Documentary Photography?
I call myself a documentary photographer. I do not work as a professional photographer. I’m not published anywhere. I hope to experience both someday. About a year into my photo journey back in 2020, my little brother, Tanner, passed away suddenly. At this point I was already carrying my x100f around daily, shooting everything I could, not sure what ‘niche’ or style would call to me yet. When Tanner died, it became important to me to keep my camera on me and to freeze as much as I could. From working through our grief to just taking more photos to have and look back on someday, my camera took some of the weight from my shoulders. My camera saves the memories that I cannot stomach summoning very often, but need to remember.
What is Documentary Photography?
For me, documentary photography is recording a story. Collecting and making images that are narrative. Mostly candid, substance carries more weight than style to me. There is a lot of space for an artist’s style, but the story comes first.
It’s about stepping into a moment—not as a director, but as an observer. The goal isn’t to create perfection but to capture truth, however messy, raw, or imperfect it might be.
Style serves the story, not the other way around. The best documentary photographs don’t scream for attention—they whisper, linger, and invite you to lean in. They’re less about what meets the eye and more about what stirs the soul. A fleeting glance, a hand on a shoulder, or even the way light filters through a window can speak volumes when the story is told with intention.
Personal Reflections
Since 2020, I try to document everything. When I was in the Navy from 2007 to 2012, I went on 4 deployments. South and Central America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East. I saw so much of the world by sea and air. I took so few pictures back then. When I picked up a camera for the first time and began learning ‘photography’, I took more and more pictures. Today, I document. I try to create a cohesive story with my images.
Below is a sample of some images from a family vacation to Maine. I appreciate these much more than having 30 photos of the 5 of us standing in front of various sights. I remember specific moments from this trip vividly. I can go back to that time and place in my mind. I even made a few images on this trip I consider pretty okay as stand alone images. Document.
