Photographers I've Been Following: Documentary Edition

I'm very much interested in documentary photography as it is my field of major. The stories that they tell are just simply amazing and through many genres of photography this is the most honest. When I look at their work I start to gather ideas of how I want to build narratives in my photography. It helps me realize how personal I should be while capturing these moments. Stories can impact an individuals understanding of how a certain situation should be noticed or how an individual should feel. All in all stories are an essential part of how we view the world.

Today I present to you three photographers that I have been following. I am honored to know them personally and with that I want to share to you photographers that have changed my perspective graphically and emotionally.

Unnikrishnan Raveendranathan

As a man who used to be a designer/animation artist Unni has captured the beauty and the ugly through certain places of the world. I was most effected by his projects of the Teenage Dance Clubs and Cash and Blood series. The stress, energy, and moment he captures are just simply amazing and through that he's made a name for himself. Meeting him and being able to talk about projects inspires me to do the same. This is something that I look for because he loves to tell stories through the personal experiences he's been through.





Rob Schutlze

I got to personally know Rob in a class we took together in Academy of Art. He's responsible for the infamous Portraits of the 99 and is still in process of this project. He's been publicized by a couple of newspapers and I believe some magazines regarding his portrait work for Occupy. Though that he's known for this work he's a great portrait photographer nonetheless. His captures are poetic, graphically simple, and emotionally impacting. I love his work and hopefully more will come through the surface.




Irwin Lewis

Irwin is a friend of Theo Slavin which he runs the BADA program at the Academy. Photographically he's got a keen eye for contrast control, design, and decisive moments. A couple of his projects that I loved was his Beautiful Silence, Japan series and his Still Life series. He's a man of pure zen photographically speaking. He takes his time, sees it, and lets the moment look for him. I'm a big fan and I definitely want to see more in the future.


Though that there are more photographers out there doing documentary work I chose these individuals just because their work should be appreciated. They are in constant process of working through projects, working to sort out ideas... something that most of us don't seem to do too often. I am in the same boat, but in the approach of my photography I want to somehow create a relationship between the street style and the doc style. I haven't figured that out yet, but when I do I know who I can say thank you to for the inspiration.