Monday, September 21, 2015

I Need To Humanize My Subjects

September 18
To have any effect as a social documentary photographer I need to humanize my subjects as much as possible. I need to follow the example of the great Lewis Hine and his subject of child labor in the USA. In Mr. Hines photograph of a young underage worker not only does he show the photograph but he humanizes his subject by adding a name, age, location. In my work I need to do that as much as I can. If the viewer can identify with the subject that much more, by name, by age (maybe there daughter-son is that age), by location and job. The work will have extra power to cause positive change.

Sadie-Pfefer, a cotton mill spinner, Lancaster, South Carolina 1908 by Lewis Hine