Photojournalism.

     What is photojournalism? It is using photographs to communicate news and tell a story. There are some variations of using photography as a means to communicate a story or news which are photojournalism, documentary photography and street photography. They are similar in a way but each

has distinguishing characteristics that make them stand on their own.

     Photojournalism is the practice of photographing news worthy events, typically in a reporter role

providing photographs that highlight the event. Documentary photography chronicles significant, historical and everyday life and gives a more in depth look into the subjects they cover. Street photography is photography that features they way people are in everyday life, usually in public places and not exclusive to streets or urban environment.

     A photojournalist can make a living via several different ways. As a freelancer a photojournalist can photograph news worthy events and sell the photographs to a news outlet for an agreed upon price. Other ways to make a living include getting on the payroll or by contract with a new outlet include newspapers, magazines and news websites. They can also sell individual works via galleries or through personal websites.

     A professional organization that represents photojournalist is the National Press Photographers Association. It is an organization that aims to promote photojournalism and provides training and resources for photojournalist as well as list job postings for photographers who are members. I would join this organization because it provides many useful resources such as conventions and seminars to help hone and learn many skills from other seasoned professionals and would allow for potential employers to know I follow a strict code of ethics that comes with being a part of this organization. It cost 110 dollars annually for professional photographers and 65 dollars for students.

     The function of a Photo Agency it’s to represent journalist. They do so by gathering up many photos and stories from photographers all over the world and distribute them to news outlets. Example of some of these agencies are the Associated Press and Reuters.

     What is considered the “Golden Age” of photojournalism is the years between 1930’s and 1950’s.

At this time Leica had developed the first commercial 35mm camera and flash bulbs were introduced allowing for more flexibility. New styles of newspapers and magazines were brought up that used more

photos that text to tell there stories as well. Some of the best photographers of this era were Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White and W. Eugene Smith.

   A great source of contemporary source of photojournalism Time Magazine as well as their online publication of photojournalism, LightBox. National Geographic is another magazine that is a great source and their social media account on Instagram is updated constantly with photos from around the world of ongoing assignments and stories by National Geographic photographers themselves.

     A contemporary photojournalist that I admire and would like to emulate is Lynsey Addario. She is a renowned photojournalist that regularly photographs for the New York Times, National Geographic and Time Magazine. Her work mainly focuses on conflict and human rights issues which I hope to

photograph someday and is one of the reasons I started my studies in journalism.

Sources:

http://www.lynseyaddario.com