Documentary Photography in America - 1756 Words

While the pictoralism movement dominated photography for majority of the eighteenth century, by the 1880’s another group of photographers were ready to captivate the world with a new medium of photography. This medium was meant to not only convey information, but to also awake public conscience to injustices around the world. This medium is what is known as documentary photography. In America, documentary photographers captured images ranging from poverty, unemployment, and hungry families. In The History of Photography, art historian and author Beaumont Newhall claims that, â€Å"The importance of these photographs lies in their power not only to inform us, to move us. They are at once interpretations and records; although they are no longer topical, they contain qualities which will last long as man is concerned with his brother.†1 Documentary photography not only poses as a record of recent universal events but also as valuable evidence of societal issues for centuri es to come. Jacob Riis was one of the first documentary photographers to become directly involved in the American social reform movement. Riis was a New York police reporter whose photos showcased ghastly poverty in the Lower East Side. Immigrant families lived in the slums and usually crammed ten to fifteen people in tenement houses. At the time Riis took these photographs, there was a shocking lack of New York laws regarding housing conditions. The tenements resembled barracks, there was no running water, stovesShow MoreRelatedHistory of Photography: Annotated Bibliography1047 Words   |  4 PagesBibliography on the History of Photography Baker, George. Photographys Expanded Field. October, Vol. 114, 120 140, 2005 This piece describes the current manifestations of photography are. This piece calls photographys expanded space, the screen. Photographys expanded space is the screen for a few reasons. One of which is that a great deal of the media of choice consumed in vast quantities around the world come photography. Cinema is a direct descendant photography, as it is a series of stillRead MoreDorothea Lange And The Farm Security Agency Essay1258 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment, the photography project spanned several government agencies, from the Resettlement Administration, the Farm Security Administration, and the Office of War Information. Although the photographic program of the Farm Security Administration was initially aimed at supporting the New Deal, the images produced had far more reaching sociological and cultural impacts, all the while redefining the art of photography. Ever since the camera was invented in 1839, the very nature of photography has beenRead MoreThe Effects Of Film Photography On The World1872 Words   |  8 Pagesphotojournalism which is quick coverage of breaking news and events, Documentary photography focuses on a story or event in depth over a period of time. Visual storytelling has the power to capture the public’s attention, highlight pressing issues and expose ignored realities. Early documentary photography was mostly used to bring about social reform. For example, Lewis Hines photographs played a role in passing the child labour law in America. Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange created photographs, which wereRead MoreWalker Evans-FSA Photography1074 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"introduce America to America† and showcase â€Å"the reality of its own time and place in history† says Stryker, the leader of the FSA movement.2 Evans produced images that revealed Americas’ despair in the depression, but al so the hope for the future. In the photograph â€Å"Alabama Cotton Tenant Farmer Family†, Evans portrays an American farming family during the Great Depression. (Walker Evans, Alabama Cotton Tenant Farmer Family, 1941) Though many would view this photograph as a social documentary photographRead MoreLeadership, Policy, And Change : Beyond The Darkroom : Documentary Photography As A Tool For Social Change2001 Words   |  9 PagesPolicy, and Change Beyond the Darkroom: Documentary Photography as a Tool for Social Change Can one series of photos make a difference? While many may doubt the power of a group of images possess to engender social change, thousands of social movements, federal policies, and personal revolutions have begun with and been supported by the click of a shutter. From the Great Depression-era of the 1920s to the modern day Black Lives Matter movement, photography has been used strategically by both theRead MoreThe Lifestyle Of A Documentary Photographer : Research Project2638 Words   |  11 PagesLifestyle of a Documentary Photographer: Research Project This paper will help give insights to those that don’t know photography so they can hear from an artist perspective about the most significant aspect of photography which is documentary photography. When you think about photography, most think of landscape, commercial, and fine arts photography. But they fail to know that with photography it takes documenting the things captured for those other particular aspects of photography. In additionRead MoreMathew Brady: The Father of Photojournalism Essay869 Words   |  4 Pages(inventor of the â€Å"Daguerreotype,† a method of photography that the image is developed straight onto a metal coated surface), in which he had met while under the study of Morse, Brady took up his interest in photography in the year of 1839, while only seventeen years of age. Brady took what he had learned from these two talented and intellectual men to America where he furthered his interest in the then-growing art of photography. Upon his arrival in America, Brady had opened a gallery of Mr. Daguerre’sRead MoreShould Photojournalism or Documentary Photography Be Considred Art?2290 Words   |  10 Pagesexpressed this sentiment, summarizing the role photography had on America in the 1940’s and 50’s. During this era, photojournalism climaxed, causing photographers to join the bandwagon or react against it. The question of whether photography can be art was settled a long time ago. Most major museums now have photography departments, and the photographs procure pretty hefty prices. The question of whether photojournalism or documentary photography can be art is now the question at hand. Art collectorsRead MoreThe Great Depression And Harsh Weather Conditions During The 1930 S1453 Words   |  6 Pagespeople across the country the conditions that the working women and children had to experience. I felt overcome with sadness and empathy after I saw the photo for the first time. After looking more intently at the photo, I became angered because America and its citizens forced each other to live in such grim conditions. The photo depicts a single woman taking care of three children without any assistance. While looking at the image, I was briefly reminded of when I saw a hungry homeless person beggingRead MoreAnalysis Of Jim Goldbergs Rich And Poor 1600 Words   |  7 Pagesbattle to get by. At first, Goldberg s methodology moves between the formal representation and the witnessed preview, however turns out to be by and large more formal – and the torment less apparent – when he enters the other nation that is rich America. Here, the concerns of the sitters tend towards the individualistic. In accordance of Goldberg (2013), Goldberg has connected the system to a few books, the two most unmistakable being Rich and Poor which compares a wealthy reality with those