To gauge a degree of significant photographers within Documentary and Social Documentary photography, I have taken a relatively wide view of work that highlights social concerns and provides a convincing narrative.
Joel Meyerowitz
I have observed the work of Joel Meyerowitz for a number of years, although it was through his Interview with Stuart Jeffries that his work really struck a cord.
Meyerowitz’s photography has always appeared reletively honest in its visual understanding of the world. There always appears to be an innate dseire when viewing his photography to formulate a history and a ‘how did that person(s) get to be in that situation. Although this can be said for many documentary images, I find Meyerowtz’s work provokes a strong sense of inquizativeness.
Within the realms of Social Documentary Photography Meyerowitz always appears able to provide a level of intrigue that justify’s a prolonged look . Visually, he consistently has the sense of timing that places people in ‘stage like’ positions without reliance upon engineered choreography. The ability to place the elements of the landscape within an order that enhances the composition without being overbearing is always worth observing.
Robert Shults
The backstory to the life of Robert Shults prompts you to view his photography. Rarely can you witness the work of someone who has the level of feelings experienced by living the exact situation they are now photographing. Shults chose to reenact real life situations he had personally experienced whilst living rough on the streets of New York due to unfortunate circumstances.
Choosing to place subjects into memorised situations provides a strong contextual presence once the narrative becomes known
Gerard Hilderly Level 3 OCA 