Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Can you image reading a newspaper or magazine that was void of images? How
would you react if you had to watch television news broadcasts that didn't include a
stitch of video? These entities would be incomplete without pictures. Photos make
or break media products. However, these images must be relevant to the event and
society in order to be effective. In addition, the photos must be accurate,
informative and able to convey what is happening during a particular moment in
time.
The world relies on photojournalists to shoot compelling photos that enhance news
stories. Images taken by photojournalists should summarize what has been written
in an article. By doing so, newspaper reading and news watching becomes more
effective as one can better relate the news to real life situations and understand
fully what it must be like to be in that actual place at that actual time. This is
especially true for people who don't have time to read a magazine from cover to
cover. For hurried or slightly disinterested individuals, photos speak louder than
words.
Another positive attribute about photos is that they possess an objective quality.
Pictures, when taken correctly with relevant content, are unbiased. Readers or
viewers are left to make their own decisions on what the truth is. Conversely, words
can carry the bias of the person who wrote them.
A good photojournalist is cognizant that in shooting an event he is upholding a level
of public trust that should not be violated. Therefore, his images should be accurate,
timely and visually stimulating, so that they help viewers identify with the news
story being told.
Life
Paris Match
Sports Illustrated
The main difference between photojournalism and photography deals with how the
image is treated by the photographer. For the photographer who works in fashion or
advertising, the client always has a say in which image gets used and how the
images are constructed. The photographer in these types of situations has a
responsibility to his or her client to produce the type of image that the client is
looking for. Photojournalists, however, adhere to the ethics of the field of journalism,
which state that the photographer's responsibility lies in capturing the images of a
story in the most accurate manner possible and reporting those images to the
public. Therefore, photojournalists carry the burden of journalistic integrity.
The Future
One of the most exciting subcultures of photojournalism that has appeared in recent
years is citizen journalism. With the technological advances of digital cameras,
laptops, and cell phones that are equipped with cameras, millions of amateur
photojournalists are now walking the streets. In fact, major news outlets like CNN
have taken to incorporating the photos taken by these citizen journalists when
major news stories break. As this technologically advanced citizenry continues to
grow in size, there will be increasing opportunities for photojournalism of this sort to
make its contribution to the field, and the history of photojournalism will continue to
evolve in new and exciting ways. Photojournalism has always been important, but
it's impact became even more integral during World War II, when photos taken from
the frontlines were sent back home and gave readers a feeling of what was
happening a half a world away. These days we depend on pictures to not only tell a
story, but to help us connect to it as well.
In the last century, newspaper readers and television viewers have been shaped by
the images captured by photojournalists.
The practice of illustrating news stories with photographs began in the mid 1800s.
Back then, printing presses could only publish from engravings. It wasn't until about
1880 that news photographs no longer required photos be re-interpreted by an
engraver before they could be published.
Examining the history of people in photojournalism from the 1800s until today
provides a unique perspective on how much the genre has evolved. Some of the
most influential photojournalists include:
Brady also took his traveling darkroom to the Battle of Antietam where he
documented the travesties of war, including graphic photographs of corpses.
Brady's images provided many Americans with their first view of the realities of war
in photographs versus "artists' impressions." The thousands of photos Brady took
during these bloody battles are considered the most important visual
documentation of the Civil War.
The talented Danish photographer is credited with employing his photographic and
journalistic talents to help the poorest of the poor. New York City's slums and their
impoverished residents were the subject of Riis' most prolific images. What's more,
they also became the first subjects lit by a new type of flash Riis used on his box
cameras. As a police reporter for a local newspaper, Riis worked in New York's most
crime-ridden and impoverished slums in the dark of night. The elements were not
conducive to stellar photography, so Riis used a type of flash made from
magnesium powder that would ignite behind the camera's lens cap. This added light
allowed him to penetrate the dark streets of New York and capture shocking images
of the city's poor.
survivors at Buchenwald concentration camp, and Gandhi a few hours before his
assassination. She is considered a legend in the field of photojournalism and her
award-winning images can be seen in museums around the world.
Photojournalism Ethics
With the advent of photo editing software and the sensationalistic style of reporting,
photojournalism ethics can be hard to discern for someone new to the field. Yet this
topic is one of utmost importance, as your credibility as a photojournalist is on the
line when you submit a photo as a truthful image of newsworthy events.
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Code of Ethics offers nine
ethical standards to member journalists. The basic premises of the NPPA's nine
standards are:
These guidelines provide a framework for not only members of the NPPA, but for
other photojournalists as well. In addition to the nine standards, a preamble and
seven ideals are also outlined in the code, which further explain the NPPA's
expectations regarding ethical photojournalistic reporting.
Though the list of ethics from the NPPA listed above may seem clear-cut, it can
become difficult to decide where to draw the line. Every situation is different, and
the answer may not be as obvious as it may seem.
Photo Editing
The point at which editing becomes an ethics violation is a fine line. For instance,
the NPPA takes both an artistic edit and a montage edit to task in 2006. In one
instance, the photograph's colors were altered to create a more stunning visual. In
the other, two photographs were fused together to create a photo that never really
took place. Although the second incident is clearly an ethical violation, the first is
not quite as clear, because it was color manipulation. Yet both are breaches of
ethics, because they alter the way the events actually looked.Similarly, the altered
photograph of Iowan septuplet mom Bobbi McCaughey that appeared on the cover
of Newsweek in 1997 drew much criticism for appearing to have straightened her
teeth. Photojournalists need to take care that when they edit photographs, they do
it for technical issues and not for the purpose of altering the actual image.
Photo Context
Figuring out where to draw the line when it comes to the privacy of the public,
especially in violent or emotional situations, is often difficult for photojournalists.
Camping outside a private citizen's home just to get a shot of a returning disabled
veteran from war is often considered a privacy intrusion, whereas photographing
the solider returning home at a public celebration is not. Similarly, shooting
ambulances racing to the scene of an accident, or passenger-free wreckage is
usually considered necessary for a story. However, images of injured victims should
be carefully reviewed before publication.
Photographic tampering and ethical violations have been around almost as long as
the camera itself. The history of photojournalism includes many examples of ethical
A photojournalist, from experience and education, must know what is and what is
not news. The media are often criticized for concentrating their efforts on negative,
often tragic events in their community. Journalism professors Ted Glasser and Jim
Ettema (1989) reviewed the most commonly held news values: "prominence,
conflict, oddity, impact, proximity, and timeliness." In their article, Glasser and
Ettema argued that a journalist should also use common sense, taught in journalism
schools or through work experiences, to decide what is news.
The French photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson used the phrase, "the decisive
moment" to describe the same idea. The decisive moment is an instant when the
subject and the compositional elements form a union. For a newspaper
photographer, the moment may come when a subject expresses in a minor facial
gesture or an overt action the essence of his or her situation and when the
foreground and background visual elements contribute to a reader's understanding
of that subject's emotional state.
A confident news and visual sense is essential when covering any of the many
assignments a photographer may face. Photojournalistic maturity elevates an
ordinary picture taker to a journalist with a clear communicative goal. Whether the
assignment is a ground-breaking ceremony at a local high school or a five-alarm fire
at a nursing home, a mature photojournalist will find a way to capture in
photographs a fresh and decisive summation of the event.
There are six basic types of assignments a photographer faces. News, features,
sports, portraits, illustrations, and picture stories each present a photographer with
a different set of challenges.
TYPES OF PHOTOJOURNALSIM
Spot News. Spot news is any unplanned event where little advanced planning is
possible. Photographers will often learn of spot news events through a radio call
from their photography editor or directly from a police and fire scanner in their car.
Because photographers are often driving in their car, spot news is sometimes found
through coincidental circumstances. Although emotions are high when driving to a
spot news scene, special care must be taken to drive safely. Traffic laws must be
obeyed. Most likely, arriving an extra minute sooner because of a high speed chase
will not make a difference in capturing the most dramatic moments. Almost always,
spot news is an assignment where subjects will be injured or in physical trouble. The
photographer must be prepared to help the injured if no rescue workers are on the
scene. To get quickly through police lines, an identification card is usually connected
to a small chain and hung around the neck. Police officials are supposed to allow
news photographers access to news events. Understanding and tact are often
necessary by photographers during heated emotional moments on both sides of the
police line. A photographer who obstructs the work of the police or rescue workers
runs the risk of arrest.
For news and most other assignments, a photographer must be prepared for any
type of film, lighting, and lens requirement. One camera bag should contain two
35mm single lens reflex (SLR) camera bodies. At least one of the cameras should
have a motor driven mechanism to automatically advance the film. The bag should
contain at least three lenses (wide-angle, normal, and telephoto), a portable flash
unit with a fully charged battery pack, a portable radio for communication to the
photo editor, a pen and notebook for caption information, and a variety of
36exposure film in an assortment of film speeds (100, 400, and 3200 ASA). Color or
black-and-white film depends on the requirements of the individual newspaper.
As with the other assignments, the best images will show the emotional struggle on
the faces of those involved at the scene. Tired and dedicated rescue workers
helping dazed and confused victims is a visual image that often shows more clearly
than words ever can the emotions of concern and fear associated with spot news
events.
General news
A photojournalist must always be prepared for the unusual and the newsworthy.
FEATURE ASSIGNMENTS
With feature assignments a photographer needs the sharp reflexes honed by spot
news events. The trouble with features, however, is that a photographer usually
cannot anticipate where the assignment will take place. It is no wonder that many
undergraduate photography students often complain that they cannot find
meaningful feature pictures to photograph.
Feature assignments are usually self-generated ones. Photo editors, with no other
assignments, will tell the photographer to shoot "wild art" or "a colorful enterprise
picture for Page 1."
An ordinary photographer might drive to a public park and capture the usual
scenes: a child rides a swing, a young woman reads a book, two men talk on a
bench. These pictures are made to show readers nothing more than that the
weather was nice and people enjoyed the day.
A more mature photographer anticipates the need for a feature picture by the photo
editor and has already scouted an area of town or a particular subject that is both
visually interesting and filled with meaningful content.
There are two types of feature assignments: human interest and pictorial.
Human Interest. These features show persons being natural and unique. The images
cannot be anticipated. They are one of a kind moments that capture a person or
group being themselves: odd, humorous, and natural. Cute kids, animals, and nuns
are traditional subject cliches.
Photographers have several techniques they use to take pictures of people. Some
will use a 35mm. wide-angle lens and get close to their subjects. Others use
telephoto lenses to keep a far and undetected distance from their subjects. They
will either identify themselves immediately or wait until the subject asks for an
explanation. There are two things that happen when you ask a person if you can
take their picture and both of them are bad. Either they say no and you don't get
the picture or they say yes and stare and smile at you like they were posing for a
snapshot. When you see some unusual action, get an initial picture. Afterward, you
can identify yourself, get their names, and take addition photographs after they
become accustomed to your presence.
Pictorials. The other type of feature picture is the much maligned pictorial.
Traditionally, the pictorial is a silhouette of two standing, arm-in-arm lovers at
sunset. Pictorials rely on the graphic elements of composition and lighting more
than subject matter. Many times pictorial feature pictures, when combined with bold
page layout design, can educate unsophisticated readers to the artistic forms and
lighting characteristics within their world. A photojournalist should never become
distracted by shapes and shadows. Personal artistic expression in the form of
pictorial feature pictures have a limited place in the photographer's portfolio. It is
far better to take pictures that combine the striking visual qualities of the pictorial
with human interest moments.
Because feature assignment photographers often are their own reporters, much of
the responsibility for the caption is left to the photographer. Names and locations
are a minimal requirement. Quotations from subjects bring more interest to an
otherwise ordinary picture/caption package and increase the chances for larger,
front-page treatment.
SPORTS ASSIGNMENTS
Although most persons would link photojournalism with news assignments, a recent
survey of newspaper photographers revealed that the most common assignment is
actually sports. Sports assignments combine the action and excitement of news
within a clearly defined structure. The key for successful sports photography is to
know that structure. You have to be familiar with the rules of the game to predict
dramatic moments. You should also know the backgrounds of some of the key
players and anticipate their contribution. If you know that a rookie kicker is about to
attempt his first field goal for an NFL team you should concentrate your telephoto
lens on his sideline preparations. In an instant, his face may reveal his nervousness
that would make a good picture.
Becoming a Journalist
Anyone can be a journalist. The First Amendment guarantees that. Anyone can
declare himself or herself a journalist -- and in this day of web logs, many people
have done so.
Journalism is a profession where even the most basic questions such as the
nature of news and the process of gathering and disseminating it are being
examined and debated continuously.
One of the things that makes the future uncertain for journalism is the presence of
the World Wide Web; no one can see clearly how it might change the practice or
nature of journalism.
Journalists today struggle with the question of how to remain relevant to their
audiences.
Attracting bright, thoughtful young people into journalism is one of the great
challenges of today's profession
For the combination of pictures with written information has been coined a new
term Photo journalism. Today newspapers are as dependent on photographs as
they are on news stories, features, columns, interviews and editorials, etc.
Photograph not only supplement text, but also enhance and extend it by
highlighting and pressing upon the readers important points and make it easier for
the reader to build up a picture of what he or she is reading about. Another
important function of pictures in newspaper is to attract readers attention towards a
particular information for achieving a special effect.
During the 1920 when pictures became part and parcel of newspapers and
magazines, experiments were carried out on transmission of photographic image by
wire According to Warran Phillip and Edwin (1985), the first photos sent by wire
were transmitted from the Associated Press which had established its wire photo
network on January 1, 1935 Distribution of wire photos enabled the newspapers to
publish pictures from other cities only a few hours after they were taken.
The invention of television has considerably affected the print media because
television has obvious advantages in many respects over newspapers and
magazines. But arrival of colour pictures in print media has somewhat balanced the
superiority of television. The enhanced interest in photographic communication has
opened new avenues for making business in newspapers and magazines.
Photographers now contribute pictures in the development of photographic essays
and interpretative picture stories. Friday magazines of newspapers are feature
oriented rather than news oriented which publish mostly colour photographs for
articles, fashion essays etc. This trend has attracted freelance photographers to do
business.
There is an old proverb that rightly depicts that a picture could be worth a thousand
words. This is what photojournalism is all about; in this world of jargons and
advanced vocabularies, photojournalism is still an unpretentious form of telling
stories. On the other hand, enterprising people make billions every year from
photojournalism assignments. Moreover, the onset of part time journalists and
freelance photographers has made this field of journalism all the more fascinating
because of new ideas and broader dimensions being added to it by youngsters.
The best inputs in photojournalism at present come from citizen journalists who are
regular folks armed with digital cameras, smart phones or DSLRs. These people are
generally present in the right places at the appropriate time and thereby they
record the event; such a capture ultimately becomes breaking news within no time