Recent Documentary Articles

Planning and Executing Impromptu Location Portraits

I recently travelled to the local racetrack with my brother for an open track day and decided that while he was out riding, I would try to make a few portraits of the other attending riders. I spent plenty of time ahead of the trip planning lighting, gear, locations, and more. This is a step by step walkthrough of how I created this series of portraits.

The Muir Project and Project Yosemite Collaborate on an Epic New Film

I never thought a hiking film could be exciting until I saw some of last year's clips from The Muir Project. Well they are at it again, and this time they are working in collaboration with Project Yosemite to bring us another film from one of America's most epic places, Yosemite National Park. The film, called "Yosemite HD II" is as you might have guessed, sequel to "Yosemite HD", which was a beautiful time lapse put together by Project Yosemite last year.

Interview With Magnum Photographer Christopher Anderson

Talented Magnum Photographer, Christopher Anderson, experienced something that completely changed his life. In June 2000, while traveling in Haiti, he met writer Michael Finkel and together they documented a group of 44 Haitians on their journey to the United States. A few days after they set sail, they realized the handmade boat was sinking. Anderson’s first reaction was to continue taking pictures – even though he knew there was a chance they may never be seen.

Relativity and the Context Within: Thoughts on Power and Responsibility in Photography

An unedited photograph I took in the Santa Cruz Mountains and posted on Instagram got a decent amount of feedback. People asked questions about where this was, what kind of dream world I had uncovered, and if they could repost it in some form in different areas of the web. I loved this image, too; but naturally, I began to wonder what it was that was so special or engaging about this photograph? I almost never take anything but "people" shots.
Remembering One Of The Masters - Rene Burri (1933 - 2014)

Chances are you’ve all seen this iconic photo of Che Guevara at some point. But do you know who took it? Magnum, still arguably the most esteemed photographic collective in the world, announced the sad news last week that one of it’s longest serving members, Rene Burri, passed away aged 81. This post celebrates the life and work of Burri, and sheds a little light on what made him such a special photographer.

Photographing A Collection Of Human Brains

Photographer Adam Voorhes out of Austin, Texas, has documented a collection of approximately 90 human brains that the University of Texas had amassed over the past 30 years.

The story goes that Voorhes found the collection a few years back after meeting Dr. Tim Schallert, while searching for a way to illustrate a Scientific American article.

The Artist Series Season 2 Coming Up

The trailer has me excited. Passionate artists opening up and taking the time to share their work with us. Five photographers, Keith Carter, Graciela Iturbide, David Brookover, Lourdes Grobet, and Pedro Meyer are interviewed, and the amazing part about it is that the whole series was funded by the photographic community. Ted Forbes is theman behind The Art Of Photography YouTube channel, and this video is shared by him. I'm not sure what role he played in it, but I believe it will be significant, as it's one of the good channels to watch for us photographers.

Jerry And Maggie: This Is Not Photography

If you don't know Jerry Uelsmann or Maggie Taylor you should. Jerry creates works of art blending multiple photos together using enlargers while Maggie uses a scanner to create her art. All of jerry's work is shot on film and processed and manipulated in the darkroom which truly makes his work so unique. Being husband and wife these two are some of the biggest names in the modern art world. This documentary tells Jerry and Maggie's story of how they became artists and the impact of their work in photography.

Everybody Street Documentary Now Available Online

Cheryl Dunn’s visceral documentary of New York street photographers “Everybody Street” is now available for rental or purchase online via Vimeo. The 90-minute film debuted in April at Toronto’s HotDocs International Documentary Film Festival, traveled to several international festivals and continues to be screened. Featured photographers include Boogie, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Gilden, Elliott Erwitt, Jamel Shabazz, Jill Freedman, Mary Ellen Mark and Joel Meyerowitz among others.

Fearless Jaleel King: Against All Odds

Every so often we all need to refill our motivational gas tank to keep us going. This 4-minute video of photographer Jaleel King (website / facebook) will do just that for you. King's story of death, losing everything and finding life is sure to inspire you. Big thank you to Mike Allebach (website / facebook) for putting the video together so we can all be inspired by Jaleel's story.

A Look Inside the Best Seat in the House for Photography aboard the International Space Station

In this episode of Smarter Every Day, host Destin Sandlin takes a closer look at the construction of one of the most exclusive photography locations that humans have ever created: the International Space Station’s Cupola module. This seven-windowed observation module has allowed astronauts such as Dr. Don Pettit and others access to shoot some of the most incredible photographs and time-lapse videos made to date.

What It Is Like To Be a White House Press Corps Photographer

Imagine being tasked with photographing press events featuring some of the most famous people in the world, on a regular basis. Are you confident that you can come away with photographs as strong or better than those of your peers? Can you find the small, personal moments taking place in the chaos to create images that are unique? Christy Bowe is a photographer who has successfully accomplished these tasks for the past three decades.

Shooting On-Location Video Interviews And Rock Climbers With DSLRs

Back in September I spent a few days in New River Gorge, West Virginia, rock climbing with a group of friends. For this trip I developed a plan to put together a short documentary that would involve shooting an interview in the climbing area and doing a multicamera shoot of a climber. Watch the final video, and then read on for a breakdown of how it was all done.

Your Only Chance to Be Photographed as an Astronaut is Coming Up

Lets face it, if you're reading this, it's probably slim you'll ever be an astronaut. Not because you aren't capable, but because the odds are 1 in 42,000. So there's about 7 of you guys reading this who might. So when this kickstarter came across my feed the other day, I was pretty interested. Not just because you get to be photographed in a space suit, but because you can get a pretty kick ass photo of you in a space suit.

New York City Through the Eyes of Teenagers

Photography, since its inception, has always been used as a tool to document a moment in time that the photographer believes has value. From modern history's defining moments, like World War II or the speeches of Martin Luther King, to seemingly mundane family moments, photography has captured billions of such moments in human history that may never repeat. Recently, Gareth Smit produced a short film on three young documentary photographers from New York City.

Photographer Keeps Bees to Document First 21 Days of Their Lives

Photographer Anand Varma was always curious about the natural world and when he was a teenager he discovered that picking up a camera could help him explore it. By combining his two passions (biology and photography) Anand gets up close and personal, exposing some of the wonders nature has to offer. Anand latest work is facinating. By keeping bees in his backyard he was able to capture the first 21 days of a bee's life.

Behind The Scenes With Zak Noyle: What It Takes To Create Amazing Surf Images

Zak Noyle is one of the world's most respected surf photographers, and in this two-part documentary by RedBull, we get a fascinating glimpse into his world. From his photographic mission and technique to the training that he undergoes to be able to stay afloat in some of the world's largest surf, this mini-doc has it all. Filmed around the world in exotic locations

Noir Stories: Photographing a Timeline of Insomnia

Creating stories is what many photographers are striving to do, whether in video or stills. Pulling on emotional ties with your viewer with something they can relate with gives the storyline a bigger impact. One photographer created a dramatic series on something most of us have been through at some point in our lives: insomnia.

 Ian Ruhter's American Dream

From the guy who brought you silver and light, Ian Ruhter brings you American Dream. Not only are the unique images he creates breath taking, but the stories behind them are incredibly inspirational. I believe this is one of the truest forms of photography, from creating each one of a kind image by hand, and by looking at these portraits you feel as if you know the individual that's in the photograph. To Ian it is not about making money in photography, it is about the pursuit of happiness, and he goes about this through the camera he made and his journeys that make these images.

Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout 2012 From Zacuto Pt.1

A cinematographer's job is to bring the director's vision of a story to life. A hard, but rewarding job indeed. With the wide availability of high definition cameras right at the masses' fingertips, the art of cinematography is growing and changing constantly. I myself have always been fascinated by how different cinematographers interpret light, color and mood. Zacuto is back with its Emmy award winning web series, The Great Camera Shootout. This year though they've gone in a different direction.

Nat Geo Live! - Lynsey Addario: Lens on the Front Line

Lynsey Addario is an amazing photographer and an inspiring human being; she's a photojournalist who is literally changing the world. Be warned, parts of this video are graphic. In this episode of National Geographic Live! Addario talks about some of her incredible stories - from being in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, to imbedding with the Marines, to being kidnapped in Libya, to maternal mortality in Sierra Leone (her images led directly to more doctors in the area) and covering the rebel uprising during the Arab Spring. Addario is a living example of the power of photography and its ability to make a genuine difference.

Watch "Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film"

If you're looking for a great movie this weekend - and you don't want to fight the crowds to see Interstellar - check out Time Zero, a film about the last days of Polaroid, the people who loved it and the few who set out to save it. It's truly a beautiful documentary that will make you fall in love with instant film all over again.

Daido Moriyama: A Retrospective Comes to The Photographers Gallery This Autumn

Coming to The Photographers’ Gallery in October: the first UK retrospective of one of the world’s most innovative and influential artists and street photographers. If you are interested in documentary or street photography, Daido Moriyama's work is definitely something you should familiarize yourself with.

The Inspiring Story of Photographer Kevin Young And His Paralysis

On July 4th, 2011 Kevin Young's life unexpectedly changed forever, and what started as a fun day with friends at the beach ended up being a horror story for this very young photographer. At the time, Kevin was very busy working on few different projects but his friend convinced him to take a break and have a nice day outside with few friends. When Kevin jumped to the water to swim he broke three vertebrae in his spine and instantly became paralyzed from the neck down.

Photojournalist Helps to Make Impact on the War in Africa

Photographer Marcus Bleasdale spent a great deal of time from 2003-2004 covering the exploitation of natural resources in Eastern Congo. Children were either used to mine gold for the rebels that was sold to finance the war or to pick up a weapon and fight as soldiers. Human Rights Watch, with these pictures, pressured the company buying all of this gold ($150 million dollars worth) to stop.

The Saddest Boy In The World

The Saddest Boy In The World is a short film by Vancouver filmmaker, Jamie Travis of Modern Family Productions. "Saddest Boy" is a perfect double rainbow of dark humor and a vintage nabes-esque aesthetic. On Modern Family Production's site, there is a Q&A section with the director that gives some insite to how they made the movie. Here is a selection from the Q&A ...