Speaking about the great social documentary photographer Dorothea Lange.
“Lange’s greatest lesson is that a photographer documenting social conditions must approach people with dignity and respect, with an honest effort to understand their situation and to capture it truthfully. As she said, “All my photographs are collaborations—the result of [the subjects’] thinking as well as mine.” Lange’s work is the perfect balance of art and information. Her photographs are often beautiful, and sometimes shocking, but not in a way that overwhelms the situation or content she’s documenting. I’m sorry to say a lot of documentary photographers have not learned this lesson or followed her example in this.”
“Lange’s greatest lesson is that a photographer documenting social conditions must approach people with dignity and respect, with an honest effort to understand their situation and to capture it truthfully. As she said, “All my photographs are collaborations—the result of [the subjects’] thinking as well as mine.” Lange’s work is the perfect balance of art and information. Her photographs are often beautiful, and sometimes shocking, but not in a way that overwhelms the situation or content she’s documenting. I’m sorry to say a lot of documentary photographers have not learned this lesson or followed her example in this.”
