Documenting the Real - Pioneers

• Look at the beginnings of archives of photography
• Jacob Riis
• 'The Photograph' by Clark G (1997) p145-166
• Authority & Significance - challenging these
• We can not make any assumptions
• Our proposals, less slack, less assuming - ie scholarly
• We all have subjective stance inherent even though we try objectivity
• What is your position, what are your beliefs and values?
• When something doesn't seem comfortable, challenge it. Explore it further
• Your project could be your perspective
• As photographers we are not neutral, we are intervening, we are active (capturing the moment is an intervention)
• Jacob Riis - project - active - NYC - director
• Documented dreadful living conditions in the Lower East Side
• Acute poverty, social depravation, uncontrolled immigration
• Systematic (not artistic), factual, extremely authoritive, image as evidence - the image becomes evidence - special locale
• Form of naturalism, seduce the viewer - window of the world
• Realistic (political attitude) explore in depth
• Riis wanted social reform - camera used to fight
• Great photographs, however Riis not a great photographer
• Tool for reform
• Lewis Hine - photography as political tool (not art)
• Mass image
• Kids at work
• Quote - Alan Trachtenberg (1977)
• Rhetoric in photography is putting forward an opinion
• Rhetorical - Documentary