Concluding Chapter

When I first started this course my definition of photojournalism was “ Photojournalism is a kind of art, as well as a piece of information, or a piece of history.” While I do still agree with my prior definition, I believe that there is more to photojournalism than just that. Photojournalism brings people together by the emotion that the photographs portray, by the information it shows, and by the proof of events it provides. When different people look at these images, they have different reactions to them. I believe that these reactions are what causes change. I believe that photojournalism's main purpose is to make people more aware and to cause a reaction, which can cause change.

It's important to know the history of photojournalism for a couple different reasons. When people or photojournalists know the history then they are more aware of how things came to be. Of how technology has evolved over time and how it made it easier for images later to be captured. Also how different technologies and images made the industry of photojournalism into what it is today. With the evolution of photojournalism, images have become more powerful and more known to our society that isn't aware of what photojournalism actually is.

A big “ah-ha” moment that I had was when we discussed truth and not truth. I never really thought about how images could be photoshopped, staged, placed in a certain way or even taken at a certain angle just to get the “right picture”. I always imagined that photojournalistic images were just the raw truth, but after discussing this topic and seeing a lot of different images that presented falseness, I became to see the truth. I saw how some images are manipulated just for more attention or just for it to look better for the final photo. The two images below are taken during the civil war by photojournalist, Alexander Gardner. The two images are clearly different, and taken in different locations but have the same deceased man in both photos. It is clear that at least one of these images was staged.

Photo by : Alexander Gardner

Image source : https://www.oddee.com/item_99568.aspx

Another "ah-ha" moment that I had was when we were discussing the different compositional principles of images. I really got to look at different photojournalistic images and think about the different principles that were applied to the photos to make them so powerful and perfectly composed. A big one that stood out to me and one that I never heard of before was the "rule of thirds." I got a sense of why photojournalists take images this way. I got to see the effect that taking an image a certain way has on the overall final picture. The rule of thirds, for example, gives the image space and gives it a bigger story then if it was taken of just one object or person. It gives the person viewing the image a bigger presentation and imagination of what is going on in that photo. I found the compositional principles very interesting and eye opening towards how that compose a photograph.

Photo by : Lynsey Addario

Image source : https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/courageous-photography-lynsey-addario-180954386/

When thinking about “do photographs change the world,” my mind is filled with different images that I believe did change the world. The images that expressed the most emotion, or that are the most powerful are the ones that change the world. Whether it be positive emotions like happiness or joy, or negative emotions like sorrow or sadness. Those are the photographs that make a change. People see these images and they themselves feel through the image and that is what causes them to act. I think that one of the main purposes of photojournalistic images is to make a change. I don't think that photojournalists go halfway across the world to take pictures of poverty or of today's domestic issues just to take those photographs for their own personal benefit, but they take it so that others see and make a change. People need to be aware and these photographs are the proof. These images are the beginning of change.

Photo by : Marc Riboud

Image source : https://semipartisansam.com/2016/04/27/tales-from-the-safe-space-part-32-student-artist-willingly-re-educated-in-the-ways-of-social-justice/

Creative Experimental Exercise :

Below are photographs that I took in black and white. While learning the different compositional principles I really got a sense of the black and white images, and how much effect this has on the final image. To me personally, photos that are black and white show more emotions and are more powerful, so I chose to experienced with that. I took photos of my friends and family, then later looked at them through the black and white perspective. 

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk 

Photo by : Liliya Stepanchuk

Through doing the creative experimental exercise, of taking photographs like a photojournalist, I got a sense of what it was like to actually be a photojournalist. Most importantly, a photojournalist of this age or present time. I put myself in the shoes of a photojournalist, and it was a different experience. I do feel more connected to photojournalists and the kind of feelings they get while being behind the camera. It's not like I went into a war zone or halfway across the world to get these photographs, but I took them in my own town, and it still felt like I, myself was a photojournalist. I think the best pictures were the ones that the people in the photographs were not expecting, and of things just naturally happening, or like Professor Nordell said “photographs of verbs.” I think my creative experimental exercise gave me a sense of how photographs can change the world. That just one moment has the potential to be captured and become something so powerful. Some of the photographs that I took, I tried to incorporate the compositional principles, like the rule of thirds, as well as the black and white effect.

Reviewing my Classmates Photojournalist Profiles :

In Haley Pollo’s blog about Dorothea Lange, I got a sense of how big of a photojournalist Dorothea was, and the impact that her images had on the world. She is the famous photojournalist of the very famous image of the migrant mother from the Great Depression. This image, I have seen many times even before taking this photojournalism class. Dorothea photographed many different events in history like images of the Great Depression and the Second World War. Her images are what made her so well known today.

Photo by : Dorothea Lange

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

Gates Kelliher’s blog was about the photojournalist Ruddy Roye. Ruddy started working on his own at first in his photojournalist career but some enough became famous through his work. He worked all around the world to try to get his message across. He was motivated by world peace, and he focused especially on the African-American life in America. A lot of his photographs were of African Americans and their struggles in their every day lives.

Photo by : Ruddy Roye

Image source : http://www.stevenkasher.com/artists/ruddy-roye

In Leah Przybyszewski’s blog her photojournalist profile was on James Nachtwey. James started his photography career in 1976 in New Mexico but then became a freelance photographer photojournalist when he moved to New York. He photographs different conflicts like homelessness, drug addiction, poverty and global health issues. James photos have had a very big impact on today's society because of his powerful images. His photos are the kind that stay in ones mind and are unforgettable because of the power they hold.
 

Photo by : James Nachtwey

Image source : https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Southern-Sudan/DE0400837FC6116E