What is Photojournalism
Photojournalism as defined by dictionary.com is, “news photography, whether or not for primarily pictorial media, publications, or stories.” Another source, photography.lovetoknow.com states,” To put it simply, photojournalism is a type of journalism that combines photographs with news stories.” What defines photojournalism is the use of photographs to tell a story either for news or another publication. What distinguishes photojournalism from documentary and street photography is a combination of things. Digital Photography School writes, “Documentary means as it happens naturally, in their environment.” Photojournalism is more focused on the news, whereas documentary and street photography is more focused on the person and their essence.
Photojournalists make a living by doing assignments from their clients. The clients are usually companies wanting photographs such as National Geographic, New York Times, Vogue, and numerous others. Photojournalists make money by selling their well-done photographs to clients. Often times companies will hire photographers and send them on assignments.
There are a few professional organizations that represent photojournalists and provide many benefits. The National Press Photographers Association is one of the major organizations. There are many benefits to joining NPPA such as: discounts on items and services, subscription to magazines, protection of our rights, help finding work, and much more. The pricing for NPPA ranges from student membership which is $65, and then $110 for a professional membership. NPPA is a great way to network and find jobs. It’s beneficial to join because you gain experience and knowledge within the organization.
Another type of organization is a photo agency, which is also important. Photo agencies are sales managers and much more. A blog post by agencyaccess writes, “We want to connect photographers with creatives, share incredible photographs, find creative opportunities to pursue and plant the seeds for our talent to be considered for future projects.” Photo agencies basically manage the sales, marketing, social media, and many more aspects. Photo agencies also take care of licensing for photos and lookout for photographers.
Photojournalism began around 1853 during the Crimean War. Roger Fenton was a war photographer and covered many aspects of the war. The “Golden Age of Photojournalism” is considered to be the 1930s-1950s. The reason this was such a great time in photojournalism is that the compact commercial 35mm camera was made and also the first flash bulbs. New technology made it easier for photographers to take pictures. Photographs also began to make their way into more print media such as newspapers and magazines. Some top photojournalists of the time were Robert Capa, Alfred Eistenstaedt, and Don McCullin. However, Henri Cartier-Bresson was considered by many to ne the father of photojournalism and was known for capturing the decisive moment.
TIME magazine is one of today’s contemporary sources of photojournalism. TIME magazine sends its photographers all over the planet to capture stories and bring them back. A contemporary photojournalist that I aspire to emulate is Stephanie Sinclair. She has some interesting photo series and many of them are focused on people overseas. A picture from her series “Too Young to Wed” is one of my favorite photos.
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Excellent choice.
The photo is horrifying.