Documentary Task

Arthur Fellig, also known as “Weegee”, was a famous photographer back in the 1930s.  He became famous “by monitoring police and fire-department radio calls Fellig was able to obtain a large number of dramatic photographs. The ability to be the first photographer on the scene of a major incident, resulted in him being given the nickname, Weegee (a reference to the fortune-teller's Ouija board).” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weegee) 

This photograph immediately connotes to me that the person on the floor is dead, but is this due to the way the photographer has taken the image? Because the guy could easily just be someone who has passed out outside a pub, but because of the crop and the angle of the photograph, we come to the conclusion that this is a dead person. Weegee was a social documentary photographer (press photographer); he wanted people to see his photographs to rid them of their ignorance of the real word and using his “4x5 Speed Graphic camera preset at f/16, @ 1/200 of a second with flashbulbs and a set focus distance of ten feet” (wiki) he created “stark black and white shots” to do this. 

Weegee took a photograph called “The Critic 1943”; “The two women were Mrs. George Washington Kavenaugh and Lady Decies entering the Metropolitan Opera as a "critic" watches.” But this turned out to have a negative impact on Weegee because it turned out the photograph was staged even though Weegee claimed to be.  “The assistant released the drunk woman into the vicinity.” (http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/the-critic-the-fashionable-people/)

This is a photograph is from the “Independent News” website which was done by Rebecca Giffen.  “The photo shows a fake crime scene that I personally set up. The idea behind it came from looking at old crime scene photos from the 1940s ect. I found them fascinating to look at often not even paying attention to the violent crime that has been committed but the surroundings of the location and how peaceful yet disturbing the whole image feels”. I like the way Giffen talks about how the old crime scenes are so fascinating to look at, you don’t pay attention to the crime that’s occurred which I totally agree with, they seem to be more of a fine art photograph rather then a shocking documentary photograph due to their “vintage-ness”, this is probably due to their stark-ness. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/caught-on-camera-britains-best-crime-photography-1696256.html?action=Gallery&ino=36

Similar to Weegee, Giffen has used the press to reproduce her work to the public but admits it’s staged but in today’s time (unlike weegee’s) I believe it wouldn’t have as much negativity or less purpose because it is staged due to people’s understanding of digital manipulation and due to the fact, the image still holds it’s meaning about “What's more harmful – prejudice or war? Pollution or bullying? The finalists in a major new art contest tackle these difficult issues in arresting style”