Photography practice research
In my practice photography project i decided to focus on the documentary photography because i like to capture people and their stories, which i find interesting and fascinating.
I wanted to challenge myself to see if i could interact with stranger and take the best shots of their everyday life.
Documentary photography is a specific kind of photography. It tells a story, it is an expression of reality and it is made to last in time and capture a certain moment in history.
It is different from the street photography because you kind of ask the permission to take pictures and you are allowed to compose your picture, to get the true meaning of the concept.
It is important also because you can interact with the subject of the picture, to have a better knowledge of the situation you want to reflect.
One of the most famous contemporary documentaries photographer is Steve McCurry.
His innovation was to combine the emotion with aesthetic beauty, with a unique eye for natural colours.
His career begun when he visited India, for about 2 years. He shot people, places, events and daily routine of the India's culture.
His mixture of capturing the everyday and the extraordinary is his definition point.
He also took his camera to other parts of the world such as Japan, Europe and American, his own homeland.
His most famous shot is called Afghan Girl, which was published in the National Geographic magazine.
After an attack that killed her parents, Sharbat Gula, a Pashtun girl, was forced to climb the mountains to get to the refugee camp od Nasir Bagh, near Pakistan, with her brother and her grandmother. And it's there where Steve McCurry shot this incredibly beautiful picture.
He is personally one of my favourite photographer ever, because i like how he captures peoples expressions and faces.
Another very famous artist, which i absolutely adore, is Irving Penn.
He was specialised in portrait and fashion photography.
He worked for years for Vogue Magazine, and he is known for his peculiar ethnographic shots, using the simplicity of the black and white.
Also for his still life concepts, showing the perfection and attention to details and the composition.
Here two examples of a still life composition and a fashion shot. Black and white is used to show the simplicity and the power of his subjects which are so strong they don't need any more colours than those.
