The Characteristics That Mark Photojournalism from Conventional Photography - Essay Example

Photojournalism Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts (17, April, 2007) Photojournalism is the reporting of images involving the collecting, collating, editing and presentation of visual communication materials for news communication. It creates images that narrate the true stories of reality rather than mincing the content with words and then altering the intensity of the event. Today, it is recognized to include still photography and usually covers moving picture photography for broadcast journalism. Photo journalism does not refer to non-news photography or photography of other genres. The characteristics that mark photojournalism from conventional photography (such as celebrity and fashion photography or documentaries) are the following: Timeliness: The images shot by a photojournalist have very important meanings given the context of publications from a news perspective. Objectivity: The photograph is clicked with an element of clinical detachment and the photographer's opinion is not evident in the picture. It is an objective portrayal of ground realities. Narrative: The image adds to the clarity of events when combined with other stories and news elements and gives an insight to the person who is reading through or glancing at the pictures. Important war zones of the US such as Vietnam was an example of how photojournalists could influence public opinion. There are certain marked characteristics that distinguish photojournalists from other photographers. One of the most important distinguishing factors is their capability to make instant decisions. They are always on the move and carry all their heavy equipment with them all the while. They are alert and think with the tip of their fingers as to which frame in time has to be preserved for posterity and for the world to see. They face the same risk and dangers as any serious journalist such as when at the war front or in the middle of a rioting crowd. They also lack the option to wait and watch for the worst to pass since they have to throw themselves in to the middle of the action if they are to make any good pictures. In fact, they take more risks and face far more dangerous situations that a conventional journalist. As a descriptive term, photojournalism refers to the genre of photography that bears the distinct characteristics of that produced by photojournalists. A large number of commercial and fashion photographers today prefer to adapt this style into their works. Photojournalistic style has been widely accepted as the standard format in fashion photography as well as in event coverage such as marriages and child ceremonies. Commercial photography is keenly taking on the garbs of photojournalistic style to bring in more room for innovation as well as to increase public appeal for their works. The term photojournalism was coined by none other than the famed professor of communication studies, Cliff Edom (1907-1991), who taught at the University of Missouri School of Journalism for 29 years. He is credited with the first establishment of a professional programme for photojournalism in 1946. The practice of printing press and the growth of print journalism and the print media brought to focus the importance of the media and role of photography in media. Since written language could be manipulated to any extent whereas a photograph could not, it added to the weightage of the newly introduced genre of photography. Early news photographs required the pictures to be reconstructed by an engraver before it could be published. The battlefield pictures captured by the famous reporters such as William Simpson of the Illustrated London News and Roger Fenton had to be published as engravings. The public craved for more realistic representations of the pictures that go along with the news stories. Most newspaper companies were looking for trained photographers to be put to cover the wars and thereby report from the front, giving a new dimension to public imagination. There were even times when newsworthy photographs alone were printed and published with appropriate titles in large numbers. On March 4, 1880, The Daily Graphic published the first halftone news photograph followed by the much more pioneering effort in 1887 when flash powder was invented. It enabled journalists to click themes indoors, which lead to landmark works and art photography. By 1897, it was possible to print photographs in halftone on printing presses that run at full speed. These technologies were expensive and limited in their availability. Printing machines were not mass produced in that era as it was now and hence, engraving continued for a long time even after the invention of halftone online printing technology for photographs. Despite the rapid pace of the progress of science, the impediments lagged on until the 1930s when the golden age of photojournalism set in. In 1921, the wirephoto could transmit photographs as quickly as text news itself. But the most revolutionary technology that put the golden age in place was the invention of the flash bulb in 1927. During the golden age, some magazines such as the Picture Post of London, Paris Match of Paris, Life, The Daily Graphic and the Sports Illustrated from the US, relied on quality photography to enlarge their readership base. They brought fame and laurels to a generation of photographers such as Robert Capa and Alfred Eisenstaedt. Photographers were no more machine operators. They had shot to the limelight themselves as artists and intellectuals. Photographers also made their own organisations to further their causes. The Danish Photographers Union (Pressefotografforbundet) founded in 1912 was the world's first national organisation for news photographers. Such associations were increasingly present all over the world and their pioneering efforts brought about a radical change in the public's perception of photographers as a whole. Soon, it became a dynamic and creative profession all across the developed world and the lobby of photographers were more celebrated than their fellow news journalists. Pulitzer prices have been instituted for three categories of news photography since 1968. The categories are 'Feature photography', 'Capture the moment' and 'Spot News Photography'. Other prestigious awards and recognition includes the World Press Photo, Best of Photojournalism, and Pictures of the Year as well as the UK based The Press Photographer's Year The ethical code of press photography still remains the same as that of other journalists. The primary consideration includes what to shoot, how to frame and how to edit. Ethical conflicts can ensue from the actions of the photo editor, who takes control of the pictures once they have been delivered to the press. The weak point is that the photojournalist seldom loses control as to how images are ultimately used. The growth in technology has been of ultimate aid to the photographer on the field or the war front. Emergence of digital photography offered whole new realms of opportunity for the manipulation, reproduction, and transmission of images. Many photographer's organisations have tightened their code of conduct to maintain strict control over ethical aspects of photojournalism, even when technology advances. This has served to keep the malpractices within the fringes. One of the major problems in controlling the industry by laws is that it is a global industry and photos captured in one country is often published in other countries. Such cross border utilization of the pictures can thus mean that until there is a globally accepted standard, there is going to be problems in implementing photography ethics. Smaller and lighter cameras have meant that the photographer's job has widely eased over the years. Most cameras can now store thousands of pictures on small microchips thereby avoiding the need for bulky films and time consuming negatives. Satellite assisted transmission has revolutionized the way pictures are captured from the front and transmitted back to the press. Photojournalism has come of age. It has emerged as the single most potent medium that influences the masses of the twenty first century. References McCullin, Don. Hearts of Darkness (1980 - much reprinted). Zavoina, Susan C., and John H. Davidson, Digital Photojournalism (Allyn & Bacon, 2002). ISBN 0-205-33240-4 Kobre,Kenneth. Photojournalism: The Professional's Approach 5th edition Focal Press, 2004. Clarke, Graham, The Photograph, ISBN 0-19-284200-5 kipedia.org/wiki/Photojournalism" Read More