Exercise: Defining Documentary.
Exercise.
Documentary-from latin documentum, meaning lesson or proof, giving facts or information about a subject.
Gavin poses a number of questions in her piece; are the terms photojournalism, documentary and reportage still fit for purpose and should these terms be revisited? The meaning of such terms must surely change with the view of the photographer, the opinion of the viewer and the changes in technology. Images are now so easy to capture and each contains the truth as seen by the photographer but would every viewer accept or agree with that truth?
The point she raises about digital photography is an important one as the You Tube generation post their clips for all to see and claim them to be true. Do these clips, “give facts and information about a subject,” and thus fulfil the definition of documentary? Many such clips will pass the test but where does one draw the line?
The growth in the number of women photographers is no real surprise and is in line with the increase in women entering what were once considered male preserves, such as engineering, civil engineering and the Armed Forces.
The influence of women in documentary photography has been long felt, with the likes of Dorothea Lange with her famous Migrant Mother image or the lesser known picture Coney Island Bather by Lisette Model.
Documentary in all its forms is a dynamic form of photography and one with many challenges.
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