What is Photojournalism?

By definition, photojournalism is the telling of news through photographs. It is usually dominant of any text reporting and it is the major focus of telling the story. Usually it is a very small piece of text or even just a caption to tell the audience what/ who it is that they are viewing. Photojournalism is different from other forms of journalism in many ways; there is documentary photojournalism which usually tells someone’s story. Documentary photojournalism can tell a story of the past, present, or future; but it tells a story nonetheless, and it tells the truth. It is in the moment, and it is capturing moments without the photographer intervening and directing the subject that they are shooting. A photojournalist can make a living in a variety of ways. There are those who are freelance photojournalists that newspapers or magazines may contract to complete a job or story for that matter. There are also photographers that can work directly under a magazine or newspaper depending on their field of interest. One way to make a good living is to land a photo agency because that opens up a lot of doors for someone professionally. However, the downside is paying the agency a certain percentage of your income for your work as they are the ones who are managing you. I couldn’t find an exact amount that photographers have paid for an agent but I am assuming it is a percentage rather than a set amount. A good representation for someone like me that is heading into editorial and fashion advertising/ photography would be the KiDS Creative Agency. I believe a great photojournalist is one who is very versatile and can adapt to a certain situation or the story that they are covering. A photojournalist that I look up to would definitely be Annie Leibovitz. She can adapt to any situation whether it is legit storytelling or whether it is fashion which is what I love about her.

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Ray Briones

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