EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Here are my first few photographs that I have created for this project.


I have discovered how wide the editorial area of photography is after seeing the many different interpretations on what it actually is and the many different styles and subject matters of these photos presented in magazines and online.

   

EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Editorial photography to me, is essentially a photograph that can support text. I think that in order to create a photograph that goes with text means that photograph has to be interesting; have a narrative or a story to it or something happening. 

As a starting point to this project, I wanted to look at the things around me and see if there is anything that I can document in my everyday life in order to create an editorial series of photographs.

This image is taken by photographer 'Nick Waplington' and although he is known for his documentary photography his work shows a great deal of narrative throughout.

This image documents a man who is fixing his car but the surroundings of the child playing and the mother with the pushchair  make the photograph interesting; because there are a lot of things going on.

Every area of the photograph has a subject although the child and her bike and the mother and pram stand out due to the bright colours, the image is quite heavy and contrasty making the brighter colours really bold and the blacks in the image really black, this makes the image have a lot of clarity.

This image is an example of how an everyday scenario can be photographed and made into a narrative image that has a story and could support a piece of text, therefore I would like to use my home and everyday life as a starting point in creating my editorial photographs.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

EVALUATION

After researching landscape photographers and their work to gain inspiration I have created 5 final prints using a 5x4 medium format camera to shoot the photographs and then using the darkroom in order to create my prints.
  After researching the work of the likes of John Blakemore, I felt inspired to create rich and contrasty prints by ensuring my exposures were correct and that I concentrated on the developing process. When beginning this project, I had little knowledge on medium format, yet I feel I have developed by exploring the camera and independent time in the darkroom. I still feel there is room for improvements with my prints and imperfections with my prints but they have progressed massively from the start of the project.
  When starting the project I felt quite confident as my first negatives came back with good exposures yet after this a lot of my film came out blank and therefore I needed to learn more about the camera but after taking the camera out alone and taking my photographs in slow steps using the light meter my negatives became to come back with better exposures making it a lot easier to make prints.
  Although I feel confident with taking the photographs, I have occurred a lot of problems with processing which means that my negatives can sometimes become scratched from being handled too much due to my hesitation and this is something I believe I have developed in but I believe I need to develop further.
  Despite the problems that have arose for my during processing my film, I feel I have developed the most in the darkroom after spending time in the darkroom alone and taking my time whilst deciding on exposure times and doing extra test strips in order to gain accuracy I think that my prints are a lot better exposed after this project which I hoped for after looking at the quality of colour in other photographers works and how it affects the over all feel of the print. I tried to time my prints perfectly in the developer, stop and fix for this project whereas in the past I have not concentrated on this greatly.
If I were to improve my prints and project on a whole, I would definitely do a lot more shooting in order to gain more and more confidence with the camera and become really familiar with medium format so that it would be a easier process in terms of setting the camera up and setting it to the right exposure and shutter speed. I would also shoot more in order to gain more experience with my processing as I think that this is the thing I need to improve most as it has a huge effect on my over all prints if my negatives are damaged in anyway and most damage caused is during processing.
I feel I have improved over all on printing, which is something I am not new to but I have widened my knowledge by learning how to print with medium format, I have also gained skills on a whole by being introduced to a medium format camera but I would like to become more familiar to the processing process in order to become a more skilled photographer

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

PROCESSING

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So today I went into the processing room after another shoot at the Marina with the Medium Format Camera, I had real difficulty with this procedure and have done with this whole project and I would like to progress in this in order to prevent damage to my negatives.
Today, the negatives on the end of the negative holder for the dev tank both came out really streaky where the developer had only reached certain areas at some points therefore I need to be more careful of this for next time as I have lost 2 photographs due to this and my other negatives have scratch marks on due to the clips therefore I will be more aware of this next time also.

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Darkroom

After processing some successful negatives and creating contact sheets I began to use the enlarger and make some prints.

Although I have never make prints to this size and using 5x4 film, I took to this really well when applying my skills I already had.

Despite having troubles processing meaning some of my negatives were damaged my prints are surprisingly successful in terms of contrast, tones and exposure.

After doing two test strips for each image, all my prints from yesterdays shoot were exposed for 20-22 seconds, I was happy with the consistency with the development process today with my prints and all my prints that I

created today are of the same tones and have a similar contrast meaning that they work well as a series.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY


Eliot Porter Photography

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Making the most out of the weather, I took the medium format camera out to shoot today and left is todays set up.
I went out alone today for the first time with this camera which meant I had to rely only on myself to set the camera up.
Despite hesitating at first, I set the camera up without any problems and was able to shoot 4 sheets of film, as it was a consistently sunny day the camera didn't need much adjusting after I shot my first sheet of film but I used the light meter in order to make sure the exposure is correct on all of them which I will be processing later today.
After going out on my own to take photographs I feel a lot more familiar with this type of camera and a lot more confident about shooting medium format, I found it really effective going out alone and discovering the camera for myself and all its aspects.
I decided to shot some of the film portrait apposed to landscape in order to see the effects of this and experiment so I am excited to see the outcome.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

William Henry Jackson landscape photography

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the most famous english Landscape photographers is John Blakemore, he is known for both his landscapes and his still life photography both of which he used black and white format for and used darkrooms to create his prints, therefore I believe that he is a relevant source to look at whilst creating my own landscape photography using medium format black and white film.
The image left is one of Blakemore's most famous landscapes it consists of rich colours which could only be created with great technique in

 order to gain a perfectly exposed negative and experience and skills in the dark room in order to expose the print perfectly and use the develop, stop and fix correctly as the colours are intense and rich and therefore it is obvious the print has been developed correctly.
In all of Blakemores images, the landscapes are exposed perfectly and the colours are deep which gives the images an over all powering feel which I would like to create in my imagery and I will proceed to do this by ensuring that I time everything properly in the dark room.
The second and third images are full of strong textures which are defined

by the intricate detail and tones created this gives the photographs a real busy feel as there is a lot going on this makes the images interesting as there are no apparent main features and the whole of the print has stuff going on.
After exploring the work of Blakemore I have realised that developing and technique are important in the process of making a print and need to be timed perfectly as rich colours can be created and intricate details.

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Today, I went out shooting for the first time using a 5x4 medium format film camera, I learn the basics about how to set the camera up and set the exposure, shutter speed and ISO then step by step learned how to shoot my film using this camera.
A medium format camera has similar features to shooting with 35mm such as the way the camera works yet on a much larger more intricate way, the camera is fitted with a ground glass viewing in order to ensure precision and gain dimensions, the benefits of using this type of camera mean that bigger film is used and therefore bigger works can be created without losing detail.
I took both images using a light meter and set the camera at similar settings manually for both, after developing these I was happy with the outcome of the negatives as I believe they were exposed well.

 LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Andreas Gursky is a photographer known for his large format landscapes, he is influential to many landscape photographers today and is known for capturing the most expensive photograph in the world which is obviously something to be admired.
The images to the left were taken by Andreas Gursky and show some of Gursky's most famous Landscape works.
The first image by Gursky consists of quite dull colours and the sky is quite dark that gives the setting a dull feel, there is little life in the image without the chickens as the trees have no leaves

 there are no bright features or colours and the place looks quite humanly derelict and that makes the photograph interesting and makes us ask questions about the setting and place.
The second image has a brighter colour scheme due to the bright green colours which add a vibrant feel to the image but the most apparent feel of the image is created by the horizontal lines. The horizontal lines across the image are created by the different sections in the image, the sky, the grass, the water,

the grass in the foreground and the path.
In each of Gurksy's landscapes there is no human life and the image captures the nature of a place he quite often has a background and foreground making his images have layers, this makes the photographs narrate the place intricately and leaves us asking questions about the place and the history around it.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Landscape photography captures an outside scene and usually doesn't have much human life and instead captures the nature of a place.
One of the most influential landscape photographers is Ansel Adams he created some amazing works in America during the early years of photography using black and white film.

This image left was taken by Ansel Adams and consists of really strong textures which brings the picture to life I think. The main textures are the clouds, the mountains and the trees these make the image have more going on and also add clarity to the picture.
The image follows the rule of thirds as it is divided by the sky, then the mountains and then the path leads us to the foreground of the image. The path in the image is a main feature and really makes the image as it leads us to the mountains and the features at the back of the image.
The image has a high contrast and as there are really rich blacks and the light colours are almost white in                                                                                      places.                                                    

This second image has a really tranquil feel to it as the image doesn't have the dark features like the last one. This image has a lower contrast and the features are more delicate.
The water is really still and has no movement which creates a really calm mood and doesn't create much features with harsh or defined textures, yet the clouds and the sky create soft textures in the background of the image.
After looking at Ansel Adams work, I would like to have the same rich and detailed aspects in my imagery.

Documentary Photographers

As I have based my report topic around documentary photography, I have been looking for documentary photographers who are in todays industry and therefore know how to gain access to the industry and become noticed, which is basically what I am asking, I would like to email these photographers in order to ask questions and achieve primary research.

I have emailed 3 photographers and created interview questions which I would like to ask if I receive a reply:

Do you think you need qualifications in photography to become a photographer?

As a documentary photographer did you find it hard to become recognised?

What would you say is the most effective way to get noticed in this industry?

What technical skills are essential to documentary photographers?

What equipment do you need?

As somebody who wants to gain access to this part of the photography industry, what advice could you give me?

These questions are based around my report question so that I can receive basically an answer to my question off people who are experienced in the field.

Forensic Photographers
Forensic photographers are usually employed by the Poilce or Forensics to take photographs at crime scenes and accidents to use as evidence or as records of the incidents.forensic photographers need to be skilled in order to make sure every aspect of the incident is photographed, for example if there is a crime scene where someone is attacked, it is important that finger prints left, blood marks and footprints ect are all photographed as evidence for court and it could be really significant if something like this was missed by a forensic photographer.
Forensic photographers usually start their career as forensics, this is because they become wise in what to take pictures of and are used to the type of scenes that they might see as the photographers usually take imagery of dead bodies and assaults, therefore the job could be quite distressing for any photographer to walk into.

I found this information on creative skillset where there are more details that come with the job
http://creativeskillset.org/ 

Report Topic

When deciding on an title and a topic for my report, I was unsure of where to begin, I wanted to provide a report on an area of the photography industry which I am interested in myself and would like to learn about so that my report could be a reflection of my own interest of research therefore I will be basing my report around documentary photography, as although I am unsure to which area of photography I would like to go into, I enjoy documentary photography and have little knowledge on how to become a documentary photographer.

When deciding on a title for my report based on my chosen topic, I found it difficult to decide on a title that I could base a report on therefore since I don't know the outcome of my report, I thought using a question could be more appropriate.

When deciding on a question as my report title I made a list of questions I wanted answers to myself

• What does it take to become a documentary photographer?
• What careers are available for documentary photographers?
• How do documentary photographers gain access to the industry and become noticed?

I decided the question that I would use for my report title is 'How do documentary photographers gain access and become noticed in the industry' because this will tell me what I want to know which is how to become a documentary photographer.

The Association Of Photographers 

The association of photographers is something photographers can use to gain access to the industry and what companies and commissioners can use to find a photographer for something specific.

The Association of photographers has a website that is open to anybody that allows people to do a detailed and defined search to find photographers who are part of the association, it is a great way for photographers to gain work, especially those who are freelance and it is an easy way for people to gain access to photographers.

Website: 

http://www.the-aop.org/find/photographers  

The Genius Of Photography

I watched the episode 'Snap Judgements' from the BBC series 'The Genius Of Photography' this episode showed us how photography has developed and became worth more as an industry and grown as an art through technology.
The episode showed how photographs are worth a lot more now photography has became more popular as an art and in the general household and how auctioned images are now worth a lot more than in the past when photography was less accessible and developed for example one of the most expensive photographs to be sold was taken by photographer Andreas Ghurski whose work inspires many photographers.

Ethics In Photography

Like every industry, the arts industry and photography industry have ethical values and these are the facters which make photographers more professional, as it is more professional to be ethical than to create your own code of conduct.

In other industries such ethics can be creating products which are safe for consumer use, in photography this may not be applicable but ethics in photography could be creating images that are not offensive or inappropriate to the audience.

Different photographers have different ethics in creating photographs but some are expected in order to be a good photographer for example it is not in the interest to pass another artists work as your own yet you can use other peoples work for your benefit still but in the correct manner for example as a source of research or inspiration for work or reports and referencing the work.

It may also be in a photographers ethics to use model release forms or ask permission before taking photographs obviously this may not apply to all photographers such as documentary photographers but if possible it is deemed more professional.

The poilce and terrorismThe poilce visited the University in order to inform us about photography and terrorism and how to react to this.
Many photographers can be questioned by officers of the law whilst taking photographs as it can be mistaken for gathering information on a place, this is usually if a photographer visits a place several times to take imagery or if a artist is somewhere that is not usually of interest and can be deemed suspicious.
If a poilce officer approaches us as amatuer photographers it is important to remain calm and just explain what we are doing and maybe present a student card.
It is also important as photographers to note any other people in areas who are acting suspicious whom we might deem or think are involved in terrorism and in this scenario we must report this by contacting the local poilce.

                                          Folio
Folio are the University's centre for enterprise and employability, they can help us as students become more knowledgeable on what jobs and career paths are available in the arts industry.

Folio offer sessions and seminars or appointments with individuals, there aim is to help students gain an idea of what is available for after education. They can offer help with starting businesses, creating CVs, applying for jobs, gaining work experience and basically helping as much as possible with breaking into the industry.

I think that Folio are a great way of finding information out as it is just a case of asking and can be easier than starting research into the industry with no direction.

Photography and The Law

In week 4 of professional studies, we looked at the laws that are in placed that affects us as we enter the industry, this was to give us an idea of what our rights are as photographers and to follow up from the visit last week and expand on more laws and rights aside from terrorism and photography.
During this lesson I learnt a lot about my rights to photograph and discovered i'm allowed to photograph a lot more than I anticipated for example children, I was unaware that there are no laws against taking a picture of a child in the street without consent. 
Other laws which we discussed which I didn't have much knowledge on are about private property and how it is not illegal to take a picture of someones private property without permission as long as you are not on the property or trespassing as there are laws against that.
After learning about the laws around photography following our visit from the Poilce last week, it became obvious that you can be stopped and questioned by the poilce a lot in this industry due to the laws and restrictions on photography being quite confusing and therefore it was important we knew how to deal with the law enforcers if we are approached and questioned when not doing anything illegal whilst taking photographs, therefore we recieved a card which is aimed to remind people what our rights are as photographers.

Time Management

In week 2 of professional studies, we discussed the effectiveness and importance of time management and looked at ways in which to manage our time.
Time management has great importance in everyday life for everybody but the way we manage our time when doing university work can determine our grades and therefore our future.
In the session we discussed everything that can use our time such as University, work, friends, eating, travelling, sleeping ect and how we can manage our time generally in order to dedicate enough of our time to each of these and how we can decide which to prioritise.

As well as managing your time in general there is time management for things such as projects, therefore we looked at effective ways to manage our time when doing assignments at university and how we can contribute enough time to uni work and how this can effect our grades, knowledge and future.

By learning the importance of managing my time I realised how this is a key skill needed for me to get into the industry, although everybody has different reasons for using this key skill I think it is a overall something that employers in general look for. In my case, I am trying to break into the photography and arts industry therefore time management is essential as employers and commissioners in this industry are looking for people who can produce photographs on a certain date or work is expected to be produced to be exhibited therefore I will need to develop and gain time management skills  

Although the beginning of the 19th century saw  photography progress and grow, it was an expensive art and with printing only available on wet plates to begin with it was not a easy art used in the average household and was left to the professionals.
Photography progressed more rapidly towards the end of the 19th century as transparent film was invented in 1889 'EASTMAN American Film' by company 'Eastman dry plates' which was founded by George Eastman (who invented the first dry plates with gelatin emulsion) and his partner Henry A Strong.
     Photography did not become popular in the average household until the release of  the 'Brownie' camera 1n 1900 depsite the devlopment throughout the 19th century.

Kodak's release of the Brownie camera made it possible financially for virtually anyone to take up photography as a hobby.
The camera was marketed for £1 and it was only around 15 cent per roll of film.
The Brownie was a big revelation in the photography world as before this point amateur photography was non existent virtually.

The Ancient World

Acient Egypt

The 'Book of the Dead' is an ancient Egyptian religious book. The book consists of over 2000 mythical characters and was printed on scrolls made out of papayas and buried with a deceased person's sarcophagus. The book literally means 'The coming (or going)' and consists of spells, charms, passwords and so on which was aimed for the deceased to use in the after life.

Books of dead were usually filled with illustrations of the deceased and their tests in the afterlife.


 

1920's Russia and Europe

Surrealism and Sexuality in Photography 1920's

Surrealism is a term that relates to a cultural movement that occurred during the 1920's when a group of artists and writers founded it )based on the idea of imagination, dreams and the opposite to reality basically) in France. Surrealism effected the cultural movement of the world and influenced the worlds artists and writers and changed the movement in the Art world.

Man Ray a French photographer was influenced by surrealism and created iconic imagery which combined both surrealism and sexuality and is one of the most dated influential surrealism photographers.

These images were taking by Man Ray in the 1920's in the early stages of photography.
The images include nude poses which was quite rare in the days when these were published which works well in the surrealism style as it is something unexpected and risky.

The American Civil War
One of the most significant events of the 19th century was the American Civil War and with the recent development of photography the war was documented by some early photographers. Mathew Brady was an American photographer who fought for access to the battlefields of the American Civil War to produce photographs despite the risks he would be taking. Brady was successful and his risk in taking his studio into the war earned him a name in history as a war documentary photographer as well as a celebrity photographer.The image below was captured by Mathew Brady during the civil war, the photo is really dramatic due to the realism it has. The black and white colour scheme (only option available at the time) makes our minds immediately believe that it is a documentary image and therefore the photo appears realistic. The photograph documents bodies of soilders on the ground of the battlefields, this picture will have been a new perspective for those in the 19th century and therefore more shocking when Brady published.

The image below was also captured by Mathew Brady also and is a powerful documentation and inside look at soilders at war. The image gives us an idea of the emotions and relationship the soilders had as we can see their facial expressions and body language around eachother.

Mathew Brady was a great influence on the documentary photography and war photography we see today for example the likes of Don McCullin.

The 17th and 18th centuries

The 17th and 18th centuries are known for showing wealth, power and class, this is reflected in the artwork created in this period.
The painting (left) was painted by artist Thomas Gainsborough called 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' and shows a couple on there estate. The man has a gun under his arm which to me represents power and wealth. He is stood in a proud manor which is a bit cocky which gives the idea that he is showing off and boasting his power.
The woman in the painting is sat at an angle that shows her full body and attire, both the man and woman are wearing clothes which suggest wealth due to the colours and materials which would only be available to higher classes such as the womans blue dress with gold trimming and accessories and her high heeled gold shoes. The woman is also sat elaborately on what appears to be a wooden bench, it is suggested that this painting was not finished of the woman's leg in order for a child to be painted in.

This painting is by Jean- Mark Nattier and shows a woman with her servants , slavery was popular during both the 17th and 18th century and in this image the woman is surrounded by slaves whilst she sits elaborately and proudly, the fact she is elevated and the slaves are on the floor shows her dominance in the image. The fabrics and clothing in the image suggest wealth also such as the thick rug which is on the floor and the rich red over coat that she is dressed in, both these are thick materials and contain red which is usually a colour associated with wealth.
The fact that the slaves are in the painting shows how people liked to boast their class as this woman choose to be painted with them to show her material items and that they are her property.

The Renaissance Patronage
Patronage in terms of art history is the act of wealth and power for example Kings and Popes paying those of the arts such as artists, sculpters, musicians and poets for their talent.

Florence is commonly known as the birth place of renaissance art, the patrons of Italy were the Medeci family for a large part of the renaissance period. The Medeci family who were known as a wealthy banking family had a lot of power and had a large influence on the political and art world.

The patrons of Florence encouraged and invested in many of the famous artists that we look back on today such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Michelangelo Michelangelo was an Italian artist and poet known for his painting and sculpting, his most famous work is in the Sistine Chapel in Rome on both the ceiling and and the alter wall were he tells the story of genesis and the last judgement with his detailed paintings.
The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Left) is 9 panels which are painted individually to illustrate the religious stories.
Michelangelo was considered before his time and therefore had a huge influence on the art world and the way artists paint today.

Leonardo Da Vinci 

Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the most influential artists from the Renaissance, Da Vinci was most known as a painter but was also a talented sculptor, architect, musician and inventor amongst other things.
One of Da Vinci's paintings is the 'Mona Lisa' (right) which is said to have been created between 1503- 1517. The portrait is one of the most famous paintings in the world and is most know for 'The Mona Lisa's' smile which makes people questions about what she was thinking and what is being portrayed there are some suspicions that the painting was not finished because of the intriguing smile, there has also been speculations that the painting is a portrayal of Da Vinci himself. The background of the portrait is a landscape which is said to be imaginary as the location is unknown. The 
background is a landscape consisting mainly of blue, green and brown tones, the green and blue tones are pale so that more attention is drawn to her face and the foreground of the landscape which is level with her body is brown which is lighter than the tones of her body, the foreground also has trails that lead to her shoulders therefore the colours in the painting work well on drawing attention to her face. The combination of pale and rich colours in the painting which make the Mona Lisa look almost ghost like and slightly glowing give show the photos Renaissance style.
 The Mona Lisa is Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous piece of art but his other creations such as 'Vitruvan Man' and 'The Last Supper' are regarded as treasures in the art world.

1900-1920

The early 20th century saw the release of the Brownie Camera (Eastman and Kodak) which allowed the average household to take up photography as a hobby due to the affordable cost. After this point photography was beginning to be seen as more as an art form as the variety of photography widened to abstract prints, nudity and landscapes. Nudity was becoming more accepted in the art world and this had a big influence on the work created in the 20th century from the likes of Clarence White for example.

As the popularity for photography was increasing, photographers became more experimental with their work in the early 20th century and this resulted in photographs been seen as a document and the start of
documentary photography.
Eugene Atget is a documentary photographer from the early 20th century who created work that still influences photographers today




The photograph below was taken by photographer Eugene Atget, although the image is from 1910 and is one of the earliest photographs from the documentary genre, it is still to the standard produced today and has all the main elements that a documentary photograph still consists of in this day and age.
The image is a candid shot of a police officer as he is not looking into the camera and doesn't seem aware or disturbed by the camera.
The image shows the man walking past a building which is a mythical creatures open mouth, the image has quite a humorous twist because of this, we still see humour in the documentary photography for example the work of Matin Parr; a documentary photographer who is known for his ironic or humorous shots.
The image has a lot of detail because of the sharp focus and the high contrast which makes the  image appear more real and like a document.

1930's in USA

The great depression are the years of decline that the world went through after the crash of the American stock market. The stock market declined in 1929 yet in most countries the great depression is known as 1930 to the late 30's/early 40's this meant that it was just before World War II.
The great depression saw an economical decline which effected both poor and wealthy families, the end of the great depression is usually marked by World War II by historians yet there is no real proof except that it did bring the unemployment levels down and the last effects ended when America joined the war.

Photography in 1930's

With the start of documentary photography in the early 20th century the great depression was documented by many photographers.

Dorothy Lange

The images above are by photographer Dorothy Lange and are dated during the years of the great depression. The image to the left is called 'The Migrant Woman' and documents a woman with her children.

The woman in the picture looks troubled due to her pose and facial expressions, she is also said to be aged 32 yet she looks much older which suggests she has had a stressful life. The way her children are holding her suggests that she is close to them as they look as though they are gaining comfort from her. All these factors suggest that she is struggling to cater for her children due to the great depression.

The image is quite contrasty which makes all the textures visible this is vital in the image as it shows the woman's wrinkles and the worn materials of the clothing.

Walker Evans

Walker Evans produced a lot of work during the Great Depression that documents the effects it had on people and the struggles they undertook.

1940's and 1950's

Documentary photography in World War II

In the 1930's documentary photography became a photographic genre and popular to photographers all over the world. World War II began in 1939 and ended around 1945 photographers documented this war which we use as historic documents today.

Photographers began to take risks when photographing the war by putting themselves on the front line and battlefields in order to document soilders and places effected and under target in the war.

W. Eugene Smith was known for his shocking and eye opening documentary images of the World War II his pictures rang from the battlefields to the Blitz in London. He has a collection of magnum images that document the soilders from close up and give us a inside look into the trenches.

1950's and 1960's

Documentary, Street and Fashion Photography 


Documentary and Street Photography

The late 1950's and 1960's were the prime years of street and documentary photographers such as Gary Winogrand and Lee Friedlander were taking over the art world with their photographs which still influence the great photographers of today.

Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander is known for his art in the 1960's and 1970's, like Winogrand, he created social documentary images in America, but Friedlander has his own distinguished style in his photographs and is known for the use of signs in his imagery.



The image above is a Friedlander image and the main feature of the image is the three woman in the centre of the the image, the shadows in this image look almost like stage lights drawing in on the women. The image is dated by the vechicle and the clothing, the woman are wearing short patterned dresses and heels and have their hair styled in a 'Beehive' which is an iconic 60's style therefore we get an idea of when the image was taken without any text. To the right of the image we see what appears to be a mother and her children waiting at the bus stop with the children looking at the women approaching. The family look like they are of a working class due to the clothing and the need for public transport whereas the woman in the image look of a middle class as they are appear to be shopping and are dressed in clothing that indicates some wealth.
The comparison of the two classes in the image is apparent and this appears to be intentional by the use of shadows, lighting and composition by Friedlander.

Gary Winogrand

Gary Winogrand is a photographer most known for his art in the 1960's and the way he documented the lifestyle of America during this time.
He re-shaped photography with his social documentary photographs which influenced the world of photography, documentary photography was becoming more of an art form with photographs of regular people opposed to world events such as wars.