The Standards of Documentary Photography

When re-reading Lange and Taylor this weekend, I was struck by the declaration in the Foreword stating, "we adhere to the standards of documentary photography as we have conceived them." I expected to read on about these such standards but no explanation was found. Only a few generalizations come to mind, having never done documentary photography. I would think that the shots should be candid or unposed, which for the most part of true of this piece. I say for the most part because I wonder particularly about the man on p. 313. With a camera so close, wouldn't you be inclined to look at it? or was this man told to look away? and then it is no longer candid. Another standard could be that the photographs should have some meaning or relevance to the topic at hand, which Lange and Taylor were successful at executing.

What other standards do you think Lange and Taylor are referring to?

Not Particular

I found this image during the summer, and no matter how many times I look at it I get mixed feelings. It is an image that I find demeaning and racists and yet the words are what confuse me. Because it can be seen as being said by either the man or the woman or by a third party. There is something very grotesque about what you are seeing but yet I cant stop looking at it. But I wanted to share it with the class and see what you think? Please do not be Politically Correct, I would like very honest thoughts.

Parody of Rock Star

Here's a pretty good parody of Rock Star, commenting on America's "pop sensations" that are currently ruining their lives. Rock Star itself is a commentary on today's rock scene, and these guys just take it and apply it to pop stars...


I Wanna Be A Pop Star - Watch more free videos

Post by Anne Fowler

Photographs and text tell stories in different ways and both are powerful. But when used together, the power increases exponentially. Photos put a face on the characters you've created in your head when reading text. Text tells the story of what is contained in a photograph. It is a mutually beneficial, reciprocal relationship. Text and photos can exist on their own, but rhetoric is more effective when they are used in combination.

BGY: This is a good starting place for a discussion about other works besides Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. If you agree, why is the relationship between visual and verbal rhetoric a symbiotic one? Is it, in fact, synergy?

Is objectivity possible in photography?

What are your thoughts on this issue? Support generalized assertions with evidence; that is what makes serious academic discourse.