Documentary Photography

One photographer has spent years documenting the local deer who walk the streets freely in the Japanese city of Nara.

 The sika deer have a reputation for being problematic for farmers, given their feeding habits. So much so, local governments actively asked locals to help control the population. As a consequence, almost half a million were eliminated back in 2017.

Hippolyte Bayard was an artist, collector, inventor, and photographic pioneer who lived from 1801 until 1886 and claimed to have invented the photographic process before his contemporaries, Louis-Jacques Mandé Daguerre and William Henry Fox Talbot. When Bayard presented his photography process to Paris, no one really seemed to care. 

A quick trip into downtown Los Angeles allowed me a closer look at one of my photographic heroes. 

Annie Leibovitz is one of the main reasons I am a professional photographer today. She was the photographer that made me (and still makes me) look at her work and simply say, “Wow, how the heck did she do that?”

The International Center of Photography in Manhattan, New York has displayed a new exibit reimaginging the work of Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms." The images are geared to display the diverse modern family compared to the orignal iconic work.  

For many, a creative hobby or endeavor acts as buffer against the strains of everyday life. But for some, it's a lot more than that — it's a way to find just a little bit of peace in a world that's been turned upside down, often in tragic ways.

As the baby was crowning, Megan Mattiuzzo was clicking away. This might sound like a normal scene for most birth photographers out there, but Mattiuzzo was up against an extra layer of difficulty: she was photographing her own delivery. 

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. 

A new feature-length documentary from American filmmaker Michael Rowley documents the experiences of a photojournalist living and working in the Aida Refugee Camp who uses cameras to educate and inspire a new generation of Palestinians. 

A diver by the name of Rainer Schimpf has miraculously survived being swept into the mouth of a Bryde whale – and it was all captured by a spectating photographer.

The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford and The Capital Group Foundation have announced that The Center has been gifted a collection of photographs by some of the most esteemed photographers working in the United States throughout the 20th century: Ansel Adams, Edward Curtis, John Gutmann, Helen Levitt, Wright Morris, Gordon Parks, and Edward Weston. 

To capture this affecting photo series, photographer Emily Teague traveled to India and met with the women affected by sex trafficking and the women fighting to stop it. 

The documentary photography of Steve McCurry has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. In this thought-provoking video, photographer Tony Northrup explores the truth around how the image was created and the story of its subject that rarely gets told. 

[3.11.19: Northrup's video and the views expressed in this article have been updated. Click here.]

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin accept the award of best documentary feature for “Free Solo” at the 91st Academy Awards on Sunday, February 24.  

Photography is all about time. It's the only visual art that is able to hold a single moment and fix it for our lasting consideration. To make that happen we as photographers must be keenly aware of both the slice of time that we are capturing and the all the time which leads up to that important moment. To do this well we must look into the future. 

When it comes to breathtaking and technically masterful nature films, nothing tops what BBC Earth produces. And now, they have announced five more incredible TV series are on their way, including "Planet Earth III." 

Perhaps one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century is Robert Capa’s image, “The Falling Soldier.” Speculation regarding its authenticity as a historical piece of evidence has abounded for years. This short video takes a quick look at the controversy and raises questions about photography’s capacity for truth. 

There is an old saying that "you only find what you are looking for." It's critical for any artist, including we photographers, to know what it is that we are working to create. To have a vision and stay true to it so that it will become a reality. When you go out with the intent of creating images you know what you want, right?

A British photographer has unveiled her new series, "Birth Undisturbed." Initially aspiring to recreate her own home birthing experiences, Natalie Lennard’s images depict stories of women both real and imagined, as she aims to “bring the rawness of primal birth into the art world.” 

At the heart of photography as a medium is a fundamental problem: every photograph is a lie. This slippery instability is often what makes it effective as a tool for communication, but it can also create problems for some of the world’s most respected photographers, including Steve McCurry and, more recently, fine art photographer Tom Hunter. 

I mainly work in locations that are associated with storm and rain and I absolutely love the results of that photography. 

When you think of the elements of an image that make it successful and interesting most photographers immediately refer to the powers of color, form, texture, light/dark, and visual rhythm. There is another that is often overlooked: gesture. Unlike the other elements, gesture can't easily be preplanned into your composition; it's a fleeting thing.

A photographer has reignited the debate of ethics surrounding documentary work and animal welfare, after he posted footage online showing a kangaroo and a lamb trapped in mud. He has now explained why he wasn’t able to save the animals.

Whether you are filming your first epic indie film, music videos, or a documentary interview, shooting b-roll is still one of the most important steps to creating more visually interesting stories.  

A few weeks back, I posted an interview with photographer Damari McBride about his project in South Africa with Nourish and Photographers Without Borders. This week, the resulting documentary was released which gives us a deeper look into how our arts can help support change. 

We photograph inanimate objects practically every day. We even photograph non-human, animated objects, on a regular basis (hello, Fido). But what happens when you are asked to document the “life” of a humanoid, life-like robot? Sophia is not your average woman. In fact, she is not a woman at all, in any real, human sense.

"If your pictures aren't good enough then you aren't close enough" Robert Capa 

Any pet owner will tell you that losing them is as great a pain as losing any member of the family. It’s in these moments we’re at our most vulnerable. One brave photographer has taken on the task of capturing such fragile moments in a series that documents owners struggling to cope in the last moments of their animal’s life. 

People are going to the plastic surgeon to get rhinoplasties because their mobile phone cameras distort their noses too much while taking selfies. What does photography mean in 2019, and where are we going? 

Netflix recently released the newest season of its photography-centered TV show "Tales by Light." 

"Tales by Light" is a documentary and reality show based on photographers' work around the world. The National Geographic and Canon joint venture focuses on photographers who attempt to tell a compelling story through their travels and images.

As far as perks of being a photographer go, traveling the world and documenting everything you see along the way is right up there with the best of them. Luckily for Pep Bonet, he’s been around the globe as Motorhead’s previous resident photographer of 7 years, as well as documenting the impact of war and disease in Africa.

Photographing the night sky can be fun, especially when there is a meteor shower. Every year, I try to capture the famous Perseids during my summer holiday in August. But in December, there is the Geminids, which also can be quite spectacular. This year, I had bad luck and a lot of luck at the same time. 

Have you ever thought it was hard to film a movie on the ground? Now, imagine filming a movie 3,000 above the ground attached to nothing but a rope.  

There are so many ways to approach photography. We can search for artistic expression, money, Instagram fame, or any number of other things. Photographer Damari McBride believes we should all do a volunteer photo-journalistic project at least once. Let’s find out why.

It’s something that seems almost too good to be true: a wealthy family in the UK is apparently searching for a photographer to tag along and document their vacations for £80,000 with all expenses paid. What’s the catch? 

How good are we at remembering former presidents decades after their service is over? What are the things that help us to remember their time in office? Obviously, since this is a photography community and education website, I'd wager this: that the photographs taken during their presidency help shape our memories of those years.  

In this review, we’ll look at a book that celebrates a man who needs no introduction, Steve McCurry. Bonnie McCurry has taken it upon herself to celebrate Steve’s life and work in the form of the beautifully crafted 'Steve McCurry: A Life in Pictures.' 

One of the most iconic photos that came out of The Great Depression was “Migrant Mother” by photographer Dorothea Lange, and it was "Photoshopped" to remove a “defect.”  

Documentary photographers have the opportunity to see the world in ways the everyday photographer may never understand. With the ability to chronicle events, they can tell stories from inside the action. However, this can also take a toll on the mind, making even the most hopeful person become cynical.  

An image taken by a photographer whom was documenting the scenes as tear gas was launched by the U.S. Border Patrol, is dividing opinion. The photo has been widely circulated this week, but some are claiming they have proof it was staged.

The renowned independent photo agency Magnum is getting ready to launch its first online photography course: "The Art of Street Photography." 

Have you ever gone to the top of a mountain covered by a glacier during the night to fly a drone? That is just one of the personal projects by Ozzo Photography. Here, you can read an interview and see how the fantastic experience turned out. 

Perhaps you’re like I was one week prior to the writing this – a West Coast native who had only gone as far as making assumptions about one of the largest cities in the Western Hemisphere – New York City.

There's something in film stock everyone recognizes but cannot always explain. Even today, we still happen to see modern movies shot on 70mm film, and they don't look vintage. They just look organic. In this short documentary, you will go down memory lane and see how the 70mm film was invented. 

From sketch renderings to video surveillance, law enforcement uses many techniques to piece together clues for crime-solving. Details and memory often fail us, but there's one medium that never forgets - photography. 

A film festival dedicated strictly to wildlife conservation films kicks off its eighth year in New York City later this week. Over the course of ten days, the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival will screen over 100 documentary films from around the world, many of which are world premieres.  

Gear cannot make you a better photographer. This statement is said over and over and I actually really believe it. But despite believing this statement to be true, I also believe that switching to mirrorless has made me a better photographer. 

With his hand wedged firmly in a crack of the sheer granite face of El Capitan, Alex Honnold looks up and scans his route as he doggedly continues his death-defying ascent of the iconic rock formation with no safety ropes to save him in case of calamity.

Powerful photojournalism and the service the press provides in raising awareness of issues is no longer held in the regard that it once was. In his 2007 TED Prize acceptance speech, James Nachtwey not only displayed some of his haunting imagery and talked about its meaning, but discussed the duty the press has. It seems more and more relevant as time passes. 

When traveling to exotic or remote locations, it's important to be prepared with both the necessary medications as well as the proper paperwork and insurance that an area requires.  

It won’t be for everyone, but I think it’s something everyone should try at some point: shooting in black and white (monochrome) mode in camera.