PHOTOJOURNALISM? WHAT IS THAT?
According to Oxford’s dictionary photojournalism is the practice of communicating news by photographs, especially in magazine (Oxford Dictionary). I have no idea when the last time this definition was updated but now a days photojournalism is not just limited to magazines, in this day in age everyone wants the here and the now. The majority of people get their information through the little device in their pocket via Internet. With the rise of the Internet and the ability to e-mail a news source from all over the world magazines and major newspapers have photojournalist all over. As photojournalist the pay varies, you may be one of the lucky ones and have a set contract with a paper or magazine or you’re one of the wolves and are freelance. However there are a few organizations such as the NPPA, and PPA that help get an up and coming photojournalist find their way. The cost to join these organizations ranges between $65-$300. These are yearly costs, but it can benefit a photojournalist greatly, especially if one needs guidance and help getting their career started. It is not only for new photojournalist but professionals with a set career; it helps to network amongst others.
With all this talk about photojournalism, it would be nice to know how this all came about. It started when the first 35mm camera was made in 1925. Followed by the Golden Age of photojournalism, which is said to range from the 1930’s to the 1960’s, bringing some of the most notable and pivotal photographs in history such as Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother or Gordan Parks American Gothic photo (Towne, 2012). Without the Golden Age of photojournalism there would not be amazing photojournalist today. One of the modern day photojournalist that I admire is Edward Burtynsky, he is an amazing landscape photographer. A lot of his work include leading lines and have some sort of symmetry.
Although I like Burtynsky’s work, I would really like to be a photojournalist for an automotive publication, such as Hotrod Magazine or Speedhunters. Larry Chen from Speedhunters takes some amazingly beautiful photographs of vehicles. The body lines of a car are always nice to capture and capturing them at the right angle with the right light is just amazing to me. Being able to capture a beautiful landscape and a car within that landscape is amazing; it is the best of both worlds in my opinion.
Information retrieved from:
A Brief History of Photojournalism. (2012, September 18). Retrieved August 30, 2017, from https://www.lightstalking.com/a-brief-history-of-photojournalism/
Photojournalism – definition of photojournalism in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved August 30, 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/photojournalism
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