LITERATURE REVIEW

Being a Buddhist

Paul Williams with Anthony Tribe, 2000, Buddhist thought

This is an introduction to Buddhist thoughts, which takes readers completely unfamiliar with the subject as quickly as possible to an accurate appreciation and understanding of the main ideas tracing their development from the time of Buddha, and opening up the latest scholarly perspectives and controversies.

“For Buddhist, religion is purely a matter of understanding and practising the dhamma, understanding and practice which constitutes progress towards salvation” (Buddhist thought, Paul Williams with Anthony Tribe, 2000, p3) reading this quote made me want to learn more and maybe getting a better understanding from an monk who could help me understand more, it made me was to get firsthand experience and teachings from the Buddhist monks.

Liz wells, 2000, Photography a critical introduction

The book examines key debates in photographic theory and places them in their social and political context. It includes key debates in photographic theory and history, documentary photography and photojournalism and personal and popular photography the book provides a coherent introduction to the nature of photographic seeing.

I wanted to be able to make a photo mean something even though it is documentary i want some to look at it and see more than just a photograph. The book helped me to look more at what i want to photograph.

Abbott, 2010, Engaged observers- documentary photography since the sixties

Engaged observers focuses on nine photographers who have participated in the development of the documentary approach. Surveyed are Leonard Freed, Philip Jones Griffiths, W.Eugene Smith, Susan Meiselas, Marv Ellen Mark, Larry Towel, Sebastiao Salgado, Lauren Greenfield and James Nachtwey Each section opens with an introductory essay that sets the work in its evolving historical context

There was a quote that I found to be quite interesting and made me think about what I want from my own documentary photography “The first word I would remove from the folklore of journalism is the word objective .... The journalistic photographer can have no other then a personal approach” (Engaged observers- documentary photography since the sixties, Abbott, W.Eugene Smith, 2010, p373-p374) I always want my work to be personal be it to learn more or to be a better person not only that but I want to help others to have a better understanding of the world.  IT has influenced my idea as I have always wanted to learn more about Buddhism so reading that quote made me want to do something that is not personal but something that I have always been interested in.

Steve McCurry, 2013, Steve McCurry untold- the story behind the photographs

Steve McCurry untold- the story behind the photographs spans 30 years of his career and includes fascinating ephemera from his travels: diary entries, photos of him at work and some of the 20 plus passports he’s gone through over the decade. The book tells you the story behind the photographs, the journey and dangers he went through.

Steve McCurry was the main influence in my idea as he photographed different cultures around the world he has photographs based on Buddhism but they don’t look documentary but artistic. Steve McCurry untold- the story behind the photograph is full of journals and text that tell you the story behind some of his photographs