The Truth About Photojournalism

Photojournalism, according to the Merriam-Webster, is “journalism in which written copy is subordinate to pictorial usually photographic presentation of news stories or in which a highly proportion of pictorial presentation is used.” Photojournalism distinguishes itself from other forms of reportage by being used to further express a specific news story, more often than not in newspapers. Photojournalism both tells a story and expands the copy written in regards to the story. Photojournalists generally make a living through newspapers and magazines, mostly working freelance.

One of the most prolific agencies that represent photojournalists is Getty Images. It is highly likely that written on the bottom of any image in any newspaper will be the photographer’s credit followed by Getty Images. Other photo agencies that that represent photojournalists include Magnum Photos, Aurora Photos, and Exile Images. The function of photo agencies is for publishers to be able to find the photos they need in a news story quickly and easily as well as allowing the photographer to get his or her work featured in the world of journalism.

According to Ross Collins, an instructor of North Dakota State University, “[t]he beginning of modern photojournalism took place in 1925, in Germany. The event was the invention of the first 35 mm camera, the Leica.” With this smaller, easier to use camera, individuals were able to take photos of events as they happened and allowed for much more ease in the reproduction of the photographs.

According to Rachel Towne, creator of PresetsGalore.com, “the so-called “golden age” is considered to span the 1930s to the 1960s.” Some notable photojournalists of the Golden Age include Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks. Contemporary sources for photojournalism include Life Magazine.

There are many inspiring and innovative photojournalists but two of the most inspiring photographers of them all are W. Eugene Smith and Dorothea Lange, both of whom took photographs largely in black and white. Smith famously shot World War II and Lange famously shot the Great Depression. Their photographs and their legacies still continue to this day.