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Documentary and Narrative Story-telling in Photography

Documentary and Narrative Story-telling in Photography. Planner Summer Term. A2 Photography Coursework Unit 1 6 Weeks Deadline: Wednesday 17th July. MVT 2013. Overview.

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Documentary and Narrative Story-telling in Photography

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  1. Documentary and NarrativeStory-telling in Photography Planner Summer Term A2 PhotographyCoursework Unit 16 Weeks Deadline:Wednesday 17th July MVT 2013

  2. Overview In the first A2 coursework module you are going to explore Documentary andNarrative in photography. The aim of this module is to combine your knowledge and skills of portraiture and landscape to produce pictures which are telling a story of people in the environment. This module will explore different approaches to story-telling across different genres such as street photography, photojournalism,contemporary documentary and tableaux photography. This unit requires you to produce a workbook with research, analysis, photographic responses, experimentation and make a number of final outcomes, such as designing a newspaper double-page spread, online Blurb book, podcast/ film and final prints, . Henri Cartier-Bresson, India, 1947 Michelle Sank, The Submerged, 2009 Gregory Crewdson, Twilight, 1998

  3. "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." Robert Capa, photojournalist. Hungarian (1913-54) “I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs.” Gary Winogrand, street photographer, American (1928-84)

  4. Louis-Jacques Mande Daguerre, Boulevard du Temple, 1838

  5. Documentary Telling a story with pictures is an old device (e.g. stained-glass windows in churches, tapestries, illustrated manuscripts, paintings depicting historical and biblical stories), but documentary photography gave the idea a new life and social function. Neither art nor advertising, documentary drew on the idea of information as a creative education about actuality, life itself. Documentary aimed to show, in an informal way, the everyday lives of ordinary people and the photographer’s goal was to bring the attention of an audience to the subject of his or her work, and in many cases, to pave the way for social change.Documentary has been described as a form, a genre, a tradition, a style, a movement and a practice, but it is very problematic to try to offer a single definition of the term as it could be said that every photograph is in one sense of another a ‘document’, since it is always a record of something – a document of an occurrence of light and shadows recorded in time and space. Robert Frank American, (1924-)The Americans, 1958 Martin Parr British, (1952 -)The Last Resort, 1986 Walker Evans American, (1903- 1975) American Photographs, 1938 Richard Billingham British, (1970 -) Ray’s A Laugh, 2000

  6. History and development of documentary photography The actual term ‘documentary’ was originally used by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the early 19th century but as a reference within visual culture it was British film maker, John Grierson who famously in 1926 in a review of a film by Robert Flaherty about Polynesian youth, described the film as having ‘documentary value.’ Grierson was describing the kind of cinema that he wanted to replace what he saw as the dream factory of Hollywood and within a few years the word was being applied to photography. Some 19th century photographers had regarded their work as ‘documents’ (the French photographer Eugene Atget’s referred to his photographs of empty Parisian streets at the beginning of the 20th century as ‘simply documents’ and the pictures made with the aim of social reform by Danish reporter, Jacob A Riis showing poverty and the squalid conditions in notorious Manhattan slums in the 1880s. The later work of Lewis Hine is more exemplary of modern campaigning social work as he disseminated these documents in magazines as proof of the need to legislate against child labour. Jacob Riis Danish (1849-1914) from How the Other Half Lives Eugene Atget French, (1857- 1927) Paris ca 1900 Lewis W Hine American (1874-1940)

  7. History and development of documentary photography The birth of documentary as a popular form is clearly linked historically to the development of print technology and the proliferation of large-scale mass press in the 1920s and 30s of popular illustrated photo magazines and publications such as Life Magazine in the USA, Picture Post in Britain, Vu in France, Illustrierte in Germany, Drum in South Africa and many others. These magazines which were based on the extensive use of photographs to tell stories to the needs of a newly literate urban population constitutes the start of the modern movement of photojournalism. This new breed of photographers were the ones ‘out there’ bringing photographs home – a reporter of everyday life who supplied the pictures (and in some cases stories too) for this growing market. Gilles Peress French, (1946 - ) Telex Iran, 1980 Josef Koudelka Czech, (1938 - ) Invasion 68: Prague Trent Parke Australian, (1971 - )

  8. Documentary aesthetics There are many different styles, approaches and practices within documentary photography across a variety of different genres and disciplines such as photojournalism, reportage, street photography and contemporary fine-art practice. Also, the way that photographs which are documentary based are used is diverse from mass media (journalism, books, web/ internet), fine-art (galleries, museum), institutions (legal/ judical system) and science (anthropology, medicine etc). But documentary within the context of story-telling may be seen to belong to the history of a particular kind of social investigation and we can therefore identify certain central aesthetic, political and moral associations (though highly contested ideas in the debate around documentary photography.) Such as: • The objectivity of the camera. • A sense of morality and concern for what is shown. • The depiction of places, people and events unlikely to be experienced by the viewer outside of representation (due to class, gender, age and cultural differences.) • The need for the images to be distributed to a wide audience, usually via the mass media. • The repetition of a range of visual tropes and gestures in the construction and composition of pictures.

  9. Contemporary documentary as art The term ‘document’ is virtually synonymous with the medium of photography itself. Indeed, it could be said that every photograph is in one sense or another a document, since it always a record of something, a document of an occurrence. Photographers working with documentary in a fine-art context use a wide range of approaches to think about how the document functions and how people respond to it. Many question its assumed authority while at the same time undermine the supposed truth inherent in photography. The different approaches to documentary photography and documentary strategies used by contemporary artists not only take their reference from photography’s own history but often reference art history, cinema, literature and in particular the role of performance. There are those who use the photograph to document performances or who turn to found photography to create elusive fictional stories. Michelle Sank, South Africanfrom In My Skin Alec Soth, Americanfrom Sleeping by the Mississippi Paul Graham, Britishfrom Beyond Caring

  10. Contemporary documentary has not lost its power to convey information as it did in the past; it has juts moved on and become a reflective practice. Images are now more open to interpretation from the viewer, using ambiguity as their strength rather than an authorial voice dictating meaning. The majority of artists here produce work primarily for the gallery and for books as the space between the photographic document and the art photograph is expanding. Indeed there has been a noticeable increase in documentary practices and exhibitions in the last 10 years. This is not only due to the changing landscape of the illustrated magazine which are more fascinated with celebrity and lifestyle than providing space for ‘documentary stories’ to be published, but also a reaction to the more elaborately staged colour tableaux that have come to take over the contemporary art scene of recent. Often contemporary documentary work in series of photographs which collectively convey a narrative. These pictures can be a combination of portraits, landscapes and still-lives but this is not a rule. Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, South Africafrom Ghetto Stephen Shore, American (1947 -) from Uncommon Places, 1982 Simon Norfolk, Britishfrom Afghanistan, 2002

  11. Week 1-2: 6th – 14th June • Objective: Understanding street photography: Workshop with Antonio Olmos • Workbook: Look at the work of photojournalist Antonio Olmos and produce a number • of slides that show evidence of the following: • Read his blog and write a comment about his views on street photography • Produce a mood-board that show a variety of his street photographs • Select 3 street photographs and analyse what makes them unique: • Light & composition – incl technique; choice of lens, angles, point of view • Style & approach – e.g. B&W or colour, formal or informal • Subject-matter – what is it about? Who is in the photograph? Is it telling a story? Is a moment captured? Has it made the ordinary look extraordinary? • 4. Photo-Assignment 1: Lunch HourShoot on location, St Helier • 5. Upload pictures from photo-shoot and process in Photoshop. Put contact sheets and edited prints in your workbook and annotate and evaluate pictures. • 6. Print out your best street portraits/photographs either formal, observed or environmental and present in class for a group crit (Fri 14th June). • Homework: Describe the genre of street photography & illustrate with examples (Thur 13th June.) • Extension: Research one of Antonio’s ‘heroes’ either Robert Frank or Henri Cartier-Bresson.

  12. Photo-assignment 1: Lunch HourStreet photography “Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.”Walker Evans, ca. 1960 from Afterword in Many Are Called • Immerse yourself in an urban crowd. • Seek out a place where people gather: the high street, a special event or market. • Aim to capture the vibrancy of the street but, at the same time, try to create order from the chaos. • Get close and use wide angles if you can.

  13. Week 3: 14th – 21st June • Objective: Understanding contemporary fine-art documentary: Michelle Sank • Workbook: Look at the work of photographer Michelle Sank and produce a number • of slides that show evidence of the following: • Research and describe what issues her work and practice is exploring overall. • Produce a mood-board from one of her picture-stories and analyse it in terms of how it conveys a story visually: • Subject-matter – what is the picture story about? Which issues are explored? Who is in the photograph? Is it telling a story? • Style and approach – e.g. B&W or colour, formal or informal • Types of shots – Select 3 different types of portraits such as formal, observed, environmental and analyse each portrait in terms of light, composition & technique. • 3. Photo-Assignment 2: Shoot on location: St Brelade Beach • 4. Upload pictures from photo-shoot and process in Photoshop. Put contact sheets and edited prints in your workbook and annotate and evaluate pictures. • 5. Print out your best street portraits/photographs either formal, observed or environmental and present in class for a group crit (Fri 21st June). • Homework: Describe the genre of documentary in general terms & its practice within • contemporary art. (Deadline: Tue 25th June.) • Extension: Research one of Michelle’s own influences: David Goldblatt, Martin Parr, Alec Soth

  14. Photo-assignment 2: St Brelade Beachpeople & place On this assignment you are trying to create a narrative about both the people and the place. Try and look for the ordinary and the everyday. Explore both sites outside; beach, park, cemetery, residential and inside; hotels, cafes, shops etc. You must produce a number of different pictures: • Environmental portrait: This is similar to a formal portrait in that the subject often knows he/she is being photographed but a lot more emphasis is placed on location. Consider lighting, background and everything inside the frame and incorporate the environment to add narrative and tension in the portrait. • Observed portrait: A portrait taken without the subjects knowledge. Subject not looking into to camera usually away from camera involved in their own activities, perhaps in conversation. A more candid approach to get that natural relaxed feeling to the picture. • Landscape: Could be an establishing shot that show crowds or figures in a landscape or simply a landscape without any people in it that define the context in which your portraits have been located. It can also help describe the mood of the place. • Still-life: A picture which is neither a portrait or a landscape but a closer look or detail of the subject or the surrounding scene/ area. Could be something abstract that add another dimension to the story e.g. someone’s hands, clothing, sign/graffiti, architectural detail etc. • Technical; Use wide and standard lens for most shots. Try and use tripod and fill-in flash

  15. Week 4: 25th June – 1st July • Objective: Deconstruct a traditional picture-story within photojournalism • Workbook: Produce a number of slides that show evidence of the following: • Research a picture story: Choose either one local story from the JEP or one international story from a newspapers/ magazines (look for magazine supplement in broadsheet newspapers in the weekend, e.g. The Sunday Times, The Guardian etc. Or Find a digital story from the internet (see photo-agency websites: Magnum Photos, World Press Photo, Foto8, AgenceVU, Panos Pictures.) • Look at the layout of pictures and analyse how individual pictures relate and tell a story according to the construction of a traditional picture-story. Identify what types of pictures are more important than others e.g. which are major (establishing shot) or minor pictures (detail, relationship shot), and which types of portraits are used (formal, informal, environmental and person at work) see Powerpoint: A Traditional Picture Story for further guidance. • Analyse also the use of headline, text and captions to convey and construct a particular meaning or point of view.

  16. Week 5: 1st – 5th July • Objective: On location shoot in St Malo • Workbook: Produce a number of slides that show evidence of the following: • Mon: Research St Malo. Create a mood board that provide stimuli for your shot in St Malo and write a paragraph about its historical origin and destination for tourists and visitors -include facts and figures. (see websites that promotes St Malo as a tourist destination and also look at previous shoots on www.hautlieucreative.co.uk) • Tue: Write a specification with details about what story you want to tell from your shoot and visit to St Malo. Think about the style, approach, themes and subject-matter you intend to explore e.g. people/ portraits, café-culture, tourist sights, historical architecture, harbour/ waterfront/ beach etc. • Wed: Photo-Assignment 3: St Malo Re: fully charged batteries and good shoes! • Thurs-Fri: Upload pictures from St Malo shoot and process in Photoshop. Put contact sheets and edited prints in your workbook and evaluate. • Make sure you have adjusted and standardised all the pictures in terms of exposure, colour balance, contrast, brightness and produced a duplicate set in monochrome (B&W.) • Begin to edit and crop pictures. Show experimentation with cropping techniques and annotate how cropping can change the emphasis in a picture and how it is used creatively in a newspaper/magazine layout

  17. Week 6-7: 6th – 17th July • Objective: Designing a picture story from St Malo • Workbook: Produce a number of slides that show evidence of the following: • Begin to design a picture story from St Malo that either reflect on the aspects of a traditional picture story or that relates to a contemporary set of pictures. The picture story must be an A3 double page spread. • Think of a creative headline and write an abstract that provide context for your pictures and the story you are telling. Also write captions for each picture: Who, what, where, when. • Edit your final layout and designs - make sure you show experimentation in your work book of different design and layout ideas combining images, graphics and typography in a personal and creative manner (you should show at least 2-3 different layouts.) • Evaluate your final design ideas and explain in some detail how well you realised your intentions and reflect on what you learned on the photo-shoot in St Malo. • Print, mount and present final design and other final photographs from either St Malo, St Helier or St Brelade shoots in class on Wed 17th July.

  18. Extension task Experiment with other ways of presenting your pictures from St Malo, St Helier or St Brelade. Take inspiration from contemporary fine-art documentary which groups together pictures based on specific issues or themes. This could be presented as a set of individually printed pictures, arranged together in a grids/ window mount or for those who wants to go the extra mile; produce an online book using www.blurb.com

  19. Summer Assignment: A picture-story Deadline: Tuesday 2nd September. A picture editor from the JEP is looking for new photographers to supply him with serious picture-stories that is visually powerful and that tells an important story. Your picture-story must be a series of photographs (15-40) that collectively communicate a narrative, explore a theme or depicts a particular point of view. To achieve this you are expected to explore a story in depth and take between 250-500 photos to build up a critical body of work. Think about the different styles and approaches that you have explored in the past 6 weeks i.e. something that reflect on the aspects of a traditional picture-story (photojournalism) or one that relates in style to contemporary documentary based more on specific themes and issues. The pictures you produce here will be part of the work we will be doing in September so it is vital that you use your time over the summer period to explore your chosen subject-matter. Your final outcome from this work could be a magazine double-page spread, an online photo-book, podcast or final prints. Martin ToftA Latin Dancer, Jyllands-Posten, 10th November 1997

  20. Summer Assignment:A picture-story Before you begin to take any pictures you must write up a specification with at least 1-2 ideas about what you are planning to photograph. Research is paramount to a good story. Start reading newspapers and look for topical stories, current issues. Find background information, begin to look at the work of others, talk to people, try to understand your subject, e.g. is your story a topical one, local and/or global news, has it been documented before etc. Be prepared and have equipment ready. Do you need access or permission to a site e.g. phone up or visit in person, do a recce etc. Below are five concepts you could use as starting points to generate ideas. A Person – A People – A Place – An Event – A Journey A sustained investigation in this project is to photograph a subject or theme in depth, analyse and review work in progress, and revisit and keep photographing the same subject until you have a substantial and critical body of work. Follow these 4 steps to a successful picture-story. Find the subject Research and understand Record and witness Communicate with your viewer

  21. Summer Assignment:A picture-story • Where do you start? What to photograph? As a photographer you are always looking for • photo-opportunities and for stories that only you can do. Try and find a personal angle on a • story which will make it unique and choose a subject you have access to and can • photograph in depth. • It could be you have a passion for something outside work; a hobby, sport, pastime that you could follow ‘behind-the-scenes’ and photograph. • You could photograph ‘a day in the life of’ a particular person or profession – maybe one your relatives or friends do a really interesting or unusual job or live a certain lifestyle that is visually interesting. • It could be that there are events e.g. cultural festivities, sports competitions etc taking place in Jersey that you could photograph. • It could be that you want to expose something hidden or reveal something about our society and a particular group of people across class, gender and race. • It could be that you live in a rural area and wants to highlight life in the country-side, photographing farm communities or village life. • Or explore the town of St Helier with its hustle and bustle of life on the streets. • You could also photograph a particular place, site or landscape which shows traces of human activity. • If you are going away over the summer or a weekend, use your destination as a place for photographing another culture; its people, how they live and go about their daily lives. • Look at everyday life and the familiar from a new angle. Be curious and make the ordinary look extraordinary.

  22. Summer Assignment:A picture-story Skills/ knowledge: This project is about the power of photography to tell stories. Success in this project will be your ability to make pictures that captures a moment. The key to engaging and powerful reportage style photographs is to get close and spend some time with your subject. A good documentary photographer gets underneath the surface, becomes an insider rather than an outsider. We should be able to learn something new from your pictures and your intention should always come across. It is good to have a game plan but you must be able to adapt and adopt and be inspired. Be passionate about it and try and understand it. Follow your intuition and be spontaneous. Find your own voice and language. Keep photographing and collect more material. • Explore different styles and approaches such as B&W or colour, formal or informal. • Be dynamic and move around to find that right angle that makes an eye-catching and arresting picture. • Use the whole of your viewfinder, try different ways of framing and make sure your pictures are sharp, in focus and well composed – think about a balance between all the visual elements. • Experiment with different lenses (focal length), focussing and depth of field (aperture f-stops), e.g. wide-angle for large depth of field and full sharpness and telephoto to compact the scene and throw the background out of focus.

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