Social Documentary Photographers Group.

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About Social Documentary Photographers Group.

Social documentary photography or concerned photography is a socially critical genre of photography which is dedicated to the life of underprivileged or disadvantaged people.

Members of this group can create a photo essay that is a combination of art and journalism. As with a written essay, the elements of a photo essay should be structured in a way that easily conveys a story to the viewer. Each individual photo contributes to the overall story, theme, and emotions of the essay. The photos you choose must not only be compositionally and artistically strong, but also informative and educational. Finding photos that have both qualities can be very challenging, but the result can be very powerful.

There are two types of photo essays: the narrative and the thematic. The narrative essay tells a story through a sequence of events or actions. They may follow an individual or activity over a period of time and present this story in chronological order. A thematic photo essay focuses on a central theme (e.g. homelessness, the environment, etc.) and presents photos relevant to that theme.

Regardless of what type of photo essay you choose to present, the following elements should be considered during its creation:

The story- Your essay should be able to stand alone, without a written article, and make logical sense to the viewer.

A range of photos: A variety of photos (wide angle, detailed, portraits etc.) should be included. See the types of photos section discussed below.
The order of the photos: It is important that the order of your photos effectively tell a story, in an interesting and logical sequence.

Information and emotion: Your photos should include both informational and emotional photos. Those essays that effectively evoke emotion while providing information tend to convey their messages the best.

Captions: In a photo essay, captions are your best opportunity to describe what is happening in words and ensure that the viewer understands. Include informational content in these captions if necessary.

Social Documentary Photographers Group would like to see stories not single street photos. Remember this is a documentary group. Up load essays only!

BE AWARE: This group is heavily curated. Photographs will be removed without explanation. To repeat: the admins simply don't have the time to explain why a given photo was removed. Don't take it personally.