For this exercise we are looking at two photo essays, Bryony Campbell’s “The Dad Project” and W. Eugene Smith’s “Country Doctor”. Two chronological photo essay’s, Smith’s 1948 essay concentrates on the daily challenges faced by Kremling Co’s Tireless resident Doctor, Dr. Ernest Ceriani. The other, Campbell’s 2011 essay is a daughter’s story documenting her Father’s journey towards death after his terminal cancer diagnosis.
Smith, the Godfather of the photo essay, follow’s Ceriani around his rural practice and documents the daily challenges of a remote doctor in 1940’s America. Smith first has to get to know his subject, shadowing the GP with his camera without film in it originally, so the doctor can get used to him just being there. Once Ceriani was used to Smith being around, he was able to capture some unbelievably candid moments between doctor and patient. He manages to document the inner rewarding and outward hardship. With his superb composition and masterful storytelling, Smith manages to create a set of images, that not only portrayed the story at the time for LIFE’s magazine readers, the images also have the rare quality of long lasting appeal, appearing as fresh today as they did 60 plus years ago. A trait rarely seen in today’s image heavy, throw away culture.
Campbell’s The Dad Project is a great example of photographic and personal bravery rarely seen. For her essay in contrast to Smith’s, Campbell does not have to get to know the subject. She delves into the personal struggles of her own family. Dealing with acceptance and ultimately grief of her Father’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Campbell’s images are so personal, almost too personal, to the point where you feel you are intruding on an intimate family moment. This set of images portrays the inner turmoil of the daughter, whilst trying to be the photographer and vice versa. As the viewer you feel the families pain, these thoughts slowly move into the uncomfortable truth of our own mortality and the realisation of one day being without my own father.
Both of these masterful story tellers give us profound but differing versions of the photo essay. Both have a lasting effect on us, whether it is the catharsis of Campbell’s work and the help it continues to give people dealing with grief. Or In Smith’s case the W. Eugene Smith Memorial fund for Humanistic photographers, which supplies grants to photographers who’s stories may never have been told without it.
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