Behind the picture
With the internet and social media becoming more ubiquitous every day, we consume images almost like popcorn, flicking on to the next photo and barely giving a few seconds regard to each image, no matter how good it is. But what we forget is that there is often a story behind each picture, of the photographer who maybe went to extreme lengths to take the shot, or of the people in front of the lens whose lives continue on after the picture has been taken. So I thought it would be good to highlight 3 award winning films that show the stories behind the photos and the impact they can have on those on either side of the lens.
Every year for 6 years the Australian photographer Murray Fredericks spent days alone in the middle of a salt lake in Australia trying to capture the remoteness felt in a vast expanse of nothing. Filmed by himself, this stunning short film shows the efforts and battles he faced to achieve the final results, which are shown at the end of the film.
In the world's largest land fill site in Rio De Janeiro the artist Vik Muniz photographed the men and women who spend their lives picking through the garbage for a living and turned their images into portraits. This uplifting documentary tells the story of both the photographer and the people on the site whose lives are transformed through art.
The photographer Sebastião Salgado spent his life photographing major events in the course of humanity. This documentary covers his journey around the world photographing some of the darkest moments in human history and his subsequent search for hope and meaning.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I did, you can click on each image for more information on each film, and don't eat too much popcorn!