Settle in this weekend with one of these image-conscious classics
On August 19 we celebrate World Photography Day 2023 – and as it conveniently falls on the weekend, it’s the perfect time to settle in with one of the best photography-themed movies or documentaries ever made.
Our list below contains some real crackers, from Exposing Muybridge (starring Gary Oldman) to the documentary classic Finding Vivian Maier and the all-time great feature City of God. All of them great watches and use the lens of photography to explore wider themes, from global warming to album covers.
Once you’ve made your pick, you can watch safe in knowledge that you’re doing it in honor of something a bit more significant than National Avocado Day, too. After all, World Photography Day is a genuinely important date – it was on that day in 1839 that the Daguerrotype process was officially gifted to the world (or, in modern lingo, went open source).
What’s the Daguerrotype process, other than a great name for a prog band? It was the chemical method developed by French artist and physicist Louis Daguerre, which ultimately became the first commercial photographic process and, you know, pretty much laid the groundwork for 20th century photography. Not bad work for a Monday, as it was on 19 August 1839.
As the Instagram-obsessed inheritor of this amazing technology, it’s arguably your duty to add one of the excellent docs or movies below to your weekend schedule. Or perhaps binge the whole lot over the two days and dazzle your co-workers with your photography anecdotes. Either way, Louis Daguerre would approve – and there’s nothing more important than that.World Photography Day 2023: documentariesExposing Muybridge (2022)
The big bang moment for movies (or ‘motion pictures’) was a Victorian technique called chronophotography – with the first and most famous example being ‘A Horse in Motion’, captured by Eadweard Muybridge in 1878. The story behind the creation of this landmark piece, shot with a row of 12 cameras, would be interesting enough on its own. But the fact that Muybridge himself was also a fascinatingly eccentric character makes this the perfect World Photography Day watch.
‘Exposing Muybridge’ assembles a charismatic raft of art historians and Muybridge fans, including the actor Gary Oldman, to bring the cinema pioneer’s story to life. There’s analysis of Muybridge’s landscape photography techniques in comparison to greats like Ansel Adams. But this biography also has enough to impress non-photography fans or anyone who’s seen Jordan Peele’s Nope, which features ‘A Horse in Motion’ in its early scenes. The ideal taster for what is surely an inevitable biopic.
US: stream it on Amazon Prime (free) / YouTube / Apple TV (all $3.99)
UK: watch it on Curzon (£4.00 or free for members)The Velvet Queen (2022)
Wildlife photography demands serious patience, which some find dull and others see as a magical doorway to philosophical musings about life itself. If you’re in the latter camp, you’ll love this documentary about the quest of wildlife photographer Vincent Munier and the travel writer Sylvain Tesson to find the rare, and seemingly mythical, Tibetan snow leopard.
It might have Planet Earth-level cinematography, but that’s where the similarities end. Instead, the The Velvet Queen marries a slow, meandering pace with a beautiful soundtrack from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to create a hypnotic journey inside the heart of photojournalism.
US: stream it on Amazon ($4.99)
UK: stream it on Virgin TV Go (free) / Amazon (£3.49) / YouTube (£3.49)Icon: Music Through the Lens (2021)
This six-part documentary is a real treat for lovers of music, photography and the metaphoric duets between the two art forms. With so many iconic photos to discuss, it’s no wonder they needed six hours to get through it all.
The series is divided into distinct categories, including album cover art, music posters, touring photography and magazine covers, and ends with a look at how photography fits in with contemporary music and culture.
With input from some of the biggest names in photography, as well as imagery from major artists from the world of music, you’ll probably feel compelled to binge the whole lot in one setting.
US: Stream it on Amazon Prime Video
UK: Watch it on Sky ArtsAbstract: Platon (2019)
Abstract: The Art of Design is a Netflix docuseries, with two seasons, putting the spotlight on the creative process of some of the most influential figures in fields such as graphic design, product design and yes, you guessed it, photography.
