Photo by Mathew Brady
Image Source: http://www.beachcamera.com/blog/profiles-in-photography-mathew-brady/
Photojournalism is a visual documentation of a moment in history. A photojournalist can take photographs of many events including war, political events, natural disasters, and sports events. Professor Nordell backs up my interpretation of the definition of photojournalism in his video because he breaks up the word photojournalism into two parts: photo and journalism. I think that to gain a basic understanding of what photojournalism is, you need to break the word down. The photo tells a story and can be included in newspapers and other pieces of literature to explain the writing. The photographs are things that are happening around us. These photos are documented throughout history and aid in retelling historical events. A photojournalist is responsible for documenting events visually. The photographs act as supporting evidence for the words that are published in newspapers and other literature. Photos allow a person to form his or her own opinion on a topic. A newspaper article or other form of writing can include bias. However, a person can look at a photograph and develop his or her own belief without being persuaded by another persons words.
The photographs that are taken by photojournalists can have a huge impact on society. It seems as if humans are blind to the world around them. Without having visual proof, most people don't believe what is happening in the world. There is no connection with words. However, if a person sees a picture of a starving child or a soldier in battle, the person begins to make a connection with the image. It is amazing how much impact one image can have on a person. One picture that had the greatest effect on me is the starving boy and the missionary by Mike Wells. The photograph displays a young Ugandan boy holding hands with a missionary. The hand of the Ugandan boy is very small and brittle. Compared to the hand of the missionary, it does not look like a human hand. The photo displays the issues surrounding world hunger. The photographs taken by photojournalists expose raw human emotion. One photojournalist, James Nachtwey, describes that it is hard to see what goes on in other countries and wishes that every one could be in his situation just once, “but everyone can not be there and that is why photographers go there to show them to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on.” Most people are unaware of the severity of the issues that are occurring around the world. Photojournalists see these issues in front of them and hope that sharing the images will bring about awareness and a sense of moral obligation.
Photojournalism is a visual documentation of a moment in history. A photojournalist can take photographs of many events including war, political events, natural disasters, and sports events. Professor Nordell backs up my interpretation of the definition of photojournalism in his video because he breaks up the word photojournalism into two parts: photo and journalism. I think that to gain a basic understanding of what photojournalism is, you need to break the word down. The photo tells a story and can be included in newspapers and other pieces of literature to explain the writing. The photographs are things that are happening around us. These photos are documented throughout history and aid in retelling historical events. A photojournalist is responsible for documenting events visually. The photographs act as supporting evidence for the words that are published in newspapers and other literature. Photos allow a person to form his or her own opinion on a topic. A newspaper article or other form of writing can include bias. However, a person can look at a photograph and develop his or her own belief without being persuaded by another persons words.
The photographs that are taken by photojournalists can have a huge impact on society. It seems as if humans are blind to the world around them. Without having visual proof, most people don't believe what is happening in the world. There is no connection with words. However, if a person sees a picture of a starving child or a soldier in battle, the person begins to make a connection with the image. It is amazing how much impact one image can have on a person. One picture that had the greatest effect on me is the starving boy and the missionary by Mike Wells. The photograph displays a young Ugandan boy holding hands with a missionary. The hand of the Ugandan boy is very small and brittle. Compared to the hand of the missionary, it does not look like a human hand. The photo displays the issues surrounding world hunger. The photographs taken by photojournalists expose raw human emotion. One photojournalist, James Nachtwey, describes that it is hard to see what goes on in other countries and wishes that every one could be in his situation just once, “but everyone can not be there and that is why photographers go there to show them to reach out and grab them and make them stop what they are doing and pay attention to what is going on.” Most people are unaware of the severity of the issues that are occurring around the world. Photojournalists see these issues in front of them and hope that sharing the images will bring about awareness and a sense of moral obligation.
Photo by Mike Wells
Image Source: http://christopherengland.com/2013/11/08/the-starving-boy-and-the-missionary/
Photojournalists do not have an easy job. They are expected to not only be great photographers, but to be great journalists. They are face to face with danger. They see the injustices of the world directly in front of their eyes. Jason Henske is a newspaper in a small town. In the video, Henske explains that being a photographer for a small town can be difficult because it is more personal and it becomes difficult to separate your feelings. As Jason Henske stated in the video, his work becomes difficult when, "I photograph a young man graduating and celebrating his achievement and then two years later photograph his coffin coming home from Iraq”. There is an emotional connection that the photographer forms with the people he is photographing. A photojournalist that is working for a small town knows the people he or she is photographing on a personal level. This connection can be seen in photojournalists who are away from their home town as well. War photographers strive to bring awareness to the problems of the world. It is impossible for people to come face to face with the injustices of the world and photojournalists seek to shed light on the issues.
Photojournalists do not have an easy job. They are expected to not only be great photographers, but to be great journalists. They are face to face with danger. They see the injustices of the world directly in front of their eyes. Jason Henske is a newspaper in a small town. In the video, Henske explains that being a photographer for a small town can be difficult because it is more personal and it becomes difficult to separate your feelings. As Jason Henske stated in the video, his work becomes difficult when, "I photograph a young man graduating and celebrating his achievement and then two years later photograph his coffin coming home from Iraq”. There is an emotional connection that the photographer forms with the people he is photographing. A photojournalist that is working for a small town knows the people he or she is photographing on a personal level. This connection can be seen in photojournalists who are away from their home town as well. War photographers strive to bring awareness to the problems of the world. It is impossible for people to come face to face with the injustices of the world and photojournalists seek to shed light on the issues.
