“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.”
― Henri Cartier-Bresson

“To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”
― Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers

“People spot a big black lens, and they worry about what they're doing, or how their hair looks. Nobody see the person holding the camera.”
― Erica O'Rourke, Torn

“I had rescued the moment by using my camera and in that way had found how to stop time and hold it. No one could take that image away from me because I owned it.”
― Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones

“The best traveler is one without a camera.”
― Kamand Kojouri

“Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important. Capture the good times. And if things don't work out, just take another shot.”
― Ziad K. Abdelnour, Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics

“[Adam picks up the camera] "I have to get a shot of this."
The reaction in the room was swift, and unanimous: every single person except me raised their hands at once to cover their faces. The accompanying utterances, though, were varied. I heard everything from "Please no" (Maggie), to "Jesus Christ" (Wallace), to "Stop it or die" (I'm assuming it's obvious).”
― Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

“The camera would miss it all. A magnificent picture is never worth a thousand perfect words. Ansel Adams can be a great artist, but he can never be Shakespeare. His tools are too literal.”
― John Dunning, The Bookman's Wake

“You only have to start saying of something : 'Ah, how beautiful ! We must photograph it !' and you are already close to the view of the person who thinks that everything that is not photographed is lost, as if it never existed, and therefore in order to really live you must photograph as much as you can, and to photograph as much as you can you must either live in the most photographable way possible, or else consider photographable every moment of your life.”
― Italo Calvino, Difficult Loves

“A camera is just a medium to capture what you have in your vision, and vision is something that cannot be bought.”
― Neeraj Agnihotri, Procrasdemon - The Artist's Guide to Liberation from Procrastination

“Sometimes my pathology just spills out into the camera doesn't it?”
― Craig Ferguson

“Most of the movies are working like, 'Information, cut, information, cut, information, cut' and for them the information is just the story. For me, a lot of things [are] information - I try to involve, to the movie, the time, the space, and a lot of other things - which is a part of our life but not connecting directly to the story-telling. And I'm working on the same way - 'information, cut, information, cut,' but for me the information is not only the story.”
― Béla Tarr

“My lips are like camera for her, whenever I click her with my lips, she smiles.”
― Himanshu Chhabra

“I have spent too much time with my eye glued to the viewfinder and ended up missing both the image of the mind and that on film.”
― Doug Peacock, Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness

“When I looked at life through the camera, I felt like I could finally see it.”
― Katherine Howe, The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen

“It's easier to face the camera than life. As in the former the script is known.”
― Haresh Sippy

“…Essentially the camera makes everyone a tourist in other people’s reality, and eventually in one’s own.”
― Susan Sontag, On Photography

“The camera connects me to the raw beauty of nature.”
― Biju Karakkonam, Nature and Wildlife Photographer

“My camera unlocks the secrets of the wild. It allows me to capture nature undisturbed.”
― Biju Karakkonam, Nature and Wildlife Photographer

“The photographer had a camera strapped around one leg, attached to a cable that ran up his trouser leg and into a pocket. He could squeeze a bulb in his pocket to take one picture which would be unnoticed in the glare of sparks and the horror generated by the chair.”
― Deborah Blum, The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

“Magic unfolds when i kiss the camera.”
― Raigon Stanley

“This is not to say that before the invention of the camera men believed that everyone could see everything. But perspective organized the visual field as though that was indeed the ideal. Every drawing or painting that used perspective proposed to the spectator that he was the unique centre of the world. The camera - and more particularly the movie camera - demonstrated that there was no centre.”
― John Berger, Ways of Seeing

“I shoot cops with a video camera.”
― Steven Magee

“Cameras have a special kind of magic. You can reframe the familiar and make the everyday seem extraordinary. That's why I adore them.”
― Rebecca Ryder, The Dream To End All Dreams

“Documentary photography is one of the prominent and influential branches in the art of photography that records social, cultural, and even historical realities. This type of photography allows the photographer to depict real and sometimes untold stories of everyday life and people. In this type of photography, the main goal is to convey the sense of realness and authenticity of the scenes. In this article, we will review important tips and principles for documentary photography with a camera and explain how to record facts in an attractive and effective way.

Choosing the right equipment

Choosing the right equipment
Choosing the right equipment for documentary photography is very important, because you often need to act quickly and accurately. Using DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras are the best options for this type of photography.

Camera feature advantages
High flexibility DSLR, excellent image quality, various lenses
Mirrorless light and compact, more speed, silence
Recommended lenses:
50mm prime lens: for portraits and close-ups.

24mm wide lens: for shooting wide landscapes and scenes.

The importance of light in documentary photography
Natural light is one of the main factors in documentary photography. You can't always control the lighting conditions, but learning to use ambient light, especially in public or outdoor settings, can help you create better images.

Important points in using light:
Natural light: during the golden hours (early morning and evening) is the best time to take documentary photos. This light is soft and pleasant.
Shadow Light: If the direct sunlight is strong, try shooting in the shadows to avoid harsh shadows on your subjects.
Composition techniques in documentary photography
Composition is one of the key principles in documentary photography, with the help of which you can tell a telling and interesting story. The rule of thirds is one of the best and most common compositional rules used by documentary photographers.

Rule of thirds:
Divide the image frame into three horizontal parts and three vertical parts.
Place the important subjects of the photo at the intersection points of these lines.
Also, pay attention to the depth of the scene and try to use the foreground and background properly to make your image more dynamic.

Taking meaningful photos
One of the important principles in documentary photography is the meaningfulness of the images. Each photo should tell a story or capture a special moment. In order for your images to be real and emotional, it is better to interact with your subjects and capture them in their natural state. Don't be afraid to record unexpected and normal moments; Because these moments can better reflect the reality of everyday life.

Recording feelings and emotions:
Documentary photography should be able to show feelings and emotions well. Pay attention to small details in faces, gestures and looks. These details can add depth to your images.

Choose the right angle
The right angle of view can make a big difference in the impact of your documentary photo. Try different angles to find the best way to tell your story.

Low Angle: To show the power or glory of a subject.
High Angle: To show the smallness or loneliness of the subject.
Normal angle (Eye Level): to create a closer and more realistic connection with the viewer.
Camera settings for documentary photography

Camera settings for documentary photography
Camera settings are very important for documentary photography, as you may be shooting in different light conditions and at high speed. In the following, we mention some key camera settings for documentary photography.

shutter speed
For documentary photography, where there is a lot of movement in the scene, the shutter speed is very important. If you are shooting moving scenes, the shutter speed should be faster than 1/250 second to avoid blurring.

resource : nivamag.ir”
― mostafa

“Human perception / perspective through the viewfinder is more important (to me) than the science / technology in my hands. Nature provides the consequential value and satisfaction...”
― Vernon Chalmers

“It is tempting to draw a connection between Ansel Adams’ Moonrise, Hernandez and the tools he held in his hands—the Ansco 8x10 camera, the Taylor Hobson Cooke convertible lens. Yes, they made the image possible, but does the camera truly matter? Could it not have been a Deardorff or a Kodak Master View? What I’m trying to say, perhaps imperfectly, is this: It is never the machine that creates the image, but the soul behind it. The lens does not see; the photographer does. The camera is a vessel. The vision—the light, the shadow, the breath of the land—that belongs to the one who dares to witness.”
― Craig Varjabedian, Landscape Dreams, A New Mexico Portrait

“A camera is a gun. An image taken is a death performed. Images put together are the substructure of an afterlife and a Judgment.”
― Thomas Pynchon, Vineland

“A good photograph emerges when emotion discovers its voice, and that voice is rendered visible, a testament to the alchemy of thought and feeling captured in light.”
― Craig Varjabedian, Landscape Dreams, A New Mexico Portrait

“I photographer because I want a visual diary. Photography lets me capture the fleeting moments of daily life, the images would otherwise fade into oblivion. My contact sheets, my hard drives bursting with images, these are my personal journal, just with better lighting and way less writing. - Chris Geiger”
― Chris Geiger