# I need help with my Documentary Photography Assignment.



## alfn23 (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi all. I am a student studying photography.. And we are doing Documentary Photography at the moment. And i chose to do mine on my dorm members in my boarding house and our friendship weve had for the past 4 years.. And for one of the research tasks I have to do I have to research a photographer who has taken photos of the subject matter that I am doing.. So i have to look for a photographer who takes pictures of friendship etc.. This has been really hard for me and a harder thing is that i have to find a series of photos that this photographer has taken.. They can't be individual photos.. they have to have a some story or in sequence.. 

Could someone please help?
thanks alot


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## GreatPhotoRace (Jun 7, 2011)

Not sure about friendship-themed photographers, but there is Dorothea Lange who shot documentary-style photos.  For a more light-hearted theme, consider Robert Doisneau.

Wikis: 

Dorothea Lange - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Doisneau - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## The_Traveler (Jun 7, 2011)

Probably the most on-point thing you could get as an example is a book by Annie Leibovitz A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005.  It is candid/documentary photography done by an first rate photographer of standard life scenes- equivalent to your dorm life - but of her own real family.

IMO, the most important things you can do to make this real and unposed are:

Tell your subjects in advance that you are doing this and why.
Carry your camera all the time, take lots and lots of pictures until, inevitably, people will lose their sensitivity and act naturally in front of the camera.  
Expect to take a hundred or even hundreds of exposures for every one you eventually keep. 
Don't use flash. 
Take pictures all times of the day and night.
 Respect your subjects (Golden Rule)

At the end of the project you will be much better than at the beginning.
Honor your subjects by having a show of your pictures - for them especially - even if its just in your dorm room.


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## Derrel (Jun 7, 2011)

The post above by The_Traveler has excellent advice in it. (Although I'd be very,very tempted to shoot some of the indoor stuff using a flash bounced off the ceiling...)


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## gsgary (Jun 7, 2011)

Henri Cartier Bresson is your man, over the years he has shot lots of his friends like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Alberto Giacometti, Pierre Bonnard and the book you want where he has shot series of shots of them is Henri Cartier Bresson The Man, The Image and the World, isbn 10: 0-500-28642-6, now you owe me a beer


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## alfn23 (Jun 7, 2011)

Really. Each and everyone one of you who has posted on this thread, thank you very much. This has helped me alot.

I really apperciate it.

Thanks!


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## cfeldman10 (Jun 8, 2011)

One of my favourites is Lauren Greenfield. Even though she focuses on pop culture, a lot of her photographs show youth and relationships. She is also a documentary filmmaker.


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## The_Traveler (Jun 9, 2011)

I've done approximately what you are doing and learned a few things.


Collect as many shots as you can and be ruthless about culling.
Besides really good shots, you always need establishing and bridge shots to set the scene; every shot can't be a high note.
Even though the theme is 'friendship', the show must have some underlying structure so that viewers can put the pictures in some context.  It is much easier to have a structure and then demonstrate the theme within that structure.
The obvious structure since you 'live' with these people is 'day'; this allows you to organize all your pictures by time of day and then have images that show the relationships amongst you and your friends throughout the day.
Constantly reviewing what you have and looking for weak spots or missing photos will provide 'assignments' for you and drive your efforts.
 The last picture must be a really good one so that you end with a memorable high note.


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