Documentary photography - how to get to locations?

joecool

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4 Jun 2006 - 10:15 PM

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Hi,

I've found this great discussion with Sebastiao Salgado in Berkeley, USA. He is well known photographer - his work is amazing. The other guy is photographer himself and there is mentioned that he did some stunning portrait photos in prison in Texas. How do you get to places like that? How do you get to prison or other institutions and shoot people portraits in such conditions? Do you have to be photographer star already to be let in?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7401236797314645644&q=photo+duratio...

anyway, check out the video, it's worthy

imagegrill

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5 Jun 2006 - 12:09 AM

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Not quite the same level but I wanted to shoot some sceme for a bus project I was doing. I went to me local bus company (Stagecoach) and asked them if it was possible and what they would allow me to do.
Turns out they were very willing to help and allowed me to wander around their depot taking shots of whatever I liked.

Clearly this is a little different to Prison work but the point being made is ask, you will often be surprised at the responses!

imagegrill

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6 Jun 2006 - 11:17 AM

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Well of course it's different, I was merely giving an example of ask, you never know what they will say.
Find out a contact (web, telephone directory etc), anyone within the organisation to start with and I'm sure they'll point you towards the right person. Be persistant but not rude and trust your luck.

c_evans99

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6 Jun 2006 - 12:28 PM

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You'd have to change your name first to something like Jake or Elwood tho...

samfurlong

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6 Jun 2006 - 9:09 PM

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Sebastio Salgado is a member of Magnum - for those who do not know, Magum is a very famous collective of documentary photographers which was founded after WWII by Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, David Seymour and George Rodger. All are regarded as among the gratest photographers of their time (as is Salgado). Magnum is regarded by many as the pinnacle of photojournalism, membership continues to be by invitation only.
Having Magnum behind him probably had something to do with his being allowed access to the prisons.

However, as imagegrill said, you might as well try asking. If you have a purpose in mind for the images it helps, rather than just wanting to take them for fun. Also, if you've ever done anything like that before, held exhibitions etc... it also helps.

Present yourself properly and make you approach in the right way and there's no reason why you shouldn't get access. I got access to a steelworks when I was still a photography student and yet the band the stereophonics had just been refused permission to shoot a music video there - I must have just caught the right bloke on the right day.

joecool

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7 Jun 2006 - 7:22 AM

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Why do you think that I'm not? Because I adressed directly what I feel about those comments?

This forum gets poluted by "smart" responces that will take you nowhere. Why? I don't see into other people minds, yet. If you intension is not to share something that will help other, silence is golden.

timiano

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7 Jun 2006 - 8:39 AM

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I don't think foreigners quite get the way we brits do things and answer questions,...more so in public forums.

Personally, I wouldn't change it for the world, but I think we should come with an instruction manual.

covey

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7 Jun 2006 - 3:56 PM

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So, Joe's not so cool then!