eBook-Developing A Documentary Photography Project

HUGO PINHO
DEVELOPING A
DOCUMENTARY
PHOTOGRAPHY
PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
T
he designation Documentary Photography refers to the genre of
photography used to record events, persons and environments with
relevance and significance, for future memory. This description may not
differentiate it from Photojournalism and actually they share many similarities,
but while photojournalism is more about breaking news and creating contents to
the news media, documentary photography is generally related to long term and
in-depth projects.
Frequently designated also by Social Documentary Photography, when the

author uses a form of documentary photography with the aim to draw the publics
attention to ongoing social issues, like child labour, poverty or famine and can
provide evidence of human rights violations.
Child labour in a quarry - near Kuito, Angola.
DEVELOPING A DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT 2

Its also sometimes confused with Street Photography. And while street and
documentary photography may have many aspects in common, street photography
focuses on photographing people in public spaces, with the relevant characteristic
of being spontaneous, un-premeditated and candid. On the contrary, documentary
portfolios are usually the result of long term projects, with a premeditated
intention to tell a particular story. Although street photographs often have visual
similarities with documentary ones, street photography is not necessarily about the
truth, but a well composed, aesthetically interesting and appealing image.
In a fast changing world, a documentary project may have a noble mission of

preserving memories, like professions, habits and traditions in extinction. We
shouldnt wait until its too late to capture whats important to us.
Children playing in the street - Kuito, Angola.

The Halo Trust demining
team - Andulo, Angola

DEVELOPING
A DOCUMENTARY
PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
B
y developing a documentary photography project, you will produce a Most documentary projects usually take from a few months to several years, so
visual narrative, you will tell a story. The most known documentary choose wisely. And when you truly commit to a project, no matter how much time
projects, or at least the ones with more impact, usually cover stories of passes, it will touch you.
political or social significance. But its possible to develop a project about almost
everything. The possibilities are endless. And it isnt necessary to reach remote or Within the several ideas you may have to a new project, carefully check if they have
exotic areas of the planet to create a good story. The subject can be located in our these two key elements before starting working on it:
own city. What frequently happens is that, ironically, in our own countries actually Belief - This is one of the most important elements in order to embrace a project.
can be harder to connect with people and get permission to take photographs. No matter how appealing a project may sound, if you dont believe in it, hardly
youll be able to go forward with it until the end.
When thinking of a subject for a documentary project, there are two important Meaningfulness - Recent estimates tell that around 100 billion pictures are taken
aspects to take in consideration: and 2 billion are uploaded and shared online, every day. From those, how many are
1. It must be interesting to you, its author. Otherwise, very easily youre going to meaningful? It doesnt matter if it is a landscape, portrait or sports photography,
quit; the genre or technical skills arent the question here. The point is, are these
2. It also must be interesting to the general public. If its interesting to you but no photographs interesting? Are they particularly important? Despite the quantity,
one wants to know about it, you will feel frustrated and probably you wont many photographs we see nowadays lack personal effort, or are made exclusively
complete it. for its aesthetic value, stripped of any significance as a register of a place, situation
or event. So, before starting the development of a new project, ask yourselves if its
really meaningful.

One of several abando-
ned tanks in a post-war
country - Kwanza, Angola

Child labour in a
quarry - Near Kuito,
Angola

Entire families working
on the exploration of
stone and gravel for
construction.

PLANNING EQUIPMENT
After the subject is well defined and its time to start working on the project, The same way as everything else, when it comes to equipment there isnt a right or
planning is crucial for its success. Whether it takes place in your home town or a wrong. And what works for one person may not be ideal for another, so the
distant country, the right amount of preparation will make all the difference. opinions here expressed reflect my personal experience and should not be
When you go abroad its necessary to consider: considered as a rule for the success of the project.
Weather
Native language Anyway, what makes a good photograph is the combination of: a place as
Passport and visa background; one or more subjects; the relationship between them; their
The need of specific vaccines expressions; the historical/political/social relevance of the event; the light
Transportation illuminating the subjects and all its variables as intensity, size, direction or colour;
The access to the sites, events or people we want to photograph the right timing of the capture; the framing of the scene; and finally the settings
Local currency like focal length, aperture, ISO and shutter speed. So, as you can see, the role of the
These are just a few examples of important aspects to have in mind. There are so equipment when it comes to obtain a good and meaningful image is nearly
many others and the degree of preparation also varies if youre going on yourself or secondary.
if youll join a group already operating in that place.
There will always be unforeseen circumstances, but its good to be prepared to the Now I will describe what works for me but, before that, I would like to highlight
most likely situations, so we can focus our attention and time on what matters that in every assignment we should use as much equipment as we need, but as little
instead of passing half the time trying to solve the occurrences. as possible. The ideal was to be able to use just one camera and one lens. It allows
us to move freely, faster and interact more with people. It also saves time. In the
past I tried to take all my gear to everywhere, to be sure that I wouldnt miss
anything and have all the possibilities covered. But in the end, while the events
were happening in front of me, I was too busy deciding what to use and missed
many potentially good photos. Its understandable why people want to take
everything, like the old saying Just in case....

Child selling mice at 400
Kz (approx. 4.00USD)
each group.
Near the Luachimo river
- Saurimo, Angola.

We have to overcome that sense of being ready by having everything that we may Advantages:
eventually need and force ourselves to be as minimalist as possible. It will allow us Compact size - When traveling this is a major convenience, because all the
to focus on the subject instead of the gear, to get much more photos and a higher necessary equipment can be carried in a small messenger bag. Actually this was the
keepers rate. main reason why I bought my first mirrorless camera, because I wanted to be able
to carry a camera to everywhere, literally. I would have missed probably half of my
Of course a backup camera might be handy, especially when we are on remote areas shots if I hadnt a camera with me all the time. Also, in some places its better not to
of underdeveloped countries and the nearest camera store is 900 km away. draw unnecessary attentions to ourselves carrying a DSLR with big lens, looking
like a professional and expensive camera, even if it isnt.
This reminds me when I went to Saurimo, in the Northeast of Angola. It was Electronic viewfinder - Being able to visualize in real time how the final image
planned to be just for a few days, so all I took was a cabin bag with a few clothes, will be recorded is a big advantage. From exposure to white balance, what you see is
the basic toiletries and one camera with one lens attached. Turns out I ended up what you get. Especially in tricky situations like low key portraits, we can nail the
staying for 2 months, washing my clothes in the sink almost every night and photo at the first attempt, instead of continuously shooting and chimping the rear
limited to just one lens with a fixed focal length. In the end, I believe I was able to screen until you get the photo and taking the risk of causing a sensation of
take some of my best photographs. Use what youve got - that is the way to see discomfort in the person being photographed. Also, having full time live-view in
things and it forces us to be creative. the rear lcd allows us to frame the shot through this screen, which can be very
useful when maintaining a conversation with the person in front of us.
Quieter shutter - Please note that I didnt use quiet, because apart from some
Camera: few cameras that have electronic shutter, its still noticeable. However, mirrorless
As said above, the equipment is the least important factor in the equation and its cameras generally have a much softer shutter than DSLRs, which can be very
possible to capture a great story whether we use a medium format, a compact useful when working indoors or whenever we wish not to disturb the happening
camera or a smartphone. Undoubtedly there will be differences in the final image events.
but its all about a compromise between image quality and portability.
Any interchangeable lens camera will be a good choice but my preference lies with Disadvantages:
the mirrorless cameras. I started using them in 2012 and find the mirrorless Short battery life - This was never a problem for me, even when I was several
systems perfect for this kind of photography. The few disadvantages are totally days without electricity, which happened frequently. If one battery lasts for
overcome by the advantages. 300~350 shots, its so easy to carry 3 or 4 spare ones inside a messenger bag. But
definitely, its a major disadvantage in comparison to DSLRs.

AF performance in low light conditions - Some of my preferred photographs
were taken in poorly lit environments and the cameras still managed to achieve
focus. But yes, sometimes the AF lacks some responsiveness.
Depending on the conditions under which we develop the project, having a

weather sealed camera can be extremely useful. Usually I take two cameras with
me, one weather sealed and the other not. And Ive been for long periods under
heavy rain without any issues.
Having two cameras can also be convenient when we need two lenses with
different focal length. Its much easier to have one on each camera body and swap
when needed. But beware of having too much gear. Two cameras with 2 lenses can
be useful, 3 lenses its too much.
Lenses:
Taking into account the wide variety of camera systems, from M43 to full frame, to
simplify this text, all focal lengths here referred will always be in full frame
equivalent. My old Mamiya 645 AFD. Didnt use it much.
Sold it to get a much smaller camera.
Lets start this subject by explaining what I think that shouldnt be used:
Telephoto lens - When developing a documentary project we want to tell a story,
so it must have a context. Using long telephoto lens its a bad idea for many reasons.
First, it will compress the background and make it blurry, taking our main subject
out of the context. Second, A telephoto lens creates a distance between
you and your subject, it disconnects you from the action and makes the photos
look very impersonal. And if youre not doing anything wrong, there is no need

to be far away from the persons youre photographing. Third, this kind of lens is Anyway, after some frustrating days stuck with a single focal length, it felt so
usually large and heavy, which will add weight to the camera bag and lower our liberating not having to think which lens to use. I was shooting more, being more
mobility. There are always some exceptions where a telephoto lens is actually creative, moving more around the subjects to find a better framing. It was really a
needed, when the subject is out of reach or for safety reasons its better to keep a relief. From all the variables a photographer has to think before making the shot,
distance. removing one of them allows to focus on the others. In the end, I didnt miss a bit
Ultra wide angle lenses - Despite being appropriate in many situations like of the rest of my gear and I was able to shoot landscapes, environmental portraits,
architecture or landscape, creating very dramatic scenes by affecting the perspective group shots, full body portraits, upper body shots, head shots and close-ups. With
and adding emphasis to the foreground, I believe they should be avoided in the 35mm you have to beware the head shots, because this focal length sits
documentary photography because they introduce heavy distortion, often between the wide angle and a normal lens, and when used too close may introduce
representing people with out of proportion body parts. some noticeable and unflattering facial distortion.
So, the more appropriate range of focal lengths to use should be from the 24~28 to
the 70~85mm. Again, I would like to point out that this is a personal opinion and
certainly there are many examples of wonderful portfolios made with lenses out of
this range.
Using wide lenses allows to include some background, giving a context to the
photograph. For portraits, a 50mm or 85mm lens provide interesting results,
without having to go too far from the subject.
If I had to use only two lenses, would be a 28 and 50mm. With these two, almost
all the needs are covered, from wider shots in tight spaces to portraits and detail
shots. Remember when I said that I stayed for 2 months in an amazing place with
just 1 lens and 1 camera body? It was a 35mm. At first I regretted so much for
taking just one lens but, being at 900km from the capital city and 1250km away
from my work base and without any possibility to go get the rest of my equipment,
I had to find a manner to get the most of this lens.

All photos with the same
camera and lens combi-
nation, near the Lua-
chimo river - Saurimo,
Angola.

Child waiting for the
lunch time in the Kan-
tenga Elementary School
- Katenga, Angola.

Now, regarding the question about using zoom or prime lenses, again there isnt a 1.4/1.8 maximum apertures. This is a major advantage comparing to F/2.8 zooms,
right answer for it. I use both. Regularly I use a zoom with constant F/2.8 aperture because allows to capture images in dark ambientes without having to raise too
in one camera, and a prime in the other. But if I had to be stuck with one lens much the ISO.
again, probably I would choose a fixed focal length. + High image quality: Again, this isnt always the case, as recent zoom lenses often
have an excellent image quality. But generally, even an inexpensive 50mm F/1.8 has
an outstanding image quality. (Now I would like to make a note: its far better to
Zoom lenses: produce interest contents with lower image quality than meaningless images with
+ Versatile: With just one lens its possible to cover all the focal lengths needed. superb definition.)
+ Dust: Using a zoom we dont need to change lens to switch the focal length, + Small and light: This is the main reason to use prime lenses. When on
taking the risk of letting dust coming inside to the sensor. assignments, its important to remain light and with high mobility. Also a plus
+ Image stabilization: This argument is not always valid, because there are some because of the weight limits when traveling by plane.
camera models with image stabilization on the sensor and also stabilized prime - Fixed focal length: We can see this aspect as a limitation, but can also be an
lenses, so it all depends of the model and brand. But, supposing the camera has not, advantage, promoting our creativity. But using two lenses, a 24 and a 35mm, or a
many zoom lenses are stabilized. 28 and a 50mm, this limitation shouldnt be a problem.
- Size and weight: Generally zoom lenses are bigger and heavier, which is a big
drawback to carry inside our everyday bag. Recapitulating, when it comes to lens choice, there isnt a right answer. And its
- Inertia: Having a zoom lens its hard to resist the temptation of standing still and preferable to use what you got and invest in traveling to interest places than the
use the zoom in the wrong way. A zoom lens is made to change the focal length other way around (buying expensive gear and keep making boring photographs
and not to get closer. Photographing a subject with a 70mm focal length is within our comfort zone). If possible, invest in fast prime lenses, as this will open
completely different from getting closer and use the 24mm. Its just not the same new possibilities. Often the most interesting images are made in poorly lit
thing, they have different angles of view, totally incomparable. ambients.
Prime lenses:
+ Cheap: This isnt always the case, but generally, a good zoom with constant
aperture is more expensive than a prime lens.
+ Fast: From 28 to 50mm usually there is a wide variety of lens to choose with

Grocery store & bar -
Chitembo, Angola.

Manuel, the 8 year-old
boy who takes care of his
baby brother - Kunje, An-
gola.

Accessories: in camera.
Bag: Ive been using just small and medium messenger bags. I prefer these over Lens cloth: A basic accessory when on assignment.
the backpacks, because they allow instant access to cameras, wallet, mobile phone, Sensor cleaning kit: When shooting for long periods in dusty environments, I
notebook and pen, passport, power-bank, and many other essential items, doing it always have one in the car or the work base. It saves much time in post processing
on the go, without having to stop and take it off, as it would be cloning the dust spots.
necessary with a backpack. Also because I use them as my daily bag to carry what I Notebook and pen: I still prefer the old school paper and pen to take notes, even
need besides the photo equipment. To avoid catching too much attention, its when there isnt a power source available. The mobile phone or tablet will do the
preferable to use the ones which look like a regular everyday bag instead of the same. To take important notes about the projects development, names of people
ones with popular camera brand names. and places, making plans or just taking notes on meetings.
Camera straps: Some like to use them, some dont. This is a very personal choice. Power-bank: For charging the mobile phone when away from power sources. In
I find them useful when shooting with two cameras in order to have one in the addition, some camera models can also be charged using a micro USB cable.
shoulder while using the other, making the switching operation very fast and easy. I Personal documents: Whether the originals or the copies authenticated by a
either use a third party leather strap, or just cover the brand names in the original notary, they should always be carried next to us and kept safe, especially in
one with duct-tape. countries with many police or military control checkpoints.
Spare batteries: Depending for how long will be away from a power source, I Laptop computer and external hard-drive: To make the backups (more on that
carry between 2 and 6 spare batteries. I dont like camera grips as they add too subject below).
much bulkiness and never found them useful at all. Id rather carry a couple of Money: In Euros, US Dollars and local currency, its always advisable to have
batteries in the bag. Theyre small and weight near to nothing. some money, because we never know which unexpected situations we will face.
Memory cards: We should avoid overshooting a scene. Its better to think Euros and USD are widely accepted, but for small expenses its better to use local
carefully and make 1 to 2 shots instead of shooting in continuous mode hoping to currency.
get one good picture. Still, its always good to have several spare memory cards. AC power adapter: According to where we travel.
And Ive learned it the hard way, when I went to shoot a situation without any
expectation and took only one card. It turned out to be an amazing event and I had The items listed above are the essential to go on assignment and refer only to the
to constantly check the photos in playback mode to choose which ones to erase basic need in terms of photographic gear and accessories. There are of course a
from the card, ending the day shooting in jpeg only to save space. As a note, its not series of other items that one must take according to the place were heading, like a
advisable to delete photos in camera. If you wish to know a bit more, there are small Swiss knife, flashlight and a first-aid kit, including some basic medicines that
many explanations in the Internet. After making the backups, just format the card may be difficult to access.

Finally I will address two pieces of equipment very important and useful to many
photographers: the tripod and the flash. And, unless you need them for a very
specific purpose, I wouldnt recommend their use.
Tripod: Generally, when shooting for one project, whether it is on the streets, a
factory, a village, we benefit from keeping the bag as simple and light as possible,
freeing both hands to handle the camera(s) and increasing the mobility. Both we
and our subject may be moving, so the tripod in this cases is practically useless.
Flash: This is the point on which many will disagree with me, but I dont use flash
to shoot a documentary project. Its all about being as faithful as possible to the
reality and the available light conditions. I can accept that in some particular
conditions, indoors, like an industry or a laboratory, some sort of additional light
has to be used, whether its a flash or continuous led light. But for my personal
taste, Id rather not use it. Of course this doesnt apply to other genres of
photography. For portrait, fashion, macro and many other genres its generally
necessary.

IN THE FIELD
Once the planning is done, all the preparations finished and its time to go to the
field, my first advice would be to always, but always, carry a camera with you. Even
when were not on working mode and havent reached the place as planned. At
any time, something as unexpected as wonderful may happen, so be ready. And
that includes the camera ready to be used, with the right settings. Typically I have
the cameras in aperture priority mode, auto ISO and auto White Balance,
Raw+Jpeg, single shooting drive mode and the center focus point active. These
settings allow to be ready to face any situation that requires a fast response. If other
adjustments have to be made, like change ISO above the upper limit of the auto
settings, or select another focus point, at least this is a good starting point.
Approaching people
When approaching people, no matter the context or place, in your own country or Kuito train station - Kuito, Angola.
abroad, urban or rural, be respectful, introduce yourself, be truthful regarding your
intentions. A good way to start is to introduce yourself, ask peoples names, tell
about what youre doing and ask permission to take some photographs, if possible
using their names when addressing a specific person. That will show you care about
them and how much this means to you.
Each situation is unique, but always tell what you would like to do and respect
peoples will. After your introduction and explanation if someone still doesnt want
to be photographed, kindly thank him/her and ask someone else.

When youre honest and straightforward, usually people dont mind that you A place that, at first, seemed complicated to enter and photograph, turned out to
photograph them. be a surprise. They were very kind and welcoming and insisted to be
photographed.
Dont hide your camera or camera bag. Let them see youre a photographer and get
used to the idea of you being around. Usually the best photographs arent the first, Many times ignored by the society, they liked to have someone paying attention
but the ones you take when people get used to you and your presence is familiar to and listening to them.
them. On some villages it took me months stoping by regularly until I was
welcome just like visiting a relative. After gaining that kind of trust, I didnt need
to ask before grabbing the camera and starting to photograph.
Dont photograph people against their will trying to be unnoticed and using a long
lens. Besides making a completely uninteresting photograph, its disrespectful and
compromises your future presence in that place.
Let people know what youre doing and that some photographs may end up
published on a magazine or website.
Dont act strange. If you arent doing anything wrong, if you believe in your
project, stand for it and be confident on the approach. If you act strange, people
will actually suspect youre doing something wrong. If you are nervous and unable
to explain what you are doing, is unlikely to have permission to shoot.
The following series of photographs was taken inside a building in ruins in the city
of Kuito, after being bombed by the Soviet MIG jets. Despite the lack of
conditions, without water or electricity, many families and homeless people live
inside. Some rooms are filled with piles of garbage and the smell is unbearable.

Access
Access may be one of the key elements to the success of a project. And right after
you decide on the subject, this is the first thing to be worked on.
Take the required steps to be granted access if necessary, such as for example
private properties, institutions, industrial facilities. But for most of the times its
just a matter of talking to the right people, courtesy, persistence and a lot of
patience.
In this series from Angola, most of the photos were taken in small villages where I
stopped on the way to work. The first step was to ask to be in the presence of the
villages chief, Soba as they call him. After meeting him and having a pleasant
conversation, I had the doors open for the whole village. This shows how friendly
they are. Many families were so welcoming that I visited many times, not to
photograph, but to have a nice chat and an occasional drink. And when they were
so used to my presence that they were acting normally like I wasnt there, that was
Agostinho, the Soba of the Nanjengue village - Nanjengue, Angola.

the time that I took my best photographs.
Learning a few words in the local dialect helps immensely and shows how much
you care about them. Even if the pronunciation is very bad. They will love to hear
and will laugh, generating immediate empathy.

Me standing next to Soba
Agostinho - Nanjengue,
Angola.

A number of times I collaborated with European NGOs that were working on the
ground. Being with them the access was very facilitated and gave me the
opportunity to photograph within schools and health centres.
Because they needed photos to illustrate their progress reports or to raise funds,
post-processing was done in color, taking into account the purpose for which they
were intended.
My personal work is normally processed in black and white, but I will further
develop this theme later.
In the Katenga village, school absenteeism was over 50%. Most of the children
went with their parents to work in agriculture. A school canteen was built with the
aid of a Czech NGO and conditions were created for a group of volunteers to cook
hot meals exclusively for students who attended classes.
In a few months the abstention rate was drastically reduced.

Vaccination of the stu-
dents to prevent polio-
myelitis - Katenga,
Angola.

Me, explaining to the
children to behave like I
wasnt there. I guess it
didnt work!

At the Kunje school the
situation was more or
less the same as in Ka-
tenga. Likewise, a can-
teen was built with the
aim of reducing the rate
of school absenteeism.
For many children, it was
the only hot meal of the
day.

In Candumbo it was a
different case. The inha-
bitants of a very poor vil-
lage were being helped to
develop their agriculture
skills. Famine still exists
today and many children
die from lack of food.

In the hospital of Andulo
there is a section that re-
ceives mainly children
who suffer from malnu-
trition.

Attitude
At first I was thinking of calling this section by Shooting techniques but, as I
wont focus on technical aspects but in the posture to adopt in the field instead, I
thought it was better to call it Attitude and describe some matters that I consider
important while shooting.
Atitude: A manner of thinking, feeling or behaving.
Research about the place youre about to visit and its culture. Its important to
know their history and habits. Have an open mind and dont judge what you dont
understand.
Always adopt a positive posture, try to create empathy and, when meeting people
from other countries with different cultures and habits, be genuinely interested in
them and what theyre doing. If youre not genuinely interested in them, you
should not be there in the first place. The project is not interesting.
Having a chat with the guys from the Kunje school.

Spend time getting to know your subjects, instead of rushing to take the
photograph and leaving.
Dont cause something to happen just because you are photographing. Dont affect
the situation. Otherwise you will be telling your story, not theirs. The only
exception are portraits, which sometimes require some direction from the
photographer.

Soba Agostinho, one of his wives and daughter - Nanjengue, Angola.

Try to put yourself on the other peoples shoes. Respect your subject, in order to If they offered you a meal or gave you some craftwork and you wish to monetarily
respect your viewers so they respect you and your work. Often I see in other compensate them, its ok. Otherwise, money for photos its a bad principle and it
photographers social networks candid photographs of homeless people taken at isnt good neither for them nor for your story. If you want to help, try to buy from
distance with a long lens. Please dont do this, unless youre really interested in them local goods like sugar cane, mangos or pineapples.
helping those people and make a proper approach and introduction, talking to
them and asking to tell their story, if you think that could help in any way. In those situations that pointing a camera may cause some tension or even trigger a
Otherwise, dont do it. Any one of us is not immune to being in such a situation. complicated situation, many photographers use to shoot from the hip, or look at
Most of those people had a family, a house and a job. another direction while pressing the shutter button. Those techniques will work,
but better than trying to hide our presence is to make ourselves so familiar within
In my Angolas project, most of my photographs show poverty and people in very the locals that they forget our presence. Of course this is not always possible.
humble situations. But thats completely different. Most of these people became
my friends and I was invited to their homes. These photographs tell their story and Always put your safety in the first place. The notion of risk is different from person
way of living. In all these portraits I tried to capture their dignity, even in the most to person, but avoid placing yourself in potentially dangerous situations to get a
dramatic situations. There is a border that separates a serious and dignifying work photograph.
from bad taste candid photos of poverty.
Know your camera. Not the basics, but really get to know your camera in depth, its
No matter the context, please dont be tempted to take advantage of somebodys limitations and how far can you go with it. The worst that can happen is coming
situation. Its an easy and fast thing to do, but also very destructive. back home and find that some potentially outstanding photograph is ruined by a
wrong setting. Know all the buttons and learn how to change basic settings
When your project takes place among people with scarce resources, try to dress without taking the eye of the viewfinder. When shooting a documentary project,
modestly. You will hardly blend with them, but at least try not to stand out. people arent posing and waiting for you to make the right adjustments in your
camera. The events are happening and either you capture them or you dont.
If possible, return to that place and offer some prints of the photographs you have
made. That will mean a lot to them and its a good way to show that you care. A good exercise to practice is to look through the viewfinder and, maintaining this
Usually its also a great way unlock the possibility to photograph other people that position, just using the fingers and their tactile feeling, make the following changes
refused at first. in the camera: exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, white balance, ISO and
metering mode. After some training, these basic operations can be intuitively made

while keeping the attention on the subject. The worst we can do is trying to metering or exposure compensation, expose the photograph to the subjects face.
capture a photo of someone that kindly agreed to be photographed and spend half One of my preferred conditions to shoot is an overcast sky, that will produce some
the time more concerned with the camera rather than the person in front of us. dramatic background. However, beware of the chance of rain if your camera isnt
The lack of confidence using with your equipment will be shown and will most weather resistant. If it is, shooting in the rain can be a highly rewarding experience,
likely create an discomfort sensation in the person in front of you. with unusual results.
As said before, I like to work with natural or available light, to register in the Once the memory card is full and its time to replace for an empty one, keep it with
photos the same ambient where the story is taking place. But using only available you, not inside the bag. For any reason the bag can be lost or stolen, so at least the
light also introduces limitations and doesnt offer the control the flash does, so images are safe. Usually I do the same when I finish shooting an assignment, even if
constantly be aware of light and how the camera will record it and make sure the the memory card is not full yet.
eyes are well lit.
When it comes to backups, each person has their own workflow, more or less
Harsh direct sunlight rarely works, so usually we find the most flattering light at complex, sometimes using a cloud storage service. The important is that you have
sunrise and sunset. As this isnt always a possible choice, it can be a limitation and one. Mine is rather simple: when possible the photos are transferred from the
you have to find some alternatives to surpass this problem: memory cards to a portable hard drive, then copied to a backup hard drive. Only
Shade: Portraits captured in the shade have low contrast and almost no shadow. then I format in camera all the cards, getting them ready to be used again.
If processing the image in colour, it may have some blue cast to be corrected.
Window light: Windows and open doors will produce a strip of unidirectional
light. Shooting indoors its a great option to use at noon, to avoid the direct
sunlight.
When the subject is lit by this source and its placed against a dark background, it
produces a beautiful contrast. If using matrix metering the exposure must be
corrected, otherwise the camera will try to lighten the dark background. Or you
can switch to center-weighted or spot metering to expose for the illuminated side
of the face.
Face the sun: When none of the previous options is possible, positioning
yourself towards the sun, your subject will be lit from the back. Again, using spot

Using only the door light for indoor portraits.

Photographing under
rain - Kuito, Angola.

IMAGE EDITING
AND POST-PROCESSING
When the capture stage is completed, its time to proceed to the photo editing, and be absolutely correct. There are entire projects made with out of focus
which is the process of selecting the photos that will compose the projects gallery. photographs, or underexposed *, or with unusual framings. You are in charge and
Magazines have photo editors to do this work. And if the goal is to come up with a you decide which criteria to apply. What matters is to maintain a certain level of
group of images that do tell a story, editing a body of work doesnt consist in consistency.
selecting the best photos, but to find the right ones. Frequently, a few photos that
arent aesthetically as pleasing as others may have an important role, making the * As perfectly stated in Michael Freemans Perfect Exposure book, in exposure
transition between two other photos or two chapters of the story. there is no right or wrong, but like an artist you have to stand by your opinion.
Above all, you must know your camera, the sensors dynamic range and anticipate
This is such a subjective matter, that two different editors will certainly make the final result. Try to get it right on camera and dont rely too much on
different choices. But assuming that the editing is done by ourselves, as most of us postprocessing, or you will end up with noise on the shadows or flat highlights.
do, there are some simple guidelines that help to complete this task:
Composition: The elements in the picture have a harmonious relationship A good photo shouldnt be stripped of context, thats why the use of long telephoto
between them? lenses isnt the best choice. It should have at least two layers, preferably three, to
Framing: A correct framing will draw the attention to the subject and remove add dimension. This is not the same as including everything inside the framing,
from the scene the elements that do not matter. Is the framing well achieved or can which would cause confusion about who is the main subject.
it be done with just a slight crop?
Exposure: Is the exposure appropriate? *
Focus: Is the photo well focused? In a portrait, is the focus on the eyes?
If analyzing a certain photo, the answer is yes to all the questions above, it might be
a candidate to be selected. But of course, someone may disagree with these criteria

Make sure the focus is on the eyes.

Family working in a
quarry - Near Kuito,
Angola.

Finally, as photo editing is not a mathematical formula turning everything too instead of pursuing what you like. Times have changed a lot. In the old days, the
much predictable, a good photo should have some originality and surprise element scarce amount of options made it easier to build a style. And often you find
that catches the attention of the viewer. photographers that have used one film stock and one or two focal lengths for their
whole life. Fortunately digital cameras allow us to easily experiment a diversity of
Many times a good portfolio is the result of knowing what images not to show, processing styles. Whether you prefer colour or black & white, my advice would be
which isnt an easy task to do. In the current days the pressure that social networks to avoid the over processing.
put on its so much, it encourages the pursuance of likes and followers, that
photographers feel compelled to publish at least one photo a day. Its difficult to Since 7 years ago, when I switched from film to digital, I have preference for black
resist to this pressure, but try to show only your best work, not giving into the and white images. Along this way I could not resist the temptation to use film
temptation of publishing those photos that are... almost good. simulation presets also, having even bought VSCO packs. But I ended up always
coming back to a simple post processing workflow, with some shadow and
Having the selection job done, if desired with ratings from 1 to 5 stars, its time to highlights recovery, dodge and burn when necessary, a little contrast and thats it.
move forward to the post-processing. Once again, consistency is the key. Whether
you prefer oversaturated or gritty and contrasted black & white images, if you wish Adobe Lightroom is by far my preferred tool, because it allows to make both image
to build your own style, find a certain look that pleases you and keep faithful to it. editing and processing in the same software. I acknowledge the vast potential of
Photoshop, but I try to keep my workflow as simple as possible and Lightroom
This takes time and involves a lot of experimentation. But once you find it, offers all the tools I need.
maintain that kind of image processing for a period of at least 2 or 3 years before
you try different settings. Developing our style takes time and frequently we feel
tempted to follow new trends. Thats also motivated by the pressure of getting
acceptance to our work. Social networks are a wonderful tool that allow us to
easily scroll through the portfolios of so many talented photographers.
On the other hand, trends are changing all the time, from HDR to cross-
processing look, from art filters to the current tendency of the faded vintage film
look (which actually doesnt look like film at all). And the worst you can do is to
imitate and follow these trends because of what you think that others will like,

Original le and nal re-
sult.

Original le and nal result.

TELLING THE STORY
Being a documentary photographer implies a large responsibility. Although it is
impossible not to incorporate a good amount of your personal character into your
work, the main objective is to represent reality. Aesthetics should never override
the truth.
Having the capture complete, the next stage is to select the photographs that best
represent the subject, including those ones that arent so strong but add important
information to better understand the context.
Now Ill list some guidelines for building a powerful and impacting story:
Choose your first photo wisely, to draw the viewers attention and arouse
curiosity to visualize the rest of the images. If the whole story could be told using
just one photograph, this would be the one.
The following photographs right after the first should act as an introduction,
giving the needed information to establish the context.
Use different types of photographs to avoid the monotony and disinterest of the
viewer.
Avoid using all your good photos if they are redundant.
Including a caption in each photograph is optional, but sometimes becomes
necessary given the greater or lesser complexity of the photographed subject.
Keep a logical relation and sequence between the photos.

LAST WORDS
This humble document isnt meant to be a step-by-step guide, but a way to share
my personal view of the theme. By any means I intend to impose my point of view.
There is never just one way to achieve the goal we set ourselves. So, be critical and
walk your own path.
Before concluding, I would like to leave a few last words:

Choose a theme that for some reason has aroused your interest. As a project can
last a long time and require a lot of effort, it becomes easier to proceed.
Make your work timeless. Trends will always come and go. But if you wish to
make your portfolio time proof, shoot work that matters and do it consistently.
The world is constantly changing. We have the obligation to capture it for future
memory. Dont wait until its too late.
The success or failure of the project is not measured by the likes and interaction
in social networks. Only you can determine if the goals have been achieved and,
more importantly, learn from the mistakes and make sure the next one will go
better.
Thank you for your time. I hope you find it interesting. For questions or
comments, please contact at any time.

THE BEST CAMERA
IS THE ONE WITH YOU
Remember when I mentioned in the Equipment chapter that even a smartphone
could be used to capture a good story? Actually, I used an iPhone to make a series
of snapshots, just for fun, to take a break from the other cameras.
Of course a good camera with dedicated buttons for the basic settings offers more
creative possibilities, but the lack of a proper camera shouldnt be a deterrent to
developing a project by which we fell in love.
The following photos were captured with a simple iPhone 4s and processed in
Lightroom.

Content Disclaimer Copyright Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do This work is copyright protected by MH Media. Reproduction of the whole or
not necessarily reflect or represent the views held by MH Media group. any part for commercial proposes is prohibited without prior written consent. Its
usage for articles and paper for personal use is permitted.

Hugo Pinho 2017
MH Media 2017

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HUGO PINHO

Frequently designated also by Social Documentary Photography, when the

Child labour in a quarry - near Kuito, Angola.

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In a fast changing world, a documentary project may have a noble mission of

Children playing in the street - Kuito, Angola.

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Depending on the conditions under which we develop the project, having a

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Agostinho, the Soba of the Nanjengue village - Nanjengue, Angola.

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In a few months the abstention rate was drastically reduced.

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Atitude: A manner of thinking, feeling or behaving.

Having a chat with the guys from the Kunje school.

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Before concluding, I would like to leave a few last words:

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