What is Photojournalism?

What is photojournalism?

Define “Photojournalism”.
1. Photojournalism is a specific branch of journalism in which images are used as the primary medium to tell stories, capture emotions and conflict. Showing people events and parts of the world they may never know.

How does photojournalism distinguish itself from other forms of reportage photography such as documentary photography, street photography, etc.?
1. The main difference between photojournalism and other forms of reportage photography is the motivation behind the photographs being taken. Working photojournalists are generally working for some sort of publication with specific assignments and deadlines. Other types of photographers such as documentary and street usually are working for themselves and therefore are shooting from personal motivation usually. This is not to say that all photojournalists work solely on assignments. Some go out and shoot things they are passionate about and feel are important for people to know about in hopes of selling the work to publications for publishing.
How do photojournalists (and the one you are naming) make a living: who is the client (s)?
1. Photojournalists make their living from selling their photos and stories to publications. This can mean either freelance work or contracted assignments. The clients a generally news publications or news wire services.
2. The photographer I chose to talk a little about is Henri Cartier-Bresson. Now I know we’ve all heard Bruce talk about this prolific photographer time and time again, but the way he shoots really stuck me. He was invisible. A total fly on the wall; shooting both as a photojournalist and as a street photographer.Cartier-Bresson made his living by working for magazines, newspapers and Magnum Photos, a cooperative photography agency owned and ran by Cartier-Bresson and fellow photographers Robert Capa, David Seymore, William Vandivert and George Rodger.
Name a professional organization that represents photojournalists. Why would you join such an organization? How much does it cost? What benefit would you get from joining it?
1. The most well know professional organization that represents photojournalists is The National Professional Photographers Association. Joining an organization such as the NPPA is important because it shows potential employers that you follow a very specific and prestigious code of ethics with your photography. It costs $110 annually for professional photographers and $65 annually for student photographers. Joining the NPPA gives you the benefits of finding work through the network of connected employers, proctecting your rights as a photographer and saving money on educational workshops and seminars to better yourself as a photographer.
Name three photo “Agencies” that represent photojournalists. What is the function of a Photo Agency?
1. Three photo agencies that represent photojournalist are Reuters, The Associated Press, and The European Pressphoto Agency. The function these agencies is to gather photographs and stories from photographers all over the world and distribute them to news outlets.
When did photojournalism begin (within two decades)?
1. Photojournalism really began in Germany in 1925 with the invention of the 35mm camera. This allowed people to take picture much more easily than with old technology, allowing the capture of people in less posed fashions; as they really lived.
What is considered the Golden Age of Photojournalism? Name three top photographers from this time.
1. The golden age of photojournalism is considered to have happened between 1930 and the 1950’s. Some of the most famous photographers of the time were Dorothea Lange, Robert Capa and W. Eugene Smith.
Name a contemporary source of photojournalism (online or otherwise), i.e. a publication (online or otherwise)
1. Some good contemporary sources of photojournalism are LightBox, which is an online publication for photojournalism, and Lens, the New York Times online photo blog.
Name a contemporary photojournalist that you admire and would like to emulate. Put a small photo (reproduction quality is not important) on a third page.
1. The contemporary photojournalist that I admire is Lalage Snow. She is a contemporary war photographer working for Agence France Presse and as a free lancer all over the world. The photo essay that I admire the most from her is called “We Are The Not Dead”. It is a series of portraits of British soldiers taken before, during and after their first deployment into action ( 8 months time). The photographs really show how war effects even the way people’s faces look.