“Today so many pictures are being taken that no one is really interested in what has gone on before. Man’s witness of his own times dies with him. Added to that, the technological advances in camera design have made photography seem easy. It has become so popular–so used and abused–that because of its popularity, it is in danger of losing its own self-respect as well as the trust and confidence of viewers in its veracity and artistry. The role of the photographer is to witness and to be involved with his subject. There are many concerned photographers all over the world whose work will provide the visual history of our century–the first century of which such a documentation will exist. The concerned photographer finds much in the present unacceptable that he tries to alter. Our goal is simply to let the world also know why it is unacceptable.” by Cornell Capa
If you want to get more information about social documentary photography/photojournalism, Witness in Our Time by Ken Light (currently teaching at Cal Berkeley) is a perfect book to read. I was introduced to this book by Brian Doan (currently teaching photography at Massachusetts College of Art in Boston), author of the The Forgotten Ones (gives the world a window into the lives of ‘left-over’ Vietnamese refugees in the Philippines). It’s relatively short, only 200 pages but contains great information. This is not a coffee table photo book. It is packed with brief history and personal essays from a numerous photographers about social issues during their times (e.g. WWII, Depression, Civil Rights Movement, KKK, Black Panthers). You’ll be amazed by how hard these photographers had worked to bring their images and stories to the readers. The book includes both well-known and less recognized, and you will find many links to many other great documentary books.
“Social documentary photography offers the future a view of the past and a voice to the dispossessed. It bears witness in an age when publications turn toward entertainment and celebrity photography and when individual expression is often drowned out by huge media companies. It amazes me that an individual with a camera and a few rolls of film still has a powerful and enduring voice.” by Ken Light
