What is Photojournalism?

Photojournalism is the art of writing news through the use of photographs. In other words, with photojournalism, the photographs tell the story. The storytelling aspect of photojournalism is what sets it apart from other forms of photography.

Photojournalists make a living as contract photographers or as freelancers. Contract photographers work on a contract with publications. Freelancers work on their own time documenting stories they see and pitch stories to the media.

A professional organization in the field of photojournalism is the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). One might join this organization to find photography jobs, network with other photojournalists, and advocate for photojournalism. Membership in the organization is $75 per year for students, $145 per year for professionals, and $75 per year for retired journalists. A photo agency is a site that contains a repository of images of which the rights of those images can be purchased. An example is Getty Images.

The “golden age” of photojournalism is considered to be in the 1930s to 1950s. Notable events in this era include the Great Depression and World War II.

One publication that always comes to mind as an example of great photojournalism is National Geographic. The photographs in the publication do what great photojournalism does—visually tell a story. The images draw the reader’s attention and show different angles and perspectives of the world one might never imagine.

A lot of photojournalism I am drawn to, and practice, is landscape photography. One photojournalist I’ve admired for a long time is Ansel Adams. Adams has captured various photographs from the American Southwest and at national parks. His works are frequently cited as being among the best in landscape photography. His scenes tell stories of places that appear out of the ordinary for most people. His style of black-and-white photography isn’t what exactly interests me, rather it’s his composition and subject matter that draws my attention. I have been fond of his work since high school.

Works Cited:

Famous Landscape Photographers and Their Photos – https://www.phototraces.com/creative-

photography/famous-landscape-photographers/

National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com

National Press Photographers Association – https://www.nppa.org

The Golden Age of Photojournalism – https://www.artistsinfo.co.uk/the-golden-age-of

photojournalism/