That's what you call the decisive moment!. And captured right in the middle of the fray, going in close enough to the action. In this case, the moment a mother is first shown her new-born baby she has just given birth to. By the photographer going in and immersing himself into the action, you get the sense of the messy drama of birth in a hospital, with all the medical paraphanalia around her and her baby. Center of the frame is the mother and her expression - key to the picture. A face full of wonder and bursting with emotion. Brilliant.
Such a powerful image!. And with all the information we need in it to tell us what's going on as we can see it's a Black Lives Matter Protest against racism. Full of symbolism and visual power but also journalistic in it's intent. A strong composition too; that shows the fist of resistance thrust in the air; the expression of rage as well as the anger and defiance. The arm of solidarity over the central figure's shoulder and his other compatriot's battle-ready look next to him adds the the image's power. The dark stormy cloud looming in the top corner adds to the photo's stormy mood. A great image that shows a community coming together onto the streets to show defiance in the face of racism targeted at their community; something people of colour have had to face all over the western world. A brilliantly striking and powerful image. Congratulations!. A worthy winner.
Social Documentary photography is fundamentally about showing people and communities and how they interact with each other and with the environments in which they live: and this image perfectly illustrates this. It doesn't have to be dramatic or intense, but it opens a window into showing life as it is lived; and in this case everyday life of kids in suburbia, and in a lovely way. Perfectly composed and action packed with lots going on. Each participant in play is in a glorious world of their own - running, playing with water, sliding down the slope, dreaming... A great image. Well done!
What a great image!. The face of an angelic boy stares into the far-distance in deep thought as his family fuss over him, and in that very hands-on manner that only loved ones close to him can do (the large hand cradling his head in what looks like a vice-like grip, but we know that it is done with pure love). That's why it's such a lovely picture; because it's so posed and yet so utterly natural. An image perfectly portraying that close bond that families have in an every-day setting.
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A great image that is made stronger by it's wonderful composition. Three young school boys sit obediently - leading from the foreground subject away to the top right of the frame - in class working on their lessons. The photographer has also showed you the conditions of the school, and has shown you how seriously, and with pride, a community can take it's education even though there is little money. Barefoot and with no desks, bare ground and simple materials the boys still come to school immaculately dressed complete with ties, and dilligently get on with their work.
1,170 Photographers
I love this image. Social Documentary photography can immerse the viewer into cultures and communities in such interesting ways. sometimes by pointing the lens away from the obvious; and yet saying a lot about what's going on. Here the photographer is documenting a community that centers around boxing. Not the boxer or the action but the fight seen from the perspective of his/her corner. All eyes transfixed on what's going on the canvas just the other side of the ropes. His/her crew - the trainer, friends and sparring partners shouting encouragement yet nervous at the outcome. You can't take your eyes of these figures whilst they can't take their eyes off their champion. The crowd behind them and the ropes giving you all the visual references you need as you feel like you're right there with them. The lighting and monochrome add to the drama. A brilliant and intelligent, well thought out depiction of a boxing community done in the best traditions of Social Documentary.
An image becomes truly memorable when light and composition come into play. Yes, this is a young monk reading the scriptures in quiet contemplation, but when in a beautifully lit space where the light is hitting various parts of the frame, it is elevated to something visually special.The subject coming into frame from a dark bottom-right hand corner and into the centre of the frame ; head bowed into the reflected light of the pages of the book. The shafts of light beaming down onto him from the top-left of the frame. And then against the backdrop of the squares of light... All combining to give you that sense of what a Buddhist retreat is like and what it means to a community that holds it's religion so close to it's heart. A great image.
What a gloriously wonderful photograph!. Sometimes it's just about homing in on a face in order to bring out the humanist quality of an image. Social documentary photography in the classic humanist tradition is about empathy with the subject in the photo, and here we have it. That beguiling face standing in the rain and connecting in some deeper way with the person taking the picture. Yes, it is taken from inside a dry car of a young woman probably eeking out a living fending for herself on the rain-swept streets, but her expression is so open and alive as she stares into the lens; water-droplets sprinkled like stardust on her face. And the fact that the window is only half-open misted up with condensation only adds to the other-worldly quality of this very emotive photograph. And the fact that it's in black and white makes it look like it's from the time when Social Documentary photography was at it's peak in the mid 20th Century. A beautiful image.
I find the best social documentary images are done candidly, when either the subjects are so used to you being there, they become totally natural in their actions; or when a one-off moment that they are totally oblivious to, is stolen forever by the photographer. Anyway, this is one such example of a tender candid moment captured between two people in love; maybe at a reception in a street cafe. The reflections of life going on outside, as a bride and groom(?) have their intimate gastronomic experience!. A brilliant moment captured!
Sometimes a strong still portrait can convey so much about lives lived and issues explained. This is such an image. Well composed and lit; it shows a young boy with an expression that cuts right through you - the face of a young boy that has seen too much; weary from war and conflict. The pile of AK 47's lying by the tree behind him; alongside his expression and the tattered clothes he wears tells you that this boy is probably a child soldier forced to participate in the wars that have ravaged this region of South Sudan for so long. A brilliant and arresting image that combines the best of photojournalism and Social Documentary.
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This is a wonderfully poignant moment captured in an intelligent way, where you see not only the subject deep in reflective (pun intended!) mood but also the relationship she has with her environment she lives in as she is on her way home on the train. Lost in thought, gliding through her city, the photographer has caught the subject's face in the reflection of the train window. - Humans in their environment perfectly caught in one frame!. Well done!.
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To many, documentary photography has an almost spiritual association with monochrome. The history of black and white documentary photography is long and rich, and the focus that monochrome gives to the story being told in the images is powerful and evocative. If nothing else, take some of your favourite colour documentary images from your archive, and see what happens to them when you strip out the colour, and play with the contrast. All subjects are welcome, as is single-colour toning.
A really striking image enhanced by the interaction of man and animals and nature. I love how the photographer has used a long lens to flatten the perspective as the shepherds follow their flock of sheep and goats down a hill towards us; kicking up a cloud of dust that envelopes man and beast, nicely arranged within the frame. All against a monotone backdrop. Well done.
A visually striking image, not least because the photographer has made what is a very interesting-looking subject the centre-piece of his work. The weather-beaten looks, wonderful beard and dirty-finger-nailed hands of this shepherd comes out brilliantly in this strongly-lit old sheep pen with it's textured walls. Great work!
A brilliantly striking image in the tradition of Social Documentary photography showing humans inter-acting with their environment. A quintet of hardy swimmers walks away from the wide-angle camera in unison, towards a foreboding horizon where a dramatic sky meets a cold grey sea. you really feel the expanse of nature in this image; and the way we always like to go out there and test ourselves against it!.
