THE BROADENING OF DOCUMENTARY

As much as I enjoy both creating and viewing traditional documentary work, I firmly believe the genre has more potential than is currently being realized. Having practiced photography for over 10 years and graduated from one of the top photography courses in the United Kingdom, I now aim to bring these traditional artistic values into the realm of commercial work.

To reimagine how commercial or freelance photography works, we must first let go of deception and stereotypical picturesque photographs. The beauty of a documentary work lies in the story it captures, in its most raw, true, and honest nature. What if the same approach were applied when creating work for a business? Instead of trying to sell a product or a service with perfect-looking photos, what if the client could connect to a personal story of who makes the product and how it is made? Or wouldn’t a wedding album be much more beautiful if it showed the actual event, captured its energy and the couple’s dynamic, rather than being made up of clichéd, pretty, and posed photos?

As in most things, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. The imagery I criticise can serve a purpose, but it must be put into context. This is what I’m to change, whether for a local business, a big company, a family event, or something I have yet to imagine.