadvantaged children or homeless families to the other end of the spectrum where they were showing well off families and rich politicians. This 'slice of life' style really connected with people as they were able to see how other people lived and what other peoples situations were like. Also with the new portable camera that were being produced during this time period, photographers were able to travel far and wide more easier than ever and photograph different cultures but also photographers were able o get to crime scenes a lot quicker and this gave people an insight to situations they may never have seen before. 

Photographers were also pushing the boundaries that the camera set, they were throwing the rule book out the window and instead of being limited to portrait and landscape they were tilting the camera at different angles to try and get obscure results. This technique is known today as the Deutsche tilt. This then went on to inspire film makers which they used the technique for portraying confused characters etc. Another element which photographers were starting to produce in their work was a sense of humour. This could have been dow to the time period and the dark times the were going on so by adding humour into their work they were giving themselves and their viewers a sense of relief from the devastation that was around them. 

Because there was so many different styles, content and messages being photographed for the public to view, news often go blurred with entertainment and so on. Also news figures were becoming celebrities. Criminals who were committing crimes were having there faces photographed and fed to the public day in day out, but society loved having an insight into a criminal mind and life. This has led into todays society where we have hundreds of films based on criminals and daily news on actors/signers etc. Humans are curious beings and always want an insight into other peoples lives, whether it be criminals, actors, singers, reality stars or whoever it may be. This mass observation of different content also led to the portrayal of women in modern society. Women were being photographed doing things which were thought to be jobs only men could do and that exposure which portable, higher quality camera bought has built the foundation for women today. This boom of photography and visual news has also bred a culture who relies on media. there is good and bad points to near enough everything but because there was such an obsession with media it has been intensified time and time again and known modern society we are at a place where we most probably wouldn't be able to cope without visual media and that shows the power and strength of the photograph.