Monday, September 9, 2019

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



Photo by Don McCullin

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