"You don't take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it."
-Author unknown
Although it's easier said than done, we have talked about the importance of being able to convey emotion - and capture with intimacy the lives of your subjects - when carrying out a documentary project.
Today, we are viewing some work by contemporary photographers who have managed to do that exceptionally well:
-Brenda Ann Kenneally’s photo essay "Upstate Girls." The photo essay "documents the coming of age of five troubled young women in Troy, N.Y," writes the New York Times online about the essay it shows in a web gallery. "It is a decidedly unromantic view of poverty, dysfunction and teen pregnancy."
-Work by the The Washington Post's Carol Guzy. (You'll need to sign up for a free subscription to view).
-Another photographer to have a look at is Ami Vitale. Here is a link to her "Where every pregnancy is a gamble" on her website.
Much, much more to come... A great way to grow as a photographer is, of course, to look at good photography.
Another way to make a big improvement to your photo skills, and one of the most effective ways to create a feel of closeness in your story, is to, literary, take a big step closer to your subject. We'll practice that today...
