Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

The Leica 35mm camera was the camera that changed photography, which lead to changing photojournalism. The camera was made and released in Germany in 1925. In the article, Leica 35mm 1(A) Camera, it writes, “The leica was an immediate success.” People thought it was amazing that a camera could be so much smaller and yet capture such a great shot. This made a difference in photojournalism because cameras could be brought to events more efficiently, and taking photos became a much easier job. The photos were still black and white, but the transformation of the type of device that was taking the picture was a big and beneficial change.

In the video, Before There Were Pixels - Part 2, Professor Nordell says, “If you just had your camera hidden, you could take a picture, no one would notice.” This was also a big effect that the Leica camera made. Now instead of photojournalists having to take huge cameras with them, they now had a small portable camera. It made it easier to take snapshots of something or to take pictures “of verbs” instead of standing objects. Of course the images were not as clear and nicely portrayed as todays photos, but this change was huge in the photojournalism industry. In the article, The Leica 1: The Camera that Changed Photographs, it states, “It was the first to make 35mm truely viable.” With the Leica, the photos were more easier to perceive than earlier technologies of cameras.

Since the Leica camera there have been a lot more updates and new technology in regards of cameras. Starting from photos taking 5-8 minutes to be produced, then to cameras like the Leica, and finally to today when there is a camera on every smartphone. The modern day camera has evolved so much. Today, almost anyone can take a picture with a lot of different tools. There of course is the digital camera, which has a lot of different brands and types, and there's also the phone that carries a camera. For photojournalists, today technology with cameras makes it so much easier to take photographs. Cameras today are more comfortable to carry, and bring along for photojournalists out in the field, and they can take multiple pictures in just one second. With this almost every moment of an event can be captured.

In the article, How Has Technology Impacted The Photography World, it writes, “In just a few short decades, technological advances have had a major impact on our everyday lives.” Technology keeps growing and keeps updating the world with better cameras that give out more powerful photographs. When the first cameras were made, photojournalism was a much more difficult job. Those cameras made it that much harder and almost impossible to capture moments that needed to be seen by the public. After learning about the Leica camera and taking a photograph myself it made me realize that with today's technology, any moment with a photojournalist and a camera, a photograph can be captured; when before this was not possible. The innovation of camera's changed so much for photojournalists today.

Photo by : Dorothea Lange

Image source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk

Can Photographs Change the World?

A common question that gets asked is “can photographs change the world”. A lot of people have their different opinions on this question, but I strongly believe that photographs do have the power to change the world, and some photos do. In the article, Ferguson’s citizen journalists revealed the value of an undeniable video, it states, “a digital tool of enormous power.” It all starts with a situation or a place, then the photo is taken with a camera of some sort, and after that comes the potential for change. The camera does start it all and that’s why it is referred to as having so much power. The power to produce a snapshot of a moment that can change mindsets of people, which leads to changing our world.

In the video, Photograph of Boris Yeltsin Dancing, it says “Sometimes a great photo can change the course of history.” Photographs of situations that people may not see in their everyday lives are the photos that change history, the present, and the future. People get emotionally attached or intrigued by a photo and that is what causes them to make change, whether it be in their own personal lives or something that contributes to a bigger change; it’s a chain reaction. One person changes their ways or the way they think or do things, it makes others want to as well and perhaps even in fact change themselves. It all starts with people making a difference to change the world.

One photo that affected me personally was a photo by Pavol Stranak. It is a photo of kids on the other side of the world, drinking the same water as camels. I was shocked and it triggered something in me. In the video, Photos that Changed the World, it says “Since the beginning of photography, images have provoked reactions in people, and those reactions have caused change to happen.” In a way, I felt for the children and it made me want to help in any way I could. I couldn’t physically help get them clean water, but I wanted to do something, even if it was just a little thing. I started donating money to people in need of water, and not just water, but people living in poverty as well. I saw a photo and it made me want to change the world. It wasn't fair that I had clean water to drink everyday while others did not have that opportunity. I am sure that photos like these didn’t only trigger something in me but in others too, I truly believe that.

In the article, Censorship of war casualties in the US, it writes, “Americans need something, that’s certain. Because they definitely do not know what is going on.” A famous photo that I believe changed the world is a photo by Kevin Carter, and it is a photo of a starving child next to a vulture. The power of this picture is that the vulture and the child are almost the same in size. The photo clearly shows how skinny the child is verses how the normal sized the vulture is. I think people all around the world saw that photo with wide eyes, because how can people know the horrific things that are happening to others in the same world. Photographs give a clear image and help people imagine what is going. I think that photos like this cause a change, it makes people think and it makes them contribute to cause a change. A photograph that can change the world.

Photo by : Kevin Carter

Image source : https://allthatsinteresting.com/kevin-carter

Photo by : Pavol Stranak

Image source : https://www.cleanwaterhere.org/global-photography-exhibit-2018/

Introduction to the History of Photojournalism

Photojournalism can be defined from different aspects. Photojournalism is a kind of art, as well as a piece of information, or a piece of history. In the video, What is Photojournalism?, professor Nordell says, “Photojournalists take pictures of verbs, of things happening.” This statement provides a clear picture of the purpose of photojournalism. It’s not just taking a picture of an object as it is compared to taking a picture of something that is going on. The power of photojournalism is that it’s much more than just a photo, but it’s something so much bigger than that. It’s a photo that tells a story, or can take someone back in time. It’s a photo with a deeper meaning. The beauty of photojournalism that is one picture holds a whole story, and that story can be told just by looking at a photo.

It all starts with an event or a scenery and of course a photojournalist. Behind a great photo is a great photojournalist, as Professor Nordell discussed in the video, What is Photojournalism? Great photojournalists don’t only know how to take great pictures with their nice, expensive cameras, but they also know their facts, as well as their history. Some people can either be good photographers or good journalists but a photojournalist has to be both. A photojournalist that is prepared and ready to put all their effort into their work can capture a moment that can go down in history.

Photojournalism has been around for some time now, and all the photos we see today show us how they have evolved overtime. A lot has changed but still some things stay the same. Some of the first pictures of photojournalism was taken back in the war times and to this day there are photojournalists out there taking pictures of the war. In the video "History is..., its says, “People tend to forget the word history contains the word story. - Ken Burns.” Photos from the past can tell more about an event in history then something like a detailed book or a video. The power of the photo is that people see the picture and their own minds or imagination tell them the story.

In the video Why Study History?, it says, “And understanding the past is the key to understanding the present.” One of the reasons that photojournalism is so great is because in a way it can teach lessons, or prevent certain events from happening again. It shows people that the things that happened in the past can be prevented through their actions today. Those photographs are proof that things in history actually did happen, and it’s not just something they heard about but its actual true facts, proven through photos. Photojournalism is more than just a photo, it’s a photo that tells a story; photojournalism is art.

Photo by Moises Saman

Image source : https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/society/moises-saman-running-from-myanmar/

Photo by Don McCullin

Image Source : https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/don-mccullin