>>3876973>How the hell do documentary photographers find and contact subjects?Basically, don't do what
>>3877032 did.
You can approach people and ask them about the area, what the local issues are and so on.
You then ask them if it's ok for you to take pictures to "document the problem" and if they tell you to fuck off, then just accept it.
You need to build a raport first, and if you can't.... well.... I'm not surprised if you spend your hours on an anime forum.
>>3877039It depends. If you genuinely care about the issue, then that's something most people will be open to talk about and let you photograph. Some people are, however, already very skeptical of photographers, assuming them to be hack-journalists who live in some expensive city, come over for a few days and then dissapear forever. This mostly encapsulates most photo-journalists, who are often sent "on assignment", and really have 0 connection or sympathy to the issues or problems locals face.
The best thing is to try to get people to know they're not being exploited, and that you're going to make their issues be known wider. If you have people who are really pissed, they may even help you in your quest, like what happened with Flint, Michigan. People really wanted the world to see their problems with water, and were all too happy to let all sorts of people come in and document almost everything.
>>3877045Sometimes organisations are... not the best source of information. But one thing I will say from previous experience with fieldwork (no photography was involved), is that sometimes you'll meet rather interesting people, and they will be really talkative. Especially older people, as they tend to have a perspective that's often interesting, or unique to their life experience. Working age people will be a bit more hesitant to speak and engage, and some people are really just apathetic to issues.
But the biggest thing to accept is that if someone doesn't want to talk to you or engage with you....
