Documentary Photography- Definitions Post

Documentary photography- 'usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events and everyday life.'


Adjectives & Synonyms for 'documentary' :

• broadcast
• film
• recent
• short
• hours
• informational

All of the below images are dark documentary images, even though they're not all from the same photographer you could say they all link. However they are not linked directly. All of the images are in black and white, which implies a dark atmosphere in the images as a whole; therefore we can gather they're all not about a particularly uplifting topic. 

This is an image of a factory worker, it appears as though he is working in poor conditions, and we therefore conclude he doesn't get very good money due to the state of the factory. This creates sympathy in us as a viewer.

This image is extremely moving, and ambiguous as we do not know what the man is hunting; whether it be humans or animals. The fact he is in water implies he is desperate to catch whatever he is aiming for, otherwise he would not go to such extreme lengths. 

This image again creates sympathy in us as viewers, as we do not know if the woman will die or not. In addition, what makes this image interesting is the fact that the two individuals are walking behind, glancing at the woman as if this is normality-this again shows ambiguity as we do not know where or why this is happening. The smoke in the background again adds a dramatic effect. 

This image creates huge empathy in the viewer. As the photograph is of a child it adds to the emotional aspect of the photograph. It is evident the boy has a skin problem, as we can see the texture of his skin, and how rough it is. 

my own definition:- a series of images which link to an overall title.