Reaction Paper On Photojournalism

Photography, meaning “drawing with lights” in Greek, is an art as well as a science of capturing light and storing it on a medium with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, up until the late 18th century, history was mainly recorded through the techniques of painting and the press. These mediums unarguably contained a certain degree of a truth, though, it was not uncommon for events, such as war to be composed with glorified details, or an unfavorable bias from the artist at hand. Beginning in the 1830’s, cameras provided a revolutionary solution by combining the advancements in optics and chemistry. Consequently, the new medium of photography was established and forever changed how history would be visually captured. Unlike other methods, photography

Photographs have been circling the world for years now . There are many different types of cameras, but only some have changed and revolutionized the world. The history behind them and the history it has captured throughout the years has impacted the world in numerous ways. It is very important to know how certain things like lighting and angle affect the outcome of photographs. To be able to capture a perfect photograph one will have to understand how lighting , angle , third rule affect a photograph. Not only are there different types of ways to take photographs but different types of photography.

Description: Margaret Bourke-White. Louisville Flood Victims. 1937. Photograph.

The lightweight camera made it easier to transport and images were taken secretly and confidently. It started the era of the “Candid shot” (Collins). Images begun to look more real and less staged. Photojournalism was much easier, the picture was able to tell the story. Some photographers did not like the loss of freedom and went out on their own. They produced a series of photos that followed the same theme and told a story. This is known as a form of photojournalism and is still used today. Some journalists took on the role of a photographer and decided to write their own story and shoot their own images. There were many forms of photojournalism and one of the most important was the magazine called

Photojournalism has long been considered to have a tradition of reflecting the truth. It has been a major element in newspaper and magazine reporting since the early 20th century. It was probably only about a century ago when people believed that what they saw in photographs was factual. This impact of visual image as seen by the viewer was based on the old belief that "the camera never lies". Wheeler says that photojournalism has "acquired a special standing in the public mind, a confidence that photo can reflect reality in a uniquely compelling and credible way." (Wheeler T, 2002, p. 3) This acquisition is formed by a creation of a powerful picture, which is the combination of both truthfulness and visual impact. "In general,

While emotions were extremely high in the sense of angst for a better life, photography provided a new sense of reality to Americans and for others around the World. Photography all around the World is unlike anything else of its kind. People are able to tell stories and elicit emotions that bring the audience to that desired response. Throughout the 1930’s, photography from governmental institutions or advancements alone brought a new beginning to the end of a terrible time that Americans all around the nation

For this essay the works of Robert Draper, author of “Why Photos Matter,” and Fred Ritchen, author of “Photography Changes the Way News is Reported,” will be analyzed. Though both deal with the topic of photography, their take on the matter is very different. While Ritchen is a photographer who writes on “what professional photographers will be doing in the future,” Draper is a writer for the National Geographic writing on how the photographers of the magazine share “a hunger for the unknown.” Both writers, however, write on the topic of photographers having a deeper understanding of their subjects, Ritchen due to research and practice, and Draper because the photographers “sit [with] their subjects, just listening to them.” In both essays the need for a deeper understanding of the

For everyday pictures, you can mix things up by telling a story with your photography. Instead of snapping pictures as they happen with no influence on the shots, this style of photography involves planning and executing your vision. The storytelling is completely up to you.

While Postman points out the literal meaning of photography is “writing with light”; the two are from completely different universes when it comes to public discourse (p. 71). Unlike typography, photography cannot offer assertions, make propositions and offers no commentary. As long as it is not an altered photograph, it has no choice but to be true (p. 73). Thus, the photograph is only able to capture a moment in time and does not have the ability to comment on that moment. Our author contends, where language presents the world as an idea, the photographs only option is to show the world as an object (p. 72). Whereas in language, the correct context requires consideration of what is said before and after, in photography there is no before and after, only the snapshot of time. Therefore, by its very nature photography is context-free (p. 73). As photography immersed itself in the American culture author, Daniel Boorstin called this “the graphic revolution.” Postman is unequivocal on the point that the traditional forms of information, news, and even reality itself received an impairment by this new focus on images. For examples, he cites billboards, posters and advertisements. He points to magazines Life, Look and several newspapers. The picture was the focal point, and the writing was forced to take a less dominate roll and sometimes done away with altogether (p.

Their print journalist counterparts, who are afforded not only the luxury of editing, but also a few column inches within which to develop their perception of the story fall into a different category all together. A photojournalist must ascertain the defining image of a news event as it is happening and capture it on film. If he or she is doing the job correctly, a reader can get a very good idea of what happened without even reading the accompanying article. There is no luxury of editing in photojournalism, the moment is either captured forever, or it isn't. If a fantastic shot is missed, it is gone forever.

Ever since photojournalism emerged in the early 20th century as a genre of photography, there has been criticism surrounding the ethics and morals of photographing the suffering of others. So-called “documentary photography” has sparked questioning of the responsibility of a witness of suffering in creating positive change. Critics continue to label certain works of photojournalists as exploitation of impoverished people, while the photojournalists themselves argue that the purpose of their photography is to spark attention, awareness, and change. The ethics of displaying photographs of suffering in the media or in exhibition lies in what these images are being used for. A very direct investigation into this idea is through the photography of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.

The advent of photojournalism created new opportunities for photographers and the public. These individuals were now able to travel anywhere to document objects and events because of rapid technological advancements. The most significant impact of photojournalism was its ability to attain for social change by illustrating the problems associated with the society. It has opened up a new field that became extremely influential in conveying social issues to the general public. Social issues like the Vietnam war that was brought to the eyes and ears of the public.

I chose this article for the sole reason that I am a photographer so when I read that we could choose the topic of our paper I wanted to find out how photography and sociology can relate more to each other and what types of articles there are on the library website that I can read to get more of and understanding for how sociology and photography go hand in hand with each other. Therefore, obviously, the main topic is Sociology in Photography and how to build solidarity with subjects and the audience. I also found this to be an interesting topic because just last night I went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History where I got to hear 6 of 11 women photographers from National Geographic speak about their work and they talked a lot about like understanding their subjects and how to build solidarity with their subjects before they photographed them and how to find a way to show the subject to the audience. It was a really wonderful experience to not only look at their works but to also hear them speak and I think that this journal I choose really relates to that which is another good reason I choose it. The research questions being answered within this article are ‘how to build solidarity with your subject’, ‘how to build solidarity with your audience’, ‘how to connect local and global issues with audience’ and ‘how to build an audience network.’

The power stories have to reveal the layers of humanity and create lasting impact on the world has always captivated me. That a series of words can bring a moment to life or expose a global issue. That a single image can bring you to tears or can change your entire world perspective. I remember growing up, reading books and magazines like National Geographic, learning about the world and the lives of people in far off places and seeing in the images something the words could never quite articulate. In my studies, I’ve pursued this fascination, developing the knowledge of how to share stories and events, to communicate ideas and experiences through both written and visual modes of expression.

The article discusses the photographs that are used in newspapers and retained photography that is used to demonstrate what happened or what could be a result of a certain action. It starts out discussing an incident that happened in Boston in 1975.A photographer by the name of Stanley Forman was at an apartment fire hoping to take rescue shots of a young woman and her child being pulled to safety 5 stories high. He didn’t have a second thought of something could go wrong the fireman. It was such a casual matter he even stated “the fireman had a nice strong jaw and looked very brave.”