A Documentary photograper shoud be able to provide a straightforward and accurate representation of people, places, objects and events. Therefore, a set of attributes make some one to become a good documentary photographer for example; technical skills Strong foundation in photography, using various equipment such as lenses, cameras, lighting.They should be able to make research on a subject thoroughly well. Documentary photographers are communicators and they bring stories to the attention of a wider audience through their work.
To be a good documentary photographer means to be curious, have empathy, emotional intelligence and the skills to craft a story.
Why do we Use documentary Photography to tell stories? #
As documentary photographer,s we want the stories we tell through our images to be engaging and interesting, which is why we think about composition, exposure, framing, lighting and all of the other elements that come together to create images that hold the attention.
In the same way that a film director plans the detail of each scene, the same is true of the documentary photographer, only they have to think quickly because events unfold in real-time. They must decide which images to collect that will faithfully convey the story and achieve any objectives the photographer has identified.
It is important to understand that not every documentary photography project requires an objective. In the same way artists will say that they paint for themselves, there is nothing wrong with simply being a curious photographer.