What Is Photojournalism?

When we talk about photojournalism, there will be various type of definitions to explain this term. In your own opinion, what does photojournalism means? 

According to an article posted on photographyicon.com,  photojournalism is define as the process of story telling using the medium of photography as your main story telling tool. While a journalist will use their pen and paper to jot down important details and tell stories, a photojournalist will use their camera to capture the visual representation of the whole story. 

How does a photo capture the essence of the whole story? Well, there is an old adage that says, "A picture is worth a thousand words". This saying is the theory behind photojournalism. In photojournalism,  it is believes that photos have powerful influence. Besides, due to the believe that photos have great impact towards a story, many publications are willingly to pay a great deal of money to those photojournalist who can capture the most dramatic images on film which can evoke emotions. 

In photojournalism, it is all about the decisive moment. A photojournalist needs to assure the right situation and the right time to capture good photos that could educate viewers and also able to engage with them emotionally. Good photos are also photos that provide instant feeling on the things that are currently happening. J. Bruce Baumann, the assistant managing editor for graphics at The Pittsburgh Press, once said that the reason that he choses this field is to make a difference. In order to present the lives of people, their joys, their fears, their happiness and sadness are considered as one of the purpose behind photojournalism.

According to Nancy Lee, the deputy picture editor of New York Times, said that, photographers should always consider what isn't always obvious. This is what behind the news. Here we can see that the importance of photojournalism is to find photos that represent deeper meanings and trigger audiences' emotions in order to influence them. 

Photojournalism can also be define as a field for photojournalist to educate millions of people on various social justices. A great example of photojournalist is Robert Capa. He photographed many wars and had the motto which says, "If your pictures are not good enough, you are not close enough."Although his motto leads to his death during the IndoChina War, but his works has laid great influences on millions of people by teaching them the importance of defending justice. 

Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

The above photo is an example of good photo in terms of photojournalism. The facial expression of the subject, the background and the colour of the photo can engage viewers emotionally. The photo gives out a vibe to the viewers that subject in the photo is going through some difficulties in her life. The combination of the melancholy look in her eyes and the black and white scheme together with her children leaning on her, portrays that she is holding on to her faith that everything will eventually become better. 

By reading through the definition, further explanations and example above, it is clear that photojournalism is basically a creative process in order to tell what is happening around the world by taking something generally artistic and added into a journalistic content. 

References: 

Horton, Brian. 1990. The Associated Press Photojournalism Stylebook. New York: The Associated Press.

Parrish, Fred S. 2002. Photojournalism: An Introduction. USA: Wadsworth Group. 

"What is Photojournalism". Retrieved from www.photographyicon.com, on 24th February 2017. 

How Photojournalists are able to be Agents of Change?

What moves a person when they look at the pictures taken by a photojournalist is not just about the picture taken but the words that comes along with it. It is the background story that is behind the picture that tells the greater story that allows the photojournalist to create an impact by engaging with their emotions. Thevos Tsairis, Co-Founder of the Alexia Foundation said that ‘photojournalists work to reveal the truth in what they witness’ and ‘photographs are catalyst for change when they turn evidence into emotions’.

             Photojournalists are able to engage with the public’s emotions and awareness is through their intimacy with the subject and the audience. They are the middle man that connects moments with humans whether in the subject of human rights, climate change or even from a political standpoint. They do not decide for the audience on what to do, that is for audience to decide for themselves. What photojournalist do is to put themselves in the shoes of the subject and tell a story through their photography and words. They basically draw out the dotted lines from all corners of the globe and let public connects the dots to see the big picture.

An agent of change in creating awareness on the education and acceptance for blind children.

ng Students at the Meng Jie School for the Blind, in Hebei, China, 2014 by Lijie Zhang

Photographer Lijie Zhang hopes to document the lives of blind children in rural areas of China because they were isolated by their society. Through her pictures, she could reach out to more people who would help create awareness for people to reach out and to accept them as part of the society. 

An agent of change in creating awareness of how chemicals could significantly alter the lives of our future generation.

Some of the chemicals we use everyday in our modern world eventually find their way into our bodies. In extreme cases, such as the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, the exposure is so high that it alters the DNA and can affect even your children and grandchildren. This is the case with this child, who has no eyes, with Fraser Syndrome in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photography by Peter Essick.

What is Newsworthy in Photojournalism?

Newsworthy is a common word used in the world of journalism. The term refers to the elements that make stories worth telling to the public audience. Newsworthy materials are determined through seven basic elements that are proximity, timeliness, impact or consequences, rarity, conflict, human interest and prominence (Evangelical Press Association, n.d). These elements were based on the answers to the basic formula for journalism writing, 5Ws + 1H.

But living in the era of convergence, the quality of the news no longer depends solely on one’s writing skills. The photographs that go together in the articles also play a significant role in disseminating the message to the public and this is where the role of a photojournalist comes in.

A photojournalist disseminates message through visual communication with photography. The process of conveying the message is done through photographs, using the photographs as part of the news content thus making it important that the photographs use to be newsworthy.

Drama, emotion, actions, artistic qualities, strange and prominence are some of the key elements in determining a newsworthy shot (Stovall, 2005). These elements play a major role in evoking emotions among the viewers that could later lead to social change in our society.

These are some of the examples that showcased newsworthy elements.

Actions

An assignment on 2017 Westminster Dog Show by Alan Taylor/ The Atlantic

 Photo by Jewel Samad /AFP/Getty

Photo by Brendan McDermid/ Reuters

Emotions

An assignment on Philippine Drug War by Aurora Almendral

 Photo by Adam Dean/ National Geographic

Photo by Adam Dean/ National Geographic

Drama

An assignment on Worst Wildfires in Chile's History by Alan Taylor

 Photo by Martin Bernetti /AFP/ Getty

Photo by Juan Gonzalez/ Reuters

References

Evangelical Press Association. (n.d). Journalism 101: What Makes a story newsworthy?   Retrieved 24 February 2017 from https://www.evangelicalpress.com/jou101/

Stovall, J. G. (2005). Journalism: Who,what,when,where,why and how. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.