A good picture can connect with an audience in a powerful way to reveal truth and is not
influenced by the barriers of language. Photojournalism is an important category of photography that is timely and informative. It is a critical tool for people to
connect with real-world issues, events, or society. Valuable information through photographs can
broaden ones understanding of the world and the different cultures in it. Pictures are unbiased and taken with ethical integrity. As Professor Nordell describes, photojournalism captures verbs – things that are happening- more often than just subjects. Photojournalism
is photography that tells a news story. It will have aspects of timeliness,
objectivity, and narrative.
The history of photojournalism is
important to know to give relevance on why it is important today. According to photographer Rachel Towne, photojournalism began in the 19th century with the Crimean War with photographer, Carol Szathmari. It can also be recognized from early use in the
American Civil War by Mathew Brady. This was the beginning of the ability to
reveal important situations to a broader audience. Photojournalism
really saw its expansion with the invention of the 35mm Leica camera in 1925.
Many journalists were able to seize accurate portrayals of people’s lives for
others to be aware of as in, for example, the Great Depression. Knowing the
history helps one to “appreciate multiple perspectives and interpretations”, as Joanna Hayes illustrates in her video, "Why Study History?". This is so important for people to develop compassion and try to have develop
more successful strategies to handle real-world problems.
What is also important to recognize
about the history of photojournalism, is the photojournalists themselves, and
recognizing the skill and dedication that it took for people to capture moments
that would illustrate news to the public. This relates to what photojournalists
are doing today because they have to be able to know current topics and what is
newsworthy. Professor Nordell describes that photojournalists need to really have encompassed the skills of both a photographer and a journalist. They need an artistic eye to be able to get a
powerful image and the courage to get up close and personal to get a meaningful
one.
Photojournalism captures not only
societal issues or norms, but captures cultures from all around the world to
bring us all together. For example, here is a picture from Jimmy Nelson from
the Hartmann Valley in Namibia.
Photo by : Jimmy Nelson
Image Source: http://www.beforethey.com/artprints/all/44
Now, with digital images, the
ability to capture and spread photo-journalistic images has become even easier.
With that, it provides a greater opportunity for these striking photos to have an
impact on an audience. Hopefully, they might change the masses to take action
for issues or simply provide a more fulfilling understanding of the news that
is covered.
With the advancement of technology
in photography, there is an essential need for photojournalists to really
encompass the spirit of a journalist. Pictures can be retouched and manipulated
in ways that completely falsify the context. It is up to the journalist to take
pride that his publications remain truthful and unbiased. For example, Paul
Hansen’s picture of two Palestinian boys who were being carried to a funeral is
extremely powerful. It won the 2013 World Press Photo of the Year. Many claimed
that it was a fake. Hansen firmly held that it was only retouched for
lighting. With review, the World Press
confirmed it was authentic. The award is well deserved because the picture
illustrates the reality of the innocents who suffer in unstable regions.
Photo By: Paul Hansen
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