Made vs. Found
The story of two types of photography.
Made and Found images are really the only two types of photography. Made images are the result of a photographer making decisions about what they choose to put or not put in the frame; editorial photography, portrait photography, product photography, and fashion photography to name a few. A Made image could undergo a vast quantity of color, and content adjustments in its final form; almost a collage of introduced digital elements. While Found images are exactly that, found slices of life that the photographer came across; photojournalism, street photography, and nature photography. In it’s final form a Found image would have very minimal edits and adjustments.
It is important to note that both Made and Found photography are working to the same goal; to clearly communicate a concept.
How photos translate their concepts take many different forms. For example; e-commerce photography gives you information about a product, a photo in National Geographic magazine gives you information about the world and those we share it with, an artist doing a self-portrait series is trying to tell you something about themselves.
Do any of these photos guarantee a clear message? No. But they all had the same goal to start, to communicate information.
When I embark on a new project, I ask myself what is the overall goal? Is it to sell a product? Tell a story? Make art? Once I have a goal in mind I decide on the best way to get there. Does the image or idea in your head exist in the real world? Or does it need to be made into existence?
Recently, I was looking to make a photo of miners using special boots for a brand, the final images needed to sell a product but they also needed to authentically capture the intense working environment and overall process of the miners at work. That scenario certainly exists in the world; you just have to find it and tweak it to make the story more product centric. If this was a news story, I would not have posed the miners and just captured them in their found positions.
Miner showing off boots.
Miner with tools and specialty safety clothing.
Recently Dowell & Co. pitched an idea to a client that had certainly not been made before; their logo out of hundreds of strawberries floating over a beautiful sunset. This certainly did not exist in nature or anywhere else before we created that view through the lens. The final result was the work of many many hours of editing away the fishing line that held the berries. The structure and false sunset projection used to create the final image also had to be removed during the editing process.
The spectrum of control the photographer imposes on the scene can vary widely as described in the scenarios above. It could be as simple as having people change their shoes and jackets but letting their environment be as is. Or it could be extremely detailed with highly orchestrated props and lighting design. Both have been Made by the photographer to some degree, and both convey a specific message about a brand and a product.
Conceptual mock-up.
Final execution.
On the flip side, I have also captured images for local newspapers with the only goal of conveying a scene or moment in time accurately. I want to be clear here when talking about photojournalism, this is not passive or unbiased. Every photographer trying to find images is making decisions on what is in the frame and what’s out, the angle they are shooting from, whose face they are showing, and what expression is on it. When shooting for Found images it is crucial to take stock of as much of the scene as you can. Find all the elements that can be photographed and that tell the most accurate and engaging story.
Shooting up at the front row of a crowd full of energy is one way to capture a scene, but shooting it from a drone where you can see the crowd is only three rows deep in a giant venue is another. One might be a “better photo” and more exciting and engaging, the other might be a little boring. Neither is “wrong” unless they are intentionally being used to misguide or misinform, it is all about context. The Associated Press and National Press Photographers Association have clear guidelines on the ethics of photojournalism you can find here that can serve as a guide when shooting for journalistic purposes.
Dakota Access Pipeline protest in Washington, DC.
Dakota Access Pipeline protest in Washington, DC.
Riot police in front of the Pennsylvania Capitol Building during a counter protest of a white nationalist event.
When I started my career in photography I worked mostly as a photojournalist, and I still love the art of finding the image. Though I am no longer held to the ethics of photojournalism in my commercial work, the experience of communicating and shooting with strict rules still plays a big role in my process. Showing up somewhere you have never been, taking stock of what is happening as fast as you can, thinking about “what here tells the story best?” and getting the shot is a thrilling and an incredible practice.
In the commercial world, the majority of the work I now take on is “story-based”. The way I think about story-based projects is that “I am making photos based on a true story”. The intention is still to communicate accurately what is happening in front of me but with an added goal of selling a product through visuals that align with a brands overall ethics and ethos.
Ultimately, this fusion of experiences has not only shaped my photographic style but also deepened my appreciation for the multifaceted nature of photography.
Whether I'm capturing the raw energy of a protest march or composing a narrative around a product launch, I remain guided by the same fundamental principle: to communicate with clarity, honesty, and intention.