2: Photography as Documentary
- Page ID
- 231791
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Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Eugene Atget (negative 1912), Berenice Abbott (print later). Boulevard de Strasbourg, Corsets. (Public Domain via The Getty)
Image Description: A black and white photograph of a window for a corset shop with 11 corsets on display.
Photography was developed to create more accurate representations of the world than was possible through other art forms like drawing or painting. Culturally, the most common use of the medium is to document and share our experiences and observations of the world. In this chapter, students learn the technical skills needed to alter images so that they more accurately represent their subject. Through specific exercises, students are introduced to the retouching workflow, in both Camera Raw and Photoshop, and learn to make test strips and print images. For the chapter assignment, students consider the legacy of photography as objective while creating photographs in the style of documentary photography.
Suggested Reading
Cartier-Bresson, Henri. The Decisive Moment. Simon and Schuster, 1952.
Photography as Documentary: Example Artists
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Zig Jackson
An-My Le
Vivian Maier
Mary Ellen Mark
Joel Meyerowitz
Gordon Parks
Jamel Shabazz
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