Conceptual category of documentary photography

1935 Roy stryher, an American economist, put forward the definition of documentary photography, but so far, there is no accepted definition. Documentary photography, as far as photography is concerned, the word "documentary" was first used by the French photographer Eugè ne Atge in the early 20th century. The word "documentary" comes from the Latin docere, which means to teach people that the function of documentary photos is not only to convey information, but also to teach the audience to know a certain aspect of society from the truth he reveals.

1940, American documentary photographer dorothea Langer (1895- 1965) defined the theoretical meaning of the English concept of documentary photography. Viewpoint: Documentary photography reflects the present and shows images for the future. Documentary photography reflects the relationship between people and between people and nature. Mainly record people's activities; Describe the systems and customs in human social life; Reveal the lifestyle that affects human behavior; Not only professional workers, but also amateur photographers need to participate.

1985 stphani e Am Rlein, a master student at the university of south Carolina in the United States, said in the new definition of documentary photography: 1. Documentary photography is a series of photos taken by a skilled and dedicated photographer with any kind of frame camera, which can capture the realistic essence of human condition and show the state of life, whether good or bad.

2. Documentary photography is an intuitive description of the social situation studied. It shows the photographer's concern and shows what changes may be needed.

3. Documentary photography is an explanatory photo to explain the relationship between people and the environment and between people and social activities.

The founder of China's documentary photography concept is Wang Huimin. 1984, the word first appeared in International Photography, which was invented by Wang Huimin, then editor, to name a certain foreign photography style. In the 1980s, when takenism prevailed, the concept translated into English as "document photography", as an isolated concept with a specific meaning but no exact definition, was quickly and widely used in China.

Documentary photography is a photographer with strong sense of social responsibility and mission. With great perseverance and even dedication, he went deep into the reality of human existence, truly understood and respected the subject, and did not make up, whitewash or exaggerate. Most of them reproduce real scenes in the form of snapshots. Documentary photography, whether beautiful or ugly, is to show a real world, arouse people's attention, arouse social conscience, record unique culture and leave valuable historical wealth for future generations. Up to now, although there are different opinions on the exact concept of documentary photography, there is basically a * * * consensus on the main core issues, namely:

1. When it was born, westerners named it documentary photography. According to the most basic meaning of the document, it should refer to a type of photography that plays the role of proof, evidence and literature.

2. It was finally named documentary photography in China, which also expressed the significance of documents and historical chronology and emphasized the value category of authenticity.

3. Documentary photography should be a true record of human society according to its name, and its subject matter has certain social significance and historical document value.