Class Documentary Photography Project I

The curricular unit Documentary Photography Project I introduces students to one of the most relevant fields of contemporary photography, both in the artistic and in the social and cultural domains. Although the notion of Documentary Photography is not univocal, it is possible to identify principles that permeate most of its practices: a commitment to reality, social and political awareness, and the intention to produce representations that, rather than fixing a “truth,” problematize the ways in which we look at and narrate the world. The course combines theoretical reflection, historical contextualization, and photographic practice, in order to explore the fundamental dimensions of Documentary Photography: testimony, evidence, memory, and narrative. Its aim is for students to understand Documentary Photography not merely as a genre, but as an idea, a philosophy, and a practice, while developing a critical and autonomous awareness of the role of the documentary image in contemporary cultu

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Historical and theoretical framework Evolution of Documentary Photography: origins, consolidation, debates. Photography as document: evidence, proof, representation. Photography, memory, and narrative. The tradition of Documentary Photography Pioneering authors and the affirmation of the field. Modern and contemporary approaches and transformations of the “documentary style”. Contemporary contexts Circulation, archive, and re-appropriation of the documentary image. Ethical, political, and aesthetic issues in practice. Practice and documentary project Role and motivation of the documentary photographer. Conception and development: research, theme/territory, planning. Coherence: image capture, editing, selection, sequencing. Photographic narrative: ways of telling and structuring the real. Discussion, presentation, and critique of projects.

Students are guided through the development of their individual project in an implicit way, through a series of practical exercises that should culminate in the definition of a theme and a methodological approach, in order to activate the process of artistic creation. Formation of working groups for mutual support throughout the development of the individual project.

Bate, D. (2009). Photography: The Key Concepts. Berg. Bogre, M. (2019). Documentary Photography Reconsidered: History, Theory and Practice. Routledge. Bull, S. (ed.). (2019). A Companion to Photography. Wiley & Sons. Franklin, S. (2016). The Documentary Impulse. Phaidon Press. Fox, A. & Caruana, N. (2013). Por trás da imagem. Pesquisa e prática em fotografia. Gustavo Gili. Guadagnini, W. (ed.). (2014). Photography: The Contemporary Era 1981-2013. Skira. Shore, S. (2022). Modern Instances: The Craft of Photography. A Memoir. Mack Books. Stallabrass, J. (ed.). (2013). Documentary. The MIT Press. Wells, L. (ed.). (2006). Photography: A Critical Introduction. Routledge.