TellThatStory decided to conduct research on two genres of photography that often have been confused as one and the same thing. In light of this, some artists attempted to give it a go. Below is one of such responses. The content of this post is an opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of TellThatStory. Enjoy the read.
What is documentary photography? Documentary photography, in my opinion, basically records issues, stories, or an event. In this way, I create history and share with other people different realities around the world.
How is it different from Street photography? Are there cross-cutting edges? Documentary and street photography are both styles that documents, but I think street photography documents ordinary instants of everyday life rather than communicate issues that matter.
Some say documentary photography should always be done in projects; how true is this? There is always the chance to break the rules. Still, I agree that documenting a story is better to do in projects because the photographer should know the people involved to feel and tell the story better.
What is the essence of documentary photography to you? To share stories or issues with other people who are not aware of different realities worldwide and to help others.
What will you say now is your documentary photography voice? What sayest thou? To share the stories I encountered with other people to understand better the human condition.
Is it a profitable venture? How can I make a profit from it? All my trips are self-funded, and I don’t make any money from them. The primary purpose is to share the stories through my website and other platforms. The only way I can make a profit is probably to sell the stories to magazines or newspapers.
Last words to those in and those who will enter in? Follow your passion and do it for the right reasons, to tell the world about other people’s issues, problems. In that way, we might be able to help others.
Celia Ruiz de Castilla is a photographer based in Sydney, Australia. She can be reached via her website.