This photograph from Sebastian Salgado shows a person walking waste deep through a river. This photo, along with the rest of Sebastian Salgado’s photos contribute to documentary photography by providing viewers a unique look into the world of “poverty and powerlessness”. I believe that seeing a picture like the one above can elicit more feelings than any description of what this persons life was like. Salgado frames the person in this picture using the tall trees and branches which lead your eyes right to the person. For me, this picture elicits many questions for example, why this person is walking through the river, why is no one with them, or are they doing this for fun or are they trying to get somewhere. However, I think these questions add to the mysteriousness of the photograph and elicits some sort of sympathy from the viewer for the person in the picture.
Salgado, S. (1991). Sebastião Salgado: Brazil (2017): Available for sale. Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.artsy.net/artwork/sebastiao-salgado-kuwait-1
Robert Capa is one of the most famous war photographers of all time. Capa contributed to documentary photography by providing viewers a glimpse into life at war. His photographs capture the seriousness/dangerousness of the moment while also capturing facial expressions and the body language of his subjects. I think this is an extremely important contribution to documentary photography because not only is he photographing an event but he is capturing the emotions of the people living through the event. The picture above shows a mother and daughter running for shelter during an air raid. Seeing the tight grip the mother has on the daughters hand for me portrays the seriousness of the situation. I also think that, because of the deep depth of field, the facial expressions of the people in the background add to the image by showing clear concern.
Capa, Robert. Magnum Photos Photographer Portfolio, pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL535353.
“poverty and powerlessness” is paraphrased from an article so should be in quotes. Salgado also captures life in undeveloped locations, and they were not always negative images. Good observations.