What is Photography : Documentary photography

Author Bio :
Samuel is researching on What is Photography and he is writing about What is Photography, photography jobs, photography career based on his research for What is Photography.

Like all arts, photography is a field that compromises of a lot of varying categories and areas, for instance you have fashion photography, action photography, and advertising photography, to name but a few. Individuals who tend to enjoy this art have flair and a knack for creativity. One area of photography which is not allows recognized but is especially important is documentary photography. Unlike most forms of photography its purpose is not to find the most beautiful and breath taking images. Instead their mission is to take images which portray facts no matter how hard and cold they may be.

Documentary photography is not about editing and creating the most intricate elements of art, instead photographers must aptly present an element of history or a period of transition. The message and the changes that have occurred need to be aptly presented through the picture alone.

Being a documentary photographer is all about the preservation of our history and there is never a limit to the history on offer. In fact, this form of photography was first developed during the Great Depression in the United States when photographers depicted the poverty taking place via the utilization of photography.

The key to being a great documentary photographer is being able to depict a wealth of emotions as well as the facts of the times, through one single shot the viewer should be acutely aware of what was happening in that period of time. Documentary photographs tend to be shocking and somewhat controversial, for instance think about the Holocaust, or in more recent times the 9/11 tragedy. The shots are intended to provoke a reaction from those looking at them, hence why they are often splashed across the front pages of newspapers, textbooks, and alike.

To conclude, the job of a documentary photographer is very similar to that of a history writer in the sense that they must aptly show all sides of a period history in order for the person viewing or reading to be fully aware of what was going on during that time. However, in a sense it is even harder because the photographer has to display that through on mere snap.