For this reason, elderly generations make superb photography subjects. They deserve to have their stories not only told, but shown. As photographers, we take the latter task upon ourselves and should attempt to capture the truest picture of these individuals that we can. — Josh Johnson

Doing documentary photography with elderly provide a chance to capture the history they have witnessed and experienced. Although this is not the first time I do elderly photography, I will like to do better and make progress on it. Therefore, I did more research on it and hope the knowledge could help me and provide more idea on my photography.

1. Communicate and Make sure they are Comfortable

It is always important to communicate with the people when doing photography, no matter with children, pets, adult or elderly. On one hand, before start photographing, I will have to introduce myself and explain the objective clearly, let them know the reasons of what I am going to do with them. It can also allow them know more about me and the project and make them feel more comfortable when I am there. On the other hand, keeping eyes and ears open will allow me to know more about them and draw from their history for inspiration. In the interview, I also asked for a permission to record the conversations, I will attach it in the individual post of the interviewee.

2. Don’t Be Afraid of Color

Many elderly’s photographs that I saw from the internet is black and white, as it carry more emotions and show a sense of timelessness, also more effective for creating mood than color image. Like the photos from Juliana Cristina, in the album from her Flickr ‘Lonely women’, it was a documentary on women living in a nursing home in Curitiba. She used black and white to present images in the whole serious to emphasize the loneliness of the subjects.

Color image sometime makes the scene look too busy and cause distraction, so I will make sure I won’t include and avoid too much color in an image. In my opinion, black and white photo also display sad and negative feeling; in my project, although it is about elderly who is living alone, I want show is how they carry on their life with sort of positive attitude instead of the showing the loneliness. This is the message that I always want to deliver to my audience though my work: candid, positive, calmness and hope. Therefore, I will like to present my work in color in this project even though the photo might still communicates an undeniable sense of loneliness.

3. Surroundings Are Important

I am the one who has been to their home, the place that they have their everyday life, so I am using photography to show what I see and tell stories to the audience.It is very important to communicate the relationship of the elderly and the world around them with the essence of the person’s daily experiences. With each interviewee, I asked for the permission to take photographs in their house, a wide shoot in each room and also with detail shoots. I will also like to capture them in the photos, as it can shows how they incorporate their life and their lifestyle at their own place.

4. Capture the Details

Zoom in and focusing on textures, facial expression, hands, face etc. which can brings unique sense of depth and emotion to the image. Like what I will do in the interview, I will use a 50 mm lens to take hands shoot and portraits with each of the elderly; 50 mm lens is easier to create hazy effect and clean background to highlight the main aspects also present a closer feeling in the images. Therefore, it helps images to carry a strong visual metaphor and deliver the message in different way.

5. Fill The Frame

Filling the frame is an effective way to shoot portraits. By using close up shoot, it can shows the fine details like facial and eyes expressions, wrinkles, the ruggedness of hands. Those elements are very helpful to add character in an image. Also, by fill up the frame and make people focus on the subject and show the main subject in a photo clearly.

Steve McCurry is arguably the most famous portrait photographer of all time. His most well-known and recognizable portrait is the Afghan girl. It has even been likened to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa.

As we can see, even a drawing from 1797, it already shown us it is so important to fill up the frame in portraits. Also the eyes contact and eyes expression from both portraits above are so strong and clear that they seems like to tell something though their eyes. Therefore, by looking at a portraits, it is very naturally to focus on the eyes of the subject; as ‘Eyes are the window/mirror to the soul’, a person’s thoughts can be ascertained by looking in his or her eyes.