With my own personal communications background and the courses
I’ve taken at AIC, at face value the term “photojournalism” communicates to me
an overlapping of photography and journalism, two classes that I have taken
independently. Photojournalism is a branch of journalism which in my opinion
places emphasis on selling information through the use of powerful and
sometimes controversial images. In other words, the key is to take pictures
that match the information in a story thematically. It is inadequate and
pointless to use an image with a piece of writing that does not match
thematically as it can be tremendously confusing for the reader/audience.
Similarly, a photojournalist is an individual that excels as both a photographer and journalist simultaneously. I may be stating the obvious here, however, both vocations require a completely different set of specialized skills, the gift is being able to combine the two to become a successful and prominent photojournalist. In other words, an individual that can successfully tell a story by “capturing the moment” and also “be in the right place at the right time.” In addition to being able to take a photograph and think like a journalist, an individual must be aware of ethical considerations within the media, keep up to speed with current events, know the stories that will sell, be willing to conduct through research, and also have an artistic eye. Fairness, accuracy and objectivity are three other crucial components that a photojournalist must adhere to at all times. Overall, the fundamental difference between a photojournalist and a regular photographer is that “photojournalists take pictures of verbs (things happening), whereas others photograph nouns.”
While I strongly believe that working as a photojournalist has the potential to be an extremely rewarding and even life changing occupation, after watching the videos, it quickly became apparent that such individuals also face hardships conflict. The example of Jason Henske, who was working in a small market, openly discussed the difficulties of remaining objective and being able to “separate your feelings as a friend from your feelings as a photographer.” Likewise, the freelance conflict photographers featured in the documentary willingly risk their lives on a daily basis in an attempt to tell stories of conflict through image. There is no guarantee that the images will even be utilized or published and the individuals are in the midst of an ongoing violent battle.
Many individuals ponder why we study history in general, never mind the specific history of photojournalism? History is an ongoing story with endless possibilities. It cannot be summarized by one single concept, there is sporting history, political history, wars, inventions, and so on and so forth. Historical landmarks have defined our present world as we know it and without them we would not be where we are today. The bottom line is, “history is what we make of it,” we can embrace the successes and failures or we can be completely ignorant to its limitless boundaries. The notion of photojournalism dates back to the time of the civil war where exhibits were displayed for individuals to view. It is crucial that we are aware of its origin because we can then appreciate the colossal developments and technological advancements over the years. In today’s society, images are displayed through an array of different mediums: from daily newspapers to the World Wide Web. It just goes to show how times have changed dramatically and without history we would be completely oblivious to this.
Similarly, a photojournalist is an individual that excels as both a photographer and journalist simultaneously. I may be stating the obvious here, however, both vocations require a completely different set of specialized skills, the gift is being able to combine the two to become a successful and prominent photojournalist. In other words, an individual that can successfully tell a story by “capturing the moment” and also “be in the right place at the right time.” In addition to being able to take a photograph and think like a journalist, an individual must be aware of ethical considerations within the media, keep up to speed with current events, know the stories that will sell, be willing to conduct through research, and also have an artistic eye. Fairness, accuracy and objectivity are three other crucial components that a photojournalist must adhere to at all times. Overall, the fundamental difference between a photojournalist and a regular photographer is that “photojournalists take pictures of verbs (things happening), whereas others photograph nouns.”
While I strongly believe that working as a photojournalist has the potential to be an extremely rewarding and even life changing occupation, after watching the videos, it quickly became apparent that such individuals also face hardships conflict. The example of Jason Henske, who was working in a small market, openly discussed the difficulties of remaining objective and being able to “separate your feelings as a friend from your feelings as a photographer.” Likewise, the freelance conflict photographers featured in the documentary willingly risk their lives on a daily basis in an attempt to tell stories of conflict through image. There is no guarantee that the images will even be utilized or published and the individuals are in the midst of an ongoing violent battle.
Many individuals ponder why we study history in general, never mind the specific history of photojournalism? History is an ongoing story with endless possibilities. It cannot be summarized by one single concept, there is sporting history, political history, wars, inventions, and so on and so forth. Historical landmarks have defined our present world as we know it and without them we would not be where we are today. The bottom line is, “history is what we make of it,” we can embrace the successes and failures or we can be completely ignorant to its limitless boundaries. The notion of photojournalism dates back to the time of the civil war where exhibits were displayed for individuals to view. It is crucial that we are aware of its origin because we can then appreciate the colossal developments and technological advancements over the years. In today’s society, images are displayed through an array of different mediums: from daily newspapers to the World Wide Web. It just goes to show how times have changed dramatically and without history we would be completely oblivious to this.
Image Source: http://www.12thpress.com/?tag=phillip-jones-griffiths
Photo by Eddie Adams
Image Source: http://vietnamiconicphotos.wordpress.com/tag/eddie-adams/
Image Source: http://vietnamiconicphotos.wordpress.com/tag/eddie-adams/
I decided to include these two horrific images because in my opinion they each
tell a very unique historical story.
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