History of Photojournalism

The advances in photography and photojournalism throughout history have been giant. At one point, it was revolutionary to not have to lug around your camera and all your equipment in a carriage like Roger Fenton and his assistant did as seen in this picture . At that point it time, it took minutes to even hours to set up, take a photograph, and develop the image. But that is only the first half of photojournalism. New York Times April 12th 1914 Image Source:  https://www.nytimes.com/1914/04/12/archives/realty-men-get-labor-law-relief-new-york-board-took-active-part-in.html The second half of photojournalism is exposure. Not the exposure of the image regarding shutter speed and aperture, but the exposure of your image to the world. Sharing your images with the world is what photojournalism is all about. In 1890, Karl Klic invented what the Rotogravure Process . Professor Nordell talks about the effects of Rotogravure in his video Before There Were Pixels - Part 1 . In the vide...

Bandit's Roost, 59  1/2   Mulberry Street 1888 Photo By: Jacob Riis Image Source:  http://100photos.time.com/photos/jacob-riis-bandits-roost-mulberry-street Depth Of Field The depth of field in this image is only one component that makes it a great picture. As you look at each man, their faces become more unnoticeable making the image mysterious and almost dangerous. Your eye is immediately drawn in to the man on the left but continues on to each face as if you are really there. Background Compliments or Detracts from Composition The background of this image really brings out the focal point of the piece as a whole. The bright background, which seems like sunlight in the distance, brings an ominous feel to the scene. It darkens the foreground making the subjects seem important and intimidating.  Texture The texture of this image brings just another level of intrigue when looking at it. The people are gritty, the light is ominous, and ...

It is obvious that photography has changed drastically throughout history. From wagons, dry plate collodion, and twin lens reflex cameras, to digital cameras and pixels, we are constantly evolving. Professor Nordell talks extensively about how technology has changed in terms of communication and cameras in this video . He opens by talking about how Paul Reverie was instructed “One if by land, two if by sea” to alert his allies of how the British would attack. He later transforms that iconic saying into modern-day slang by saying “Facebook if by land, and tweet if by sea” . This perfectly mimics the transformation of communication by lantern and signal to the internet and the transformation of mechanical and film cameras to digital and pixel cameras.  The biggest change I have noticed in the evolution of photography is the size and mobility of cameras and camera gear. The image of Robert Fenton’s assistant sitting on their photographic van is the perfect way to introduce how camera...

                      I believe that photographs can absolutely change the world. Not only because photographs have changed my life, but they have changed human kind as a whole. From images of fallen soldiers, to iconic images of professional athletes, photographs have helped shape the world we live in today. When you look at various countries and their laws referring to press and the freedom of speech, it is evident that photographs can change the world. Censorship, as explained by Professor Nordell in this video , can devalue images that have the potential to change the lives of thousands of people. He begins the video by asking a simple question: “If a tree falls in the woods and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” . This simple question explains perfectly that images can change the world. Countries who do not allow freedom of press and speech understand perfectly how powerful images are, and because of...

Photojournalism, to me, is the art of telling real life, historical, important, and hidden stories through photographs. I believe this to be true because without photos civilians would never have been able to see images of war-torn countries, riots, the civil rights movement, and numerous other crucial events that have occurred over our time on Earth. Photojournalism, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “ journalism in which written copy is subordinate to pictorial usually photographic presentation of news stories or in which a high proportion of pictorial presentation is used; broadly : news photography ”. This definition goes along with my definition in a few ways. The most important being that it parallels my definition by stating it is news stories through pictures.       Now, photojournalists risk many things to get the perfect image and to tell the truest story possible. In fact, the art of photojournalism is ...

Photojournalism to me is capturing events as they happen for the rest of the world to see. It is to keep the public informed through imagery. Photo by: James Nachtwey West Bank, 2000 - Palestinians fighting the Israeli army. http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/