Documentary Photography Self-Study Blog #3

It’s been two years since I started self-studying documentary photography and photojournalism, and this is only my third blog post. Not a stunning start. For nine months, I worked on the Professional Photography Course at the London Institute of Photography – maybe more of that later – so there is some mitigation. However, I am more than a little disappointed with my progress.

THE METHOD

If you’ve read the earlier posts, you may remember that I’d decided to work as closely as possible to the London College of Communication BA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography syllabus. It felt like an artificial framework almost immediately without a tutor to guide me. I spent almost as much time deciding which sections of the textbooks related best to each course unit as studying.

At some point last year, I gave up. I copied all the notes about Jennifer Good and Paul Lowe’s Understanding Photojournalism into a new document and started afresh. This time, working through the book from beginning to end; as simple as that.

It was refreshing to have such a simple guide to follow. This probably says more about me than which approach is better. I’ve realised I like a clearly defined path to follow. I had to remind myself more than once that I’m doing this for enjoyment. There’s no exam at the end of it. In fact, it’s unlikely that anyone else will ever read my nearly eighty pages of notes. So, why not do it in a way that suits me?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was writing my notes in Evernote. I’m now using Google Docs. There are a number of reasons, but Docs automatically creates an outline based on the hierarchy of headings used. It made it very easy to reference earlier notes as I was writing.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

Yes, it was definitely worth it. I now know far more about the history of documentary photography and individual photojournalists than I did. It’s also given a greater clarity and context to the knowledge that I did have.

Photograph by Stuart Franklin/Magnum

At several points along the way, I headed down huge rabbit holes. One such was an investigation into the story of Tank Man. I became fascinated by the stories of the five photographers who shot the same scene from slightly different viewpoints and, of course, the Tank Man himself. In fact, I started writing a long blog post about it and what I’d found. That was until I came across Patrick Witty's post on his blog, Field of View.

I’ve since become a subscriber to Field of View. Whether you opt for the free or paid versions, I’d highly recommend it. Witty, a former photo editor at The New York Times and International Picture Editor at TIME, amongst other roles, has a level of knowledge and experience few others can match. Often, as with the Tank Man article, he’s interviewed some of the photographers involved firsthand.

Studying has prompted me to put down my page-turner thrillers and read the biographies of Lynsey Addario (excellent), Marie Colvin by the inspirational Lyndsey Hilsum (also excellent), Ben Bradlee (good, although far from impartial), Clarissa Ward (a page-turner itself), and Diane Arbus (there’s so much to say!).

WHAT’S NEXT?

My studying days are not over. I have Michelle Bogre’s ‘Documentary Photography Reconsidered: History, Theory and Practice’, which I’ve barely opened. I will work through that in the same way. After that, my current plan is to turn my focus on a photographer or an important event and study that more independently. High on that list is The Photo League – see below. I now better understand how to study in a way that suits me.

ONE THING I'VE LEARNT THIS MONTH YEAR

Boy on the Roof, Pitt Street, New York, 1938 Photography by Walter Rosenblum

I’m embarrassed to say I knew nothing of the Photo League. Founded in 1936 by Sol Libsohn and Sid Grossman, the Photo League was a cooperative of photographers based in New York who shared an ethos around a range of social causes. The league championed socially conscious photography.

Some of the most renowned American photographers of the time were either members or supporters of the Photo League. This included Lisette Model, Margaret Bourke-White, W. Eugene Smith, Helen Levitt, and FSA photographer Arthur Rothstein. The list includes the next generation of photographers, including Richard Avedon and Robert Frank.

In 1947, during the post-war McCartyist communist paranoia, the Photo League was prescribed an anti-American communist organisation and it folded in 1951.

There’s a short history of the Photo League on the Morris Engel archive. It mentions a documentary, Ordinary Miracles: The Photo League’s New York, but I haven’t found a copy in the UK. It’s available on Amazon Prime in the US.

I have continued updating my list of documentary photography resources.

Until next time. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, get in touch.