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Research

Documentary Photographers will be researched here to inform my ideas and photography projects

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John Free
John Free is a documentary/street photographer who lives in California, he is inspired by photographers Robert Frank and Henri Cartier-Bresson.  One of Free's projects and photo essay called 'End of the line' was to photograph tramps living on freight trains for over 10 years.  I have chosen a few of my favourites to show here.
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Free spent 10 years engaging with the travellers that lived on the tracks, he was patient and persistent and without fail he visited the freight yards, if not daily, weekly, sometimes spending all night talking with the men.  He knew their names, their families names, how they became homeless and why.  Free had a white husky called Casper, who followed him to the tracks every day, he always waited in the wings until his owner Free called him over.  The tramps, travellers, homeless, gangsters always wanted to meet Casper,  he was Free's way of breaking the ice with these dangerous characters.    Casper was a rescue dog and stayed with Free until old age took him at 11 years old.
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Heres a passage from his photo essay book 'A Vision of America'
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He survived because he was a loner and didn’t drink, unlike the other tramps I met. He didn’t talk to anyone else but talked to me because of my dog, Casper. When the tramps saw Casper, they knew I was not a threat. That made it easy for me to get to know them and photograph them in a non-threatening way.

I knew Joe for several years in the seventies. One day, I noticed that he had gone. The spot by the electric tower where he cooked, he had left two books on the cement platform. The books were old and had come from the San Diego library. “How to Make Money with your Camera” was the title of one book and the other was called “The Study of Man”. I did not take the books because I did not want to disturb anything and as a documentary photographer, I never disturb things. I thought that Joe had left me the books, but I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe he would return, but I never saw him again.

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The tramp Joe is on the left in the image and John Free is on the right. Casper is wondering around in the wings behind.

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I recently watched a documentary film on Free's 10 year essay after I had completed my Journey project.  Only then did I learn of Casper and how Free used him to his advantage to engage with his subjects.

 

I had already done exactly that on my Journey, I chose to document a train journey with my white husky Onyx. Knowing that she would bring my subjects to me.

 

I am still in ore of this coincidence.  

I like this portrait because of the motion in the train.  It has an old feel about the image, because the subject is close to the tracks, and of a time when health and safety wasn't so strict. I love the dynamic range of the black shadows in the tunnels against the lighter floor.  The composition is almost two different pictures, split by the tunnel wall in the middle of the shot.

This image has a great dynamic range, which was more achievable with film cameras. Free used a Nikon F-3 film camera, with a 100% viewfinder.  He first thinks of lines when looking to frame image.  There are lines in this image, which create a massive contrast against the bleached sky.  The white pieces of paper strewn across the floor causes the viewer to work around the image and they naturally balance the image.   

I like the lines in this image, travelling horizontally and vertically, creating a pattern.  The train carriages either side of the subject give me a feeling of travel.  This set of images are related to travel and they have a gritty feel.

The two girls here, look as if they've just disembarked the train and are off on their next 'Thelma and Louise' adventure.  Im imagining they are coal carriages.  I like the motion of the train and my eye is drawn to the two sacks creating a contrast in the image.   Free's shots have a real feel to them, and so not feel or look staged.  Which is why I like street photography.

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Free managed to talk to the girls, they were only 14yrs old and had run away from home, he still wonder to this day what became of them.  The freight trains were a dangerous way of travelling.

This image isn't part of the set but I liked it so much I wanted to include it here.   Taken from the back seat of a car.  It has a great dynamic range, the blacks are very black and the bridge outside a faded light grey against a bleached white sky.   I like the cross necklace dangling from the rear view mirror.  The image makes me remember times of crossing over the severn bridge and being a child passenger in the back seat , and my grandparents taking me somewhere on a damp, dreary overcast day. 

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Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky has photographed images of recycled produce below. These photographs are an example of a photo essay, showing the impact man is having on the environment.

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The three seperate images above are of recycled waste.   On first glance it isn't clear what the images are.  The colours and shapes attract the viewers eyes.  Burtynsky has captured mountains of waste from city life.   The images are thought provoking and raise awareness of the amount of waste being produced by man.    The Ionger I look at the images, especially the oil filters, my mind spirals into thinking, 'how many cars, vehicles are on our roads in service causing this pollution.'      

This is Edward Burtynsky 's photo essay of on of the biggest oil spill disaster's in history, when oil rig 'Deepwater Horizon' exploded and caught fire.  These pictures are so impactive and document the horrific aftermath.  At first glance they look colourful and pretty, but when you realise the patterns and colours on the seas surface is actually thick oil sludge, its clear of the devastation caused to sea life.   

Here are images from an aerial view of wide open landscapes.  The constant use and farming of the land, has completely changed its appearance. This is a form of topographics, where the land has been overused.

Lewis Hine

 

Lewis Hine  

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Lewis Wickes Hine was an American sociologist and photographer. Hine used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs were instrumental in changing child labor laws in the United States.

 

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Taken Early 19th Century.

 

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This young lad is named Robb Kidd, in this photograph, he is working at Wheaton Glass Works factory.  Alexandria , Virginia.  For me, straight away I think of the lack of protective equipment for the child workers in this photograph.  They would have been working with high temperatures in a glass factory, this is appalling and so dangerous.  Hines has positioned his subject centrally, which works very well here, for there are other children to the left side and in the background, also equipment and working conditions encompassing the subject Robb.  Hines has used the natural lighting of midday sun (I guess) streaming through the windows .  The glare, creates a haze around the edges of the photograph, which frames is very well.  This also could be steam from heating/ making glass.   

The daily rate of pay between 75cents-1dollar.   Shifts 7am all day until midnight.

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The reason I am drawn to these photographs are because of my family ‘s history, we come from a family of coal miners.  Where children were sent to work  as young as 6 yrs old down the coal mines of the valleys.

 

I love the noise in the photographs, the film ISO used has created an atmosphere that makes these photographs feel real.

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‘Newsies’ at Skeeter’s Newspaper Branch, St Louis, Missouri.

 

Look how well dressed these three boys are, woolen blazers and shirts.  I’m guessing they are paperround boys, hence ‘Newsies’ .  NewsPaper Boys.  When I see their grained hands and fingers, it shows the manual hard work, newspaper print and lack of hygiene too.  I think to myself; this way of life, the fact that they worked through their child hood, and how this would have effected them in adult life.  It’s important for a child to be able to enjoy being a child and not deprived and have their childhood stolen from them.    I wonder if they stole those cigarettes, or earned them in payment?  .   I am inspired by this photograph, for many reasons, I like the puffs of smoke, and how Hine has captured them.  The use of outdoor lighting, so therefore, I would imagine a  comfortable handheld shutterspeed.   Hine has positioned himself low, as he would have been considerably taller being an adult.   This has represented the children at the same level as him and helped to engage them whilst taking the photograph.

Aswell as being inspired , I am also saddened and remember my families history where as children they were sent to work in coal mines.  I also had parts of my childhood stolen and restricted, as I cared for my disabled grandmother from the age of 6yrs old.  `I realise ,no where near as horrific as child Labour days, my point is I emotionally relate to missing childhood years in these photographs.

 

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These boys Smoking; the smoke captured and the clothes their wearing.   Where does it take you?  For me I think of what they did to fill their days in comparison

to todays school children.

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This little girl was one of the Spinners at Whitnel Cotton Mill, North Carolina.  She stands only 51” high, she had been working at the Mill a year when this photograph was taken.  Sometimes working nightshifts.   She earned 48 cents a shift.

 

Her face looks serious and somewhat emotionless. Her hands and fingers are grained, stained, which represents repeated manual work.  Hine has used natural lighting through the windows, positioning himself close and low to his subject.   Placing his subject central, works brilliantly as the long line of sewing machinery to the left side, pulls my eye through the foreground of the photograph to the back.  Following this line, creats a feel for the size of the machine and huge room its situated in.  The machinery being taller than the child.   I can see the cotton threads, and then as they become further away blurring into the distance.    The girls clothing, creates texture and one of the factors that indicates an early 19th century period.

 

Hine would have knelt down or have been sat down to take this photograph, to be able to create and eye to eye level with himself and subject.  This making the subject of utmost importance, her eyes telling her story.   

 

I can see that Lewis Hine has used a shallow depth of field in most of his portraiture, to make the subject stand out.  I also love the Black and White film photography, for me this is my favoured style of photography.

 

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Walter Benton

I have been trying to find out more about the photographer Walter Benton of the Senghenydd Pit Disaster 1913.   A set of 25 post cards were printed of the disaster.  Covering the day of the explosion, recovery of victims, families waiting for news, funeral march and devastation of the town.  

It is believed that Benton was also a journalist in addition to documentary photographer.    He created photo essays of disasters, one being the Senghenydd Pit disaster 1913.

 

The post card company was called The Royal Walter Benton & Co, 138 George Street, Glasgow.   This information I found on website; Glasgowhistory.com

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Post card 18 , A mother holding a toddler .  The subject holding the child has been identified by locals at Senghenydd Heritage centre as the Mother and Aunt of Joyce Slade.

 

The photographer has called the photograph ‘A little mother waiting for news.’  The title in itself is emotional and moving.  As she stands on the hillside, looking down at the carnage below,  the sepia look, was probably the best developing results available at that time.  In the distance , a smog, mist, I wonder if its from the explosion or the conditions of the weather.  It’s a very somber photograph.   The subject if very focused and the tapestry blanket wrapped around her, creates a woven texture.   The buildings, people and mine structures are soft, as if to show a shallow depth of field effect.

 

The Pit Head Winding Wheel in the misty smoke in the distance tower above the locals, and stands taller than the giant chimney stacks.   Creates a powerful mood, and I think of  how dangerous if they were to have fallen due to the explosion, or caught fire.   

Postcard 10.  The two miners holding miners lamps and a caged canary.

This sepia is not an editing effect, as we can add today in post editing techniques.  This was probably the only result available in film developing in the early 19th century.   I think to myself of their attire, and how in todays age their clothes would not pass any safety threshold.   They look like identical twins.   The poor canary that was used to test the air for presence of gas.  Back then gas did not have the additive of smell , so was not detectable by smell.   The subject viewed far right is edging the frame and look at his buttoned waistcoat, I think to myself , how can you manually work in such conditions, in tight restricted clothing.  They both look well dressed, even though their trousers are covered in coal dust.  What is the other subject looking at I wonder.  What a great historic, environmental and documentary photograph. 

I think of my ancestors and family when I see this photograph, my father, grandfather and great grandfather (and their brothers and sons) all being coal miners of  the south wales valleys.

These post cards are a photo essay of the disaster and the aftermath of the tragedy that descended upon the village.

The families, mostly mothers ad wives waiting for news.  As one by one the mammoth task of recovering the bodies from the explosion.

The group funeral held for the 412 victims.  The congregation marched through the town.  Passing my house , where my family still live to this day

Sebastiao Salgado

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These 4 Salgado images I have chosen to include, are from a photo essay, named Genesis, in which, over a period of 8 years Salgado focused on landscapes untainted by modern life.  His message and theme represent "the silent drama of photography." The Guardian

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1974-1994 Historic through to Contemporary.  Brazilian photographer.

This is truly inspiring and I hope one day to be able to create such a beautiful image.  The leading line from the foreground takes the viewer throughout the image .  The textures and contrasts created by the mountain peaks, almost look like waves on the sea.  The stormy sky creates the very powerful background. The clouds top left appear to be a tornado.   The black and white conversion enhances all this drama and mood.

 

The image appears to have some strong post-editing technique:  for example, the stream almost popping in 3D white.  It has a fine arts, painting effect look, which complements the final image.

 

Salgado has either climbed a very high mountain or taken this from an aircraft.  

This image is not an easy shot to achieve.  I would imagine Salgado has used a very large zoom lens to capture such a close up of the seagulls in the foreground.  An alternative possibility is that a remote camera has filmed the wildlife and the image taken from film footage. The presence of the seagulls and the views of the sea make this more of a wildlife or seascape image than a traditional pure landscape one.  

The composition and lighting in this photograph taken in Northern Siberia of the nomadic Nenets are inspirational. 

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This is an exceptionally atmospheric photograph in which the contrast of the light and the wind-blown snow contribute  to the spectral vision of a hard, traditional lifestyle, suggestive of a long-distant past in human history. The harshness of the contrast picks out the human figures and the tent as the main subjects but the low-lying sun also exercises a mesmeric attraction.

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