Here at Sham of the Perfect we talk a lot about documentary photography. It’s on our home page, our info page, we ask for it on our submission page, as well as, on facebook and instagram. However you may be left wondering what exactly is documentary photography? In short, documentary photography refers to the approach of photographing something exactly as it is without any interference or direction from the photographer.
Here’s a little secret about documentary photography: you cannot tell just by looking at a photo as to if it was taken using a documentary approach or not. While there are definitely characteristics of a photo which make it obviously not documentary, there is no one thing you can point to confirm if a photo followed the documentary guidelines. Not sure what I mean? Here are some of my photos, some of which were taken using a documentary approach and some which were not. See if you can guess which is which. It’s not as easy as you might think.
1
2
3
4
5
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Answer: 1, 3, & 4 are documentary, 2 & 5 are not
Well? How did you do?
The only people who know for sure if a photo was taken using a documentary approach are the photographer and the subject. For a photo to be considered truly documentary there has to be no art direction. That means the photographer is not asking the family to engage in a certain activity or dress a certain way. It even goes so far as the photographer is not turning on and off lights, opening windows, or moving objects around to get them in or out of the picture.
In documentary photography it is up to the photographer to do their best with the scene on hand. That can sound really restrictive, but I actually find it to be quite the opposite and once I fully embraced a documentary approach I found it incredibly freeing. My job is to do the best I can with what I have and beyond that to let it go. I approach a scene open to watching life as it unfolds. It is only when I do so that I can fully appreciate the story in front of me. That is not to say that a documentary photographer is simply taking snapshots and calling it a day, there are hundreds of little decisions that have to happen as you click the shutter to make the photo all you can.
Some say that the heart of documentary photography happens before you take the photo whereas in other genres, the decision making happens in post. In documentary photography there is no going into photoshop after the fact and taking out a light switch cover or removing a branch that intersects with someone’s head. You get what you got, and if you didn’t catch it in the moment then you either have to accept the photo as is (imperfections and all) or send it to the trash heap and move on.
Documentary photography is not just catching an in-between moment or when a photo looks messy & unposed. The approach has to be documentary from the start. The family is doing what they would do even if you weren’t there and they are wearing what they would if you weren’t there. For this reason some people see photos that have clean houses and made up families and think it can’t be documentary conversely they see a photo where everything isn’t tidy and outfits don’t coordinate and they think it has to be documentary, but that is not the case. There is no one way for a family to look or behave. What is true for one family does not apply across the board. You can see this play out in our collective posts. Some of us have homes that are well decorated and kept pretty tidy (I am not one of those people), while others of us have more toys and general mess strewn about. Some families tend to hang out at home, while some spend a lot of time outdoors.
Documentary photography comes from a place of non-judgement. There is no such thing as a family that is too boring. There is no need to fill a session with endless fun activities to elicit big emotions and reactions. It’s the job of a documentary photographer to see the humanity of our subjects as they are. From a lowly chipped coffee mug to a baby just a few hours old in the arms of their parents, the story is there and the documentary photographer aims to show it honestly while utilizing all the tools at hand to make it the best photo they possibly can.
To be a documentary photographer you have to believe that real life is enough. It doesn’t matter if you are photographing your own family, clients, shooting street, or doing a fine art project, the documentary approach can be used across the board. Become an observer of life and share the world as you see it through documentary photography.
Hi there!
Greetings! My name is Carrie Yuan, and I am a photographer, mother, wife, and pharmacist making my home in Seattle, Washington. I’m drawn to documenting real life as it happens, when it’s “pretty” but mostly when it’s not. My experience as new mother did not fit the reverie I had conjured in my head during the long years my husband and I struggled with infertility. What began as a means of capturing cute photos of my oldest daughter, photography now is a way for me to honestly depict my experience as a mother. The secret, not-so-sexy parts that I never saw until I became one! The reality that we never wear coordinating outfits, never all have clean faces, we have screaming, crying, lots of laughter, and our fair share of tears (even from the adults), we’re exhausted and most of the time just barely holding on, and that’s the beautiful, honest truth. Being true to myself as an artist has allowed me to attract clients who want the same thing in their own family photographs, and I am so honored when they choose to let me into their real lives.
Sham of the Perfect is a collective that lives and breathes everything that is about living life with honesty and representing the whole spectrum in photo. I cannot be prouder to be part of this amazing group and excited to create some space for this unique movement of documentary photography for families!
I’m Leslie and I live in Washington DC with my husband Aaron and our three boys Zollie, Kingston and Kit. I work full-time, have a part-time photography business and my husband is a full-time student and stay at home dad. Our boys are 5, 3 and 1. I know it sounds so cliché, but time is flying by so fast, so I try to stay present and live in the moment; I do this by documenting our everyday. Photographing our everyday life is my happy place. I gain a new perspective by capturing life through my children’s eyes. I see things I wouldn’t normally have noticed. My photography journey is very personal, but is also about telling their story. I’m excited about SoTP b/c I’m a firm believer in finding your tribe and gathering with like-minded people. SotP represents photographers from all over the world who want to break down the barriers surrounding the idea of the perfect family. We all know there is no such thing, but when we go online, it doesn’t feel that way. This project turns the idea of perfection on it’s head by showing the real. It’s refreshing to be able to showcase individuality and witness the unique stories of others.
I am a documentary family photographer in Sacramento, CA. I capture the joy, purity, and reality of family life. No posing, no directing, no setup. Just life as is. I have an amazing husband of 9 years, and three beautiful, active and sweet little toddlers that are my daily source of stress and inspiration. I’m so excited to be part of this talented group of photographers that also understand the value of capturing real life moments that many take for granted. Together I’m looking forward to pushing my artistry further, growing personally and professionally, as well as making meaningful connections with our group and our Sham of the Perfect audience.
