family documentary photography

[froyd]

Looking links and names of photographers who are exemplary in capturing intimate family moments in a candid, documentary style.

On RFF I find inspiration is the images of several members, like Mudride and kaspartuu. Another inspiration has been some of the work of Nan Goldin.

Here one from Mudride that displays that "slice of life" look I'm interested in:

Any other photographers that you'd recommend looking at for inspiration?

Here is a couple of mine that reflect the style I'm trying to emulate.

I find it particularly difficult to take candid images in crowded family affairs, and I struggled mightily during the recent holiday gatherings, eventually resorting to more staged/posed images.

 

[cz23]

Walt Odets is one of my favorites in that genre.

I wish I did more.

John

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Grandpa and his friends had a country music group when they were teenagers. His mother bought him this guitar for his 16th birthday. I photographed him with it in 1998.

Grandpa eating breakfast in 2003.

Grandpa spent a lot of time standing at the phone in the kitchen talking to friends.

The walls were covered with artwork made by his grandchildren.

Grandpa and his dog, Apollo. 2004.

Apollo Stealing meat from a plate on the kitchen counter. 2006.

Grandpa and Molly, 1995. Molly lived to be 19 years old, outliving Grandpa by a year and a half. She was kind of evil. Molly would stand on the dog's cage and reach through the bars to claw the dog's face up. Grandpa got rid of the dog cage after we caught her doing that. She also killed rattlesnakes and brought their heads back, and she once attacked his neighbor's pit bull by jumping down on to the dog from the top of a fencepost. After clawing the dog's face up, she slipped through the fence and calmly watched the pit bull shake the fence with his teeth! Nothing scared her! She killed more than 6000 mice, chipmunks, rabbits, moles, and snakes. She didn't eat them, it was just fun.

I spent 20 years photographing my grandfather, Charles Crawford. He died in 2008. You can see the rest of the photos on my website. I still have hundreds more photos to scan and add!

http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-results.php?category=10

 

[Dayrell bishop]

About 20 years old Zeiss super Ikonta 533/16

About 20 years old Zeiss super Ikonta 533/16

 

[Dan]

Grandpa and his friends had a country music group when they were teenagers. His mother bought him this guitar for his 16th birthday. I photographed him with it in 1998.

Grandpa eating breakfast in 2003.

Grandpa spent a lot of time standing at the phone in the kitchen talking to friends.

The walls were covered with artwork made by his grandchildren.

Grandpa and his dog, Apollo. 2004.

Apollo Stealing meat from a plate on the kitchen counter. 2006.

Grandpa and Molly, 1995. Molly lived to be 19 years old, outliving Grandpa by a year and a half. She was kind of evil. Molly would stand on the dog's cage and reach through the bars to claw the dog's face up. Grandpa got rid of the dog cage after we caught her doing that. She also killed rattlesnakes and brought their heads back, and she once attacked his neighbor's pit bull by jumping down on to the dog from the top of a fencepost. After clawing the dog's face up, she slipped through the fence and calmly watched the pit bull shake the fence with his teeth! Nothing scared her! She killed more than 6000 mice, chipmunks, rabbits, moles, and snakes. She didn't eat them, it was just fun.

I spent 20 years photographing my grandfather, Charles Crawford. He died in 2008. You can see the rest of the photos on my website. I still have hundreds more photos to scan and add!

http://chriscrawfordphoto.com/chris-results.php?category=10

Chris,

The one for me is your Grandpa talking on the phone -- wonderful.

 

[OurManInTangier]

Check out Bud Green. Its been a long time since I've seen him here and I don't know if he's on Flickr but well worth checking out....and a wonderful guy on top of the talent.

 

[Mackinaw]

A friend's family. Taken back in the mid-80's.

Jim B.

 

[bonatto]

I was positively impressed by Trent Parke's The Christmas Tree Bucket. Have a look when you get a chance.

 

[froyd]

Bonatto, Simon, and John, thanks for the recommendations, I will check them out.

Chris - wonderful stuff. Yours is one of the sites I like to follow both for the technical info and the images.

 

[emraphoto]

this gal is local (to me) and a talented photographer.

http://gofindlisa.com/?gallery_page=lightbox&pp_gallery_id=1411158511

 

[lynnb]

Elliott Erwitt's intimate pictures of his first wife (Lucienne?) during pregnancy and then with their new baby are beautiful.

Edit: Not sure how I could have forgotten to mention Sally Mann's wonderful photos of her Immediate Family (book of the same title).

 

[robert blu]

When well done family pictures can bring up very points, memories, how we were, how we used to dress, furniture in our houses, the relationship going on in our families.
I find this thread very interesting for the suggestions and for the good pictures here.
robert

 

[ian_watts]

Alain Laboile has had a lot of exposure this year and is a fine exponent of this genre.

 

[V-12]

Emmet Gowin is to my mind one of the leading contemporary photographers of 'the family'

http://www.artnet.com/artists/emmet-gowin/

closely followed by Sally Mann

http://sallymann.com/selected-works/family-pictures


V

 

[froyd]

Simon-

Bud Green's Flickr stream is empty. Seems like he moved on or at least restricted public access. Any idea of where to find his work online?

 

[OurManInTangier]

Simon-

Bud Green's Flickr stream is empty. Seems like he moved on or at least restricted public access. Any idea of where to find his work online?

Unfortunately I've found nothing remaining in his RFF gallery or Flickr. There were a couple of 'remnants' that come up via Tumblr linked to his old Flickr account and I found an article from a Flickr group that had Bud discussing his photography with examples (though these have now disappeared.)

I hope his work is out there somewhere as it always touched me with its intimacy & gentility whilst being technically very accomplished.

If anyone knows where to find any of Bud's pictures I'd love to know.

 

[cz23]

When well done family pictures can bring up very points, memories, how we were, how we used to dress, furniture in our houses, the relationship going on in our families....
robert

I agree, Robert. Traditional familly photography is all about content. But I think the point of the family documentary genre, as a more serious endeavor, is to equally stress form and the perspectives we bring to street and other genres of photography.

John

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Crowded - use wide.
Candids - let them get used to camera. More they see you with camera, less they care.

 

[Joe Vitessa]

My problem is that my children -- both under age 10 -- quickly grew tired of having me take their pictures. They both recoil whenever they see me take out my camera--even when I try to be candid. Makes documenting the family difficult... I'm thinking of moving in with another family. Any takers?

 

[froyd]

I agree, Robert. Traditional familly photography is all about content. But I think the point of the family documentary genre, as a more serious endeavor, is to equally stress form and the perspectives we bring to street and other genres of photography.

John

I sure take lots of the former and trying to do more of the latter. I feel my "set pictures" and portraits are as good as I like them to be (of course, there's plenty of room for improvement) but the documentary style that we are discussing here is much harder for me. I agree with your assessment that form plays a big par, but I also think for me the question of intimacy takes top price in terms of what I'd like these pictures to transmit.

The best of this style, transcend the personal interest and become images with appeal that goes far beyond the family circle.

If anything, I'd be willing to bet that in every family there's an Aunt Mildred that would look at a picture like the one of Chris' grand father sitting on the white outdoor chairs and comment "Why did ya go and take a picture like that for? Couldn't you wait he was lookin' up?"