Photographic genres: Documentary

Brandon Stanton'Humans of New York’

● He took up photography in 2010 after losing a job in an unrelated field. He took his camera and moved to New York, his initial plan being to photograph 10,000 people, thus creating a ‘catalogue’ of New York’s inhabitants.

● Stanton began to talk to the people he was photographing, collecting quotes and stories from them which he posted along with the image. It wasn’t long before his blog starting gathering attention.

● The project is now an ongoing process, and a book has been published containing 400 of his images.

“My mom is really overprotective. I mean, don’t get wrong… we’re best friends. But it took me moving across the country for that to

develop.”

“We go to the same church.”

Seen on Broadway

“My parents got divorced a couple of months ago.”

“Has your view of the situation changed since then?”

“I guess I’ve just realised that if two people both agree that

they’d be happier living apart, then maybe it’s better for

everybody.”

“I’m tripping out.”

“New York kicked my ass.”

“She won’t talk to me until I get my shit together.”“Who’s she?”

“Every man has a She.”

“I perform in angle grinder shows.”

“What are those?”“I put on a metal outfit, then

I grind the metal off it so that sparks shoot

everywhere. Most of the time there are naked chicks

involved.”

The images Brandon Stanton takes are interesting on their own, but I think the addition of quotes and stories from the subject adds to the photograph a lot. They draw you in make you want to know more about the subject, and make you wonder what else he’s discover about others he has photographed.

He uses colours, compositions, and locations to his advantage - creating individual photographs.

Eugene Richards

● He is a noted American documentary photographer.● His published photos are intended to raise social

awareness and have been described as highly personal. In particular, his second book, which was self published and focused on his hometown of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Being described as ‘an angry and bitter book’.

Eugene Richard’s work evokes emotion in the viewer - you find yourself sympathising with his subjects. He is not afraid to get up close and personal, using this as a way to really show what is going on away from the public eye. His photographs are able to tell a story.

Both Brandon Stanton and Eugene Richards use images to tell stories, however they do this in very different ways.While Stanton gives viewers small bits of information that provide a small insight into the life and personality of the subject, which (more often than not) is positive, Richards’ delves right into the issues he has chosen. Giving strong, powerful and memorable images raising awareness of harsh truths. Another aspect that shows this, is that Stanton always shoots in colour, creating images that are bright and welcoming. Richards’ shoots both in colour, and black and white, but the images he produces in colour uses tones and shadows to give an entirely different feel to Stanton’s street photography.