We love talking to our Contributors, gaining an insight into their business and creative mindsets and based on the popularity of posts where we interview photographers we wanted to share some of our favourite movies and documentaries chronicling the lives and works of some the world's most notable, inspirational and sometimes controversial photographers.
War Photographer is a unflinching and moving portrayal of the works of one of the most, if not the most, famous war photographers of our time: James Nachtwey. The award-winning documentary, produced by Christian Frei is exemplary in that it details not only the man behind the lens but takes a broader scope at the subjects he dedicated his working life to documenting. It establishes the argument that to truly capture an event, particularly one of such emotion, one needs to truly get inside the subject, to build a rapport with those being photographed even if that does involve having to overcome language barriers at times. It also details the techniques Nachtwey uses to really gain an intimate perspective of the realities of war from a personal and technical point of view.
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens is a historical view of one World's most renowned celebrity photographers; it being easier to count those she hasn't shot than those she has, the list being that long. Some of the most famous photos of celebrities throughout the last forty years have been shot by Leibovitz including the infamous Vanity Fair front cover of a nude and pregnant Demi Moore and the Rolling Stone cover depicting a naked John Lennon draped over a clothed Yoko Ono. Leibovitz was the last person to professionally photography Lennon, he was killed just five hours later after the photograph was taken.
Created by her sister Barbara the documentary is a vivid portrayal into the often blunt approach Leibovitz takes in getting up close and personal shots of her subjects.
One of the 20th Century's most celebrated photographers is arguably Henri Cartier-Bresson and the biographical film, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye charters his life and his multiple subjects from war zones to luminaries in the world of politics and culture. Made in 2003 just a year before he died, it features interviews with the photographer himself as he describes and comments on a selection of his own photographs. The stories of each are incredible and give an insight even further than just the initial images: his imprisonment during WWII and the moments he shared with Gandhi just before he was assassinated.
If you're familiar with architectural photography then the name Julius Shulman will aptly be familiar. Visual Acoustics, celebrates the life and work of the acclaimed photographer, narrated by Dustin Hoffman. His work is of intrinsic importance to the emergence of modern architecture into the face of how people view America. He brought what were previously unheard of works of giant steps in contemporary architecture into the mainstream including the works of Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright and John Lautner.
Have you a favourite Photography documentary? We'd love to hear which ones if so! Let us know by commenting below.