Documentary Photography

Photo by Elliott Erwit. 1963. "USA. John F. KENNEDY's Funeral. Etats Unis. USA. Arlington, Virginia. November 25th, 1963. Jacqueline KENNEDY at John F. Kennedy's Funeral." Magnum Photos. ARTstor Collection. ID Number NYC13662.jpg.

This photograph is of Jackie Kennedy at her husband’s, President John F. Kennedy’s, funeral on November 25^th 1963.  I chose this photograph because of both the emotion it displays, and the emotion it has the power to bring out in its viewer.  For me, documentary photography has a lot to do with not only what is actually taking place in the photo (the particular event being documented), but also what emotions it evokes within us when we see it.  The fact that photographs can have the ability to take us back to a moment in time and help us relive what we were experiencing then—or help shed light on a time/place/event that we weren’t witness to—still amazes me.  They can be so powerful!  I would imagine just about every American who was alive in 1963 can recall what they were doing when they found out Kennedy had been shot—just like I bet everyone in our class can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard about the 9/11 terrorist attacks (I certainly can!).  This photo shows not only the emotion of a wife who has just buried her husband, but it also perhaps speaks to what America as a whole was experiencing after the assassination of a beloved president and all the emotion and important events leading up to and surrounding this moment in time, such as the Civil Rights Movement.  That to me, is what documentary photography is all about.