Photojournalism Paper – Casey Schmidt
While it is an ever-changing field, photojournalism has always essentially been the process of creating a story through the photography and words. Photojournalism has been used in many ways in the past like to convince Americans to join the war effort, adopt a sad puppy, or go to an amusement park. It is all about the story that the images tell that make them inciting and convincing.
With the expediential shrinking of physical newspapers, photojournalists have had to find other means to show their work. While paper newspaper may be old news, photographs can never “expire,” especially with online blogs and news websites that are still in great need of photographers.
Margaret Bourke-White is a famous photographer from the 1950’s. Not only was she Life Magazine’s first female photographer, but she was also the first female correspondent credentialed to work in combat zones during WWII. This is one of my favorite photographs taken by Bourke-White. The amount of people in the photograph is incredible and the fact that they’re all hitting the Hitler Salute is hard to imagine. Bourke-White shot real life social issues and was extremely influential in her work. The timing in this photo was great and the lighting in the photo helps to illuminate the faces and the hands so that they become a sea of color towards the back of the photo. This photo is from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/margaret-bourke-white-photography
William Eggleston is one of my favorite photojournalists from the 70’s for his bright colors and sharp lines. Quite the opposite of Margaret Bourke-White who used dull and soft lines to influence her viewers, Eggleston’s photos all pop with life. Eggleston focuses on pop culture and current trend when shooting. The lighting in the 2nd photo allows a reflection to be seen in the glass of a blue car which adds to the photo. These photos would be replicable in El Paso, especially because of all the bright colors that you can find downtown. Eggleston’s photos will live on forever because they reveille what day to day life looked like in the 70s. These photos are from https://egglestonartfoundation.org/
Jo-Anne McArthur is one of my favorite current photojournalists. She focuses on wildlife and the conservation of them and the world around them. Her work is very impactful and influential. This photograph of the human hand and gorilla hand is very touching because of many reasons. The monkeys are obviously endangered, and the bond between the two is hard to come by and heart-warming. I love how the photo only features the hands and no part of the arms. The lighting in this photo appears to be coming from the back making the arm in the back of the photo to seem almost “angelic.” This photo could be hard to replicate here in Las Cruces because we do not have these kinds of connections with our wildlife. I think wildlife photography is one of the coolest forms of photography and being able to make a statement through her work is what makes McArthur one of the greats. This photograph is from her website: https://joannemcarthur.com/unbound/
There are hardly any “no-no’s” in photojournalism. As they say, “if it bleeds, it leads” so clearly blood and gory is not off limits for photojournalists. Photojournalists must be ethical and respectful when publishing graphic photos but they are the ones that truly motivate and change people’s minds.
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