For the next 15
weeks, I shall be using this blog as a medium to investigate the genre of
documentary photography. Through it, I shall look into various pioneers of the
genre, as well as discuss many issues and considerations of the genre, such as
how the genre is defined, how accurate the term documentary photography is, and
how it has evolved since photography began.
I myself consider the
documentary aspect of photography to be my strongest point, and it is a genre I
aspire to work within professionally. It is often documentary images which
inspire me, and so it is only logical that I aspire to create images in this
style. That sentence also raises another argument, of documentary images
against documentary ‘style’ images.
Using a variety of
reliable sources, I am confident that my investigation into the genre will
raise more questions and arguments than I can already perceive at this time. Hopefully,
the considerations and discussions I research will offer more clarity and
perhaps clairvoyance on the genre and its characteristics. It should also
evolve into a clear presentation which asks and perhaps answers a valid
question of the genre.
As well as collecting
this information, I will also aim to take on board lessons learnt throughout
the investigation to inform my own practise. Hopefully I will be able to create
some relevant and interesting photographs throughout the course of this blog,
and my own practise and perhaps style will be improved throughout the 15 weeks,
and perhaps beyond.
