Assignment 34Extended Documentary

“. . . we are there with our cameras to record reality. Once we start modifying that which exists, we are robbing photography of its most valuable attribute.”

—Philip Jones Griffiths

Purpose: To Tell a Story in Photos.

An extended documentary is a story of a particular ethnic group, community, fraternal organization, lifestyle, social class, age group, or an individual. It could be the story of a place or culture; a city, urban renewal project, highway, or national park.

When you begin an extended documentary it’s not always possible to place an end time to it. It might take a week, a month, or years to complete.

I photographed Route 66 one to two months a year for ten years; after that, I felt there was no ...

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