Understand what documentary photography is.

What is documentary photography? In fact, documentary photography has no clear definition, and the more common ones are history, street shooting and news. Most importantly, documentary photography needs people to appreciate and understand the environment, atmosphere, feelings of people and photographers at that time, and can bring out stories, just like an article.

In the past, documentary photography was mostly used in the historical perspective, but in the modern era, it has further evolved into recording the real social situation, depending on the photographer's perspective.

Skills of taking good documentary photography

1, composition comparison:

In framing and composition, we use two kinds of subjects appearing at the same time in the picture to form an extreme contrast from the visual impression, which is more prominent? A sense of disparity? And then what? Shocked? , described in the above picture? Prosperous because of coal, dying because of coal? Zaozhuang people are adapting to the theme of urban transformation. Snakeskin bags and handbags may be at the same height from the ground, but one brings leisure and the other life.

2, lyrical scenery:

The background picture is used to compare the subject's mood and heart. In winter, there is no vitality in the botanical garden, and people stand in front of the trees and frown. The depression of vegetation echoes this scene more, perhaps combining the mood of people and trees.

We should also pay attention to the relationship between the foreground and the background. The above picture is an example of fuzzy prospect, telling the story of Zhang Guangyi's insistence on writing brush all his life. Although the pen accessories scattered at the front desk have been blurred, the scale of blurring is just right. The composition of the foreground will affect the artistic conception of the photo and turn the foreground into a photo frame. Box? Highlight the seal? Broad loyalty? It directly fits the story of Grandpa Pen and expresses the theme of the work.

3. Daily miniature:

Shooting a miniature version of daily life can not only stand by a third party and watch the ever-changing changes around you. The shooting content is the soul of the photo. Shoot the normal movements of life and show the abnormalities in daily life. A person and a place have their own uniqueness. Reflecting the uniqueness of things can enhance the expressive power of photos.

The old people who exercise in the smog in the above picture reflect the contradictory social situation in which urban public facilities and pollution emissions increase at the same time.

4. Instant expression:

Capture special facial expressions and express the theme through expressions.

The above picture tells the life dilemma of Zaozhuang people. Panic, turning a blind eye, shows that opening eyes is reality, closing eyes is a dream. Turn a blind eye, perhaps with a glimmer of hope.

5, close-up:

Close-ups of people's faces are hard to be excellent. This requires that the subject is very special and can't ignore his facial expression like a villain. The people in this photo are either different in appearance, expression, light or color, or flat. But once this photo is taken, the subject's straight eyes are still very shocking.

The picture above tells the story of a wife who takes care of her husband in a vegetative state.

Local close-ups and details of people can make the works more realistic, increase the interest of photos and further deepen the theme.

The picture above shows the pen that Grandpa Pen has repaired for a long time, and the ink on his hand can't be wiped off.

6. Mobile phone:

Let the characters move and seize the moment of movement. The more the subject moves, the more realistic and profound the photo may be. This is suitable for shooting pictures with strong emotions, light and shadow lines generated by rapid movement, jumping out of the shackles of beautiful appearance, showing the inner world of characters and exposing hidden personalities, which is more convincing than real shooting.

The picture tells the story of the hero suffering from nasal congestion and running in the village every night to relieve the symptoms. He used to run around the village in his underwear in winter, trying to divert the pain.

7, color contrast:

Generally speaking, documentary photography is mainly black and white, with less color. What do black and white and color bring out respectively? Is black and white equal to sadness and color equal to happiness?

In fact, black and white or color is not the whole picture. What color to use is up to you, depending on the message you want to convey and the feelings of the person you want to see the photo. Black and white can express happiness, and color can also express sadness. Tell stories with photos, and colors just help you express them.

Using black and white can increase the tension of photos. When we lose color, we pay attention to the photo itself.

With color, the works presented are relatively fresh, and all the stories seem to have just happened.

8, light and shadow changes:

Light and shadow is one of the most effective ways to render the atmosphere and set off the theme. It plays a key role in expressing the feelings of the main characters in the picture, and it is also the basic factor to express the formal beauty of the picture.

The little boy and shadow in the picture are completely in the light, and the shadow echoes with people. The composition of this shadow contrast effect is flexible, telling the theme that the naughty little son is on the side and still doesn't understand the mother's suffering. The contrast and direction of light and shadow can enhance the sense of space in the picture. Different light uses produce different light effects, and the effects of light and shadow are also different. The silhouette produced by backlight has a weaker sense of space, but it highlights the direct relationship between people more simply and directly. The picture tells the story of his wife pushing her vegetative husband out for a walk to help him recover.

These four elements are just summarized by my own photos at ordinary times, just to provide an idea. I have mastered it. I hope it will be helpful to master the relationship between the environment and people, the role of people's expressions on the picture, and the use of human parts to express emotions.

Compared with form and content, content always comes first. Imitation in form now is to make your photos easy to express content in the future. The shooting is over, not limited to the form, but only for the content.

9, social landscape:

Human society is a part of the whole natural environment, and people's life activities must have their background environment, including natural environment and artificial buildings.

More specifically, shoot whatever you want! You can record your most familiar living area; You can shoot social phenomena that are not in your heart; You can follow your friend all day and record his life; You can even record yourself and shoot anything.

Restaurant worker.

The picture in the lens is composed of many elements, including dynamic and static elements, light and shadow elements, composition elements and content elements. Through different combinations, the same picture can reflect different perspectives and show the world in front of you or the world in your heart. How to make a fuss about these elements?

10, how many kinds of documentary photography are there?

There are many ways to divide it, and the common one is according to the length of information and the content of photography subject.

According to the length and information

? Sketch? Documentary photography: Sketch is characterized by telling a story in a short time and reflecting a social phenomenon, so the amount of information is very concentrated, and usually exaggerated methods are used to bring direct impact to people.

? Tv series? Documentary photography: TV series will focus on a specific theme and be narrated in a long space. Actors' performances don't need to be exaggerated like sketches, and they are closer to daily life. Photographers don't have to: force? Using a single photo to explain the problem, they can dig deeper into the theme, show the subject more comprehensively and carefully, and explain the cause and effect of things clearly with a large number of photos with unified style and form.

? What kind of movie? Documentary photography: The length of a movie is between a sketch and a TV series. It doesn't need to tell a story, it is more subjective and conceptual, and it has the director's personal color. Documentary photography also has such works. They will revolve around a theme, but there is no logic between the photos. They are rich in photographers' unique style, realism and strong freehand brushwork or symbolism.

According to the content of photography theme

Major events: this is a kind of photography of important and influential events, such as wars, political events, major ceremonies, disasters, etc.