Recent Documentary Articles

Time Releases Short Documentary About Robert Capa's Iconic D-Day Photographs

Hungarian photographer, Robert Capa is regarded as being one the greatest combat and adventure photographers in history. That’s no small remark, considering the immense amount of danger involved and the technological limitations that were present during the time he created his body of work.

A Short Documentary About the People of Times Square, Shot with Sony's A7s

Filmmaker Michael Tapp recently hit me up to share his latest experience with the people you typically find in New York City's Times Square and the Sony A7s. If you haven't spent an evening there, this short documentary (co-produced by Bill Novak) gives you a good sense of what draws 26 million people per year and how the A7s performs under noisy, bright conditions.

The Life of Iconic Commercial Fashion Photographer Will Shively

With over 40 years of portrait work under his belt, American Photographer Will Shively has become one of the most successful commercial fashion shooters in Columbus. Will found himself at a crossroads when he first decided to pursue his passion for photography. He got his BFA in painting from Ohio State University and was working for a design firm before being let go with a newborn on the way. But despite the risks involved, Will worked nights as a janitor at a local manufacturing plant while teaching himself the art of photography.

Would You Photograph a Funeral?

Wedding photography is obviously big business for lots of professional photographers, but over on Reddit, Shian Bang (u/shian243) talks about something a little different: his first experiences as a funeral photographer.

How 'Planet Earth II' Warped Time To Create Stunning Moving Images

Wildlife films have dramatically improved over the last few years. We can now use image stabilization and smaller camera rigs to get closer and make the visual experience more cinematic. These techniques are perfected by the wildlife film producers and help create stories to show the world like we've never seen it before.

Can Photojournalism No Longer Be Trusted?

Recently the New York Times revealed a staggering truth about modern photojournalism that has the field's ethics under scrutiny. It appears the acts of staging and manipulating images have become prevalent, which puts the field as a whole in question. Photojournalism is about capturing the truth and journalist often work under a strict code that incudes observation only. But the nature of competition has brought a staggering number of photojournalist to bend if not break this code by presenting images that they themselves setup under the guise journalism.

Sony A7S II Filming Videography Kevin Whitley New Orleans

For years, videographers shooting in dark situations frequently ran into the issue of a ton of noise in darks and shadows that would oftentimes make some footage difficult or impossible to use. Many have heralded the release of the a7S II with applause due to its power for video in low-light situations and even to record bursts of high frame rates in HD, so we took one into the deep recesses of an abandoned power plant in New Orleans to see how it did.

Portrait: A Documentary Insatgram vs Professional

Andy Newman created this intriguing documentary that explores the question "In the age of Instagram, what sets a professional photographer apart. In this film, photographer Andria Lindquist and web designer/ professional instagramer Cory Staudacher talk about their outlook on photography and how it has impacted their life. Two points I couldn't agree more on is how Cory talks about how important sharing your work and building a community is, and Andria talks about following your heart and continue to do what makes you truly happy.

Citizen Journalism Ethics: Bystander Who Filmed Walter Scott Shooting Seeks Payout

A gut-wrenching mobile video clip depicting South Carolina police officer Michael Slager killing Walter Scott went viral earlier this month. The bystander behind the footage, Feidin Santana, has partnered with celebrity publicity agency Markson Sparks to license the footage, causing a stir among those who claim he's profiting from a death.

Analog Episode One - Lifestyle Photographer Brooks Sterling Explains His Passion for Film on a Surf Shoot

Matt Mangham, the director of photography over at fortyonetwenty – a San Diego production company – has recently created a personal photography series titled Analog where he finds and tells stories that explore the current state of film photography. Episode one of the series follows Southern California lifestyle photographer Brooks Sterling as he heads out to a surf shoot with his trusty Nikonos underwater camera.

Behind The Scenes Look At 'Killing Lincoln' With Photographer Joey L.

Fstoppers recently brought you an exclusive interview with photographer Joey L. In the process, we took a peak into some of his latest projects and revisited some of his previous work. He recently also photographed the national campaign for National Geographic's film, Killing Lincoln. He teamed up with Variable to execute the campaign.

How to Say Something With Your Street Photography

A street photographer’s task is to observe the mundane human interactions that take place throughout the day and turn them into something worthy of being preserved and shared through photography. This is not an easy task.

jeremy-cowart-i'm-possible

Jeremy Cowart is a household name in the photography industry. Recently Jeremy was classified as one of the 30 most influential photographers on the web by the Huffington Post. After studying graphic design, he continued on to become a well-known celebrity photographer. We all know him from famous photos of Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and even the Kardashians. But who is Jeremy Cowart? And what motivates him to be a photographer, an artist, and a humanitarian?

National Geographic Celebrates 125 Year Milestone With 'The Photography Issue'

Whatever type of photography you focus on, I doubt there are many of us that aren’t mesmerized every time we pick up and thumb through a copy of National Geographic magazine. Over it’s lifetime, it's become synonymous with capturing images of people, places and wildlife that show us the undiscovered or hidden side of our increasingly homogenized world.

Documentary Photographer Busts Some Common Myths and False Beliefs

If there's one thing that seasoned professional photographers love to do, it's to dispel ridiculous misconceptions and myths around the craft. Daniel Milnor is one of these people, and in this video, he crushes a few commonly held false beliefs within the wider photographic community.

Go Behind the Scenes Photographing U.S. President Donald J. Trump

When President Trump announced he would be skipping the White House Correspondents' Dinner to speak in Harrisburg, Pa., right in my backyard and on day 100 of his presidency, it was like the stars aligned. Among many avenues, I’m a stringer for a Harrisburg news journal, photographing politics and business news. Immediately after hearing the news at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night I applied for credentials and the wait began. A week later, on day 99 of the Trump Presidency, it was starting to look like I would be watching from my couch. With just 24 hours to spare, I got the green light. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to photograph President Trump from a local photojournalist’s perspective.

How Todd Hido Creates His Landscape Photographs

I recently was introduced to photographer Todd Hido in Jason Momoa’s docuseries on HBO. Momoa has a real affinity for Todd. I wish I had a fan like that; if you watch the show, you will see what I mean.
The Story Behind 'Migrant Mother' One Of The Most Famous Photographs Of All Time

Perhaps no single photo is more symbolic of America’s troubles during the Great Depression than Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother.” Depicting an itinerant farm worker, Florence Owens Thompson, and five of her children apparently in the grips of despair on the side of the road, this single image came to surmise an entire era.

Fashion Photographer Solmaz Saberi Provides Inspiration and Insight in This Short Documentary

In this latest installation of Format’s InFrame documentary series, the camera turns to fashion and beauty photographer Solmaz Saberi who speaks from her experiences in getting started with photography to how she conducts a photoshoot to why she founded her own magazine. Directed by Bas Berkhout, you’ll want to check out this short video for your daily dose of inspiration.

Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and his DSLR in Space

FS Reader Clifford Pate brought these images to our attention, asking if the DSLR Russuian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka was using on the International Space Station was a Nikon or a Canon. That legendary DSLR battle aside, it's cool to see how the cosmonauts work with a DSLR, and the kind of equipment that goes into the process (beyond just the camera).

From Dock to Dish: A Beautiful Documentary Shot on the New Canon C200

As with every new product, Canon sponsors a number of projects to show the capabilities of their upcoming C200 cinema camera. Indeed, it has great features at its price level, but what is a great camera without a good example how it was used? The perfect film marriage is between a beautiful story, captivating visuals, and audio that ties it altogether. I think we have them all here, including a glimpse of how it was done behind the scenes.