British culture essay

1. Ellie Huff
An investigation into contemporary urban life and culture through the
medium of photography.
Introduction –
My project is focused around documentary and street photography. Street
photography gives us an insight into the depth and complexity of human
experience. Both documentary and street photography gives an opportunity to
capture meaningful moments in ordinary places. Your most ‘uninteresting’
person could actually create a really good picture through the powerful
expressions they display. Documentary photography opens up a path to capture
situations that may otherwise be missed or ignored. Both documentary and
street photographers throughout time have been able to capture some really
important happenings. For example, the photographer Robert Frank captured
some images within his series called ‘The Americans’ which documented the
clear divide between races in 1950s America (see below).
Therefore, both photographic genres are important to study as they can present
issues or problems within society as well as documenting the everyday life of
individuals in different locations. There is no doubt that both documentary and
street photography have evident similarities such as both capturing something,
mainly in the context of people and activities which take place. However, street
photography is classed as a sub genre of documentary photography. This is
because documentary photography is revolved around capturing moments and
selling a story through an image or a series of images. The photographer has an
agenda or a story they want to tell through their photographs and what they
decide to take pictures of is determined by this agenda. In contrast, street
photography is focused around taking spontaneous images of things that intrigue
and catch the attention of the photographer. Furthermore, street photography is
associated with the instant and candid nature. Therefore, although both genres
focus on capturing moments, they are mostly different in their attentions. 4
History –

2. Documentary photography is one of the earliest genres of photography,
starting in the late 1880s and 1890s. The simple beginnings of documentary
photography are found within the work of British photographer Philip
Delamotte (1821 – 1889). This particular photographer was one of the first to
use a camera to capture important events like the disassembly of Crystal Palace
(see below).
Furthermore, people were interested in pictures of important evens, happening
in places far away.
The photographer Roger Fenton (1819 – 1869) presented some battlefield
landscapes pictures, which were considered authentic documentations of war.
His 360 images included pictures of formal groups of officers, battlefields after
action and orderly camp scenes.

3. Fenton used large format glass plate cameras and the wet place process which
required long exposure times, up to 20 seconds or more. Furthermore, each
plate had to be developed straight after exposure and before the emulsion dried.
This therefore required a mobile dark room – a converted wine wagon in
Fenton’s case. 5
Documentary photography continued to gain popularity in the late 19th century,
where the production of photography became more affordable. The theme
around this time was associated with the conditions of the cities. This is visible in
the work of Jacob Riis who was the most popular photographer of this time (see
below).
Later, during ‘The Great Depression’, photographers documented the literal
suffering of individuals living in both urban and rural environments. It is
generally accepted that Eugene Atget is the father of street photography, who
worked the streets of Paris (1890s – 1920s). He established the street as a
meaningful location for photography however, his images mainly did not consist
of people. Furthermore, Henri Cartier Bresson was one of the first
photographers to incorporate human activity into street photography. He was
the first to focus solely on people within the street and to photograph what he
called the ‘decisive moment’.

4. Bresson was known for using only one camera, a Lecia rangefinder and a 50mm
lens. Photographer Robert Frank was next to devour into this specific genre. He
was a member of the New York School of photography. Frank published a book
in 1958, called ‘The Americans’ which remains to be one of the most popular and
best selling street photography monographs of all time.
Documentary photography was made easier through the emergence of portable
hand held camera as situations where photographers aimed to capture candid
shots were made more likely, compared to photographers such as Roger Fenton
who used large glass plate cameras and who had to immediately develop their
photographs.
Photographers Research –
My photographers research had a major influence on my work when deciding
what to take pictures, different settings / locations and also what techniques I
could incorporate. I looked at a range of photographers, both black and white
and colour artists.
One of the photographers I looked at was Robert Frank, a Swiss American
photographer (born 1924). He is known for his street photography and
furthermore, the release of his book titled ‘The Americans’ which was released in
1958. He was also a documentary filmmaker. Frank first used a Rollefix camera
however later switched to a 35mm Leica camera.
The image above was taken by Frank in the city of London in 1951. The
individuals in this image are bankers so therefore have high status jobs, which is
emphasised by the spotless smart uniform and the self-important posture. Frank
was a realist photographer, so captured literally what was in front of him –
something which many people do not see until captured as an image, especially
in a location which is so hectic. Here the photographer has captured a typical day

5. in the life of busy upper class individuals in the streets of London. The difference
in direction is shown by a group of people walking away from the camera and a
single individual walking towards the camera. However, the photographer still
seems to go unnoticed. This could link to the fact that the busy life of those living
in the city creates a uninterested attitude on the street. The poker facial
expression of the individual facing towards the camera could also highlight the
little notice that people take of their surroundings when in such a busy city like
London. At first glance, what stands out to me is the fact that no person here
seems to be talking to anyone and instead they are just walking past each other,
looking miserable and self indulged. This picture clearly represents the divide
between people in busy cities and also possibly a class divide.
The image shown above was taken by the photographer Robert Frank in
America. It is a particularly well-known image and is the cover of his book ‘The
Americans’ which was published in 1958. This is a picture of a bus, with several
passengers of a mixture of ages and skin colour. Frank was photographing in
America at a time where the divide between races was a major issue. Here, we
can clearly see that the black individuals are seated at the back of the bus while
the privileged white people sit ahead of them. This therefore shows the clear
divide between black and white people in 1950s America. Furthermore, the
reflection on the bus windows implies that Frank is photographing in a busy
location, as it is possible to see several silhouettes of those standing in the
background. The facial expressions of the individuals are interesting as one
black individual staring straight into the camera lens, as if he desperately wanted
Frank to capture the image. However, the white woman is looking at the camera
in a blunt and hostile way, which could imply arrogance to the situation, and
segregation that was clearly happening right in front of everyone’s eyes.
A following photographer I looked at was Joel Meyeorwitz,(born 1938) is a
street and landscape photographer. He first started shooting in colour in 1958
and was an early advocate of the use of colour photography during a time when
there was common resistance to it. Meyeorwitz was inspired by the

6. photographer a Robert Frank and in 1962, he quit his job and began to
photograph the streets of New York City with a 35mm Lucia camera.
The above image was taken by Joel Meyeorwitz in New York City, 1964. It was
taken in black and white so therefore was one of his early street images, before
he began to use colour within his work. This image, similar to that of Frank’s
shown above, presents a difference in direction and the clear attitudes of
individuals in a busy city. The image differs in the sense that the individuals
pictured here most likely all differ in social class. Their clothing is varied for
example, one person in the background is wearing a suit and tie and the woman
in the foreground walks the streets of NYC wearing a short dress and wears
heeled shoes. This shows difference in itself and however, this difference fails to
be noticed. The individuals here again walk alone, taking little or no notice of
their surroundings or others, most likely due to the fact that they are focused
solely on reaching their desired destination. What stands out to me most in this
image is that the people here are taking no notice of the clearly disabled man on
the sidewalk. In a less hectic location you would expect to see people offering to
help or stopping to talk and so on. This image, as similar to Franks image clearly
shows a divide between people in a busy urban area.

7. This particular image was again taken by Joel Meyeorwitz in Paris, 1967 and is
titled ‘The fallen man’. Pictured here is a group of people rushing up and down a
stairway, while a man lies on the floor. It appears that the individual has fallen
over, most likely in the rush of the situation. There is a bus and lots of cars in the
background, which implies that this photographer is in a busy city setting. This
image is very hectic; with all of the people staring at the man who has fell to the
floor, but still rushing past. Furthermore, one man actually steps over the body
on the floor, clearly spotting him lying there but still chooses to ignore him. The
contrasts in direction in this image further highlight the busyness of this
location. Meyeorwitz has captured an interesting image here, clearly showing the
arrogance and attitude of busy city goers. No person here has stopped to help the
individual on the floor or ask if he needs help, which would be expected to be
seen in a smaller less busy area. The man who is pictured stepping over the man
stands out the most here as he doesn’t have the decency to walk around the man
or help the man who lay beneath him to his feet and instead, steps over him like
a piece of litter.
Relevance of the photographers research to my personal project –
The research I gathered on the variety of photographers relates to my own
work through similar subjects such as the investigation into urban life and
culture. For example, both Robert Frank and Joel Meyeorwitz set out on the
streets of New York and produced a series of images surrounding life in a busy
city environment. I have conducted my own project mainly in different parts of
London, another busy city environment. The range of photographers I
researched influenced me when choosing the locations for my own shoots
(London - Camden Town, Oxford Street, Stratford etc) as I wanted to conduct
them in a busy urban environment like Frank and Meyeorwitz did. This was

8. because there is a variety of different people and a range of different things
happening in a busy city environment which would ensure I could capture a
variety of images which were unique from one another, like the researched
photographers did.
Here is one image I took for shoot five of my project proposal and it was taken
in Camden Town, London. I personally think that this image relates to one
particular photographer most – Robert Frank. This is because I feel that the
framing is similar to that commonly used my Frank – I took this image on a more
personal level. Furthermore, similar to photographs that Frank produced, the
individual is uninterested in the camera. This is most likely due to the fact that
the location was extremely busy and city goers like this man are more focused on
completing their own tasks such as reaching their destination or in this case, a
busker setting up his equipment.

9. The above image was taken as part of my most recent shoot (shoot six)
conducted in Oxford Street. It was taken of a street act who is dressed up in an
outfit. It is a less candid image as the man is posing for the picture (I asked the
individual if I could photograph them). In my opinion, this image could relate to
several of the researched photographers, one being Robert Frank, again for the
reason that it taken on more of a personal level and the framing is similar to that
sometimes used by this particular artist. Furthermore, I feel that this image also
links to William Eggelston as although the final product is presented in black and
white, he commonly used the approach of capturing staged street images rather
than more candid images, for example in comparison to Joel Meyeorwitz.
The image above was another image taken for my fifth shoot produced in
Camden Town, London. The approach I used was through standing in the centre
of a crowd which ensured a very candid outcome. This was an approach
commonly used by the photographer Joel Meyerowitz in busy city environments.
Therefore, this image reminds me of this particular artists work. The
photographers research I gathered on Meyerowitz was particularly helpful as it
helped me to think more carefully about how I could show progression in the
area of framing and capturing people’s facial expressions. I personally feel that I
have captured the facial expressions and body language of people well here and
it links best to the work of this particular artist for this reason.
Future –

10. Both documentary and street photography are genres in photography that will
be impacted by the technological development of cameras. It may on one hand
become easier for photographers to create their work due to increased camera
ability. However, we may also see a decrease in the number of documentary and
street photographs being taken using a camera. Due to the technological
development of the mobile phone, the quality of the cameras on these devices
are becoming increasingly better and therefore, there is an increase of
individuals capturing pictures on their own personal mobile phones. This
therefore, could possibly mean a decrease in the number of street and
documentary photographs due to the decline in demand for printed photographs
and the increase of people taking their own images they wish to view on their
own mobile phone.
Conclusion –
The research I have gathered on particular photographs has and will continue
to influence me within my own work. I will continue to look at the work of
different artists and take aspects of their work and incorporate it into my work,
therefore producing a strong series of shoots which display strong links. I plan to
improve on some particular areas within my work in order to show progression.
For example, I intend to focus greatly on the point of focus when taking an image
as this is an extremely important aspect of taking a good photograph. The subject
needs to be in complete focus in order for my ability to correctly use my camera.
I also wish to focus on developing my technique surrounding capturing people’s
facial expressions and body language more clearly in order to link it back more
evidently to my chosen photographers.
https://streetphotography.com/a-brief-history-of-street-photography/
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/photography/documentary.htm
https://whistlingwoodsinternational.wordpress.com/2015/04/21/brief-
history-of-documentary-photography/
https://jessicalouisebell.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/documentarystreet-
photography-differences-and-similarities/
https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/remembrance-day-part-1-
photographing-war-fenton-crimean/