History of Photojournalism: Introduction to the History of Photojournalism

Photojournalism is the practice of communicating news through photos. As Professor Nordell stated, “if youbreak up the word photojournalism into two words, photo and journalism, itmeans photographs created to be published in journals.” Photojournalists need to be able to work on their own to be not only an excellent photographer, but also an excellent journalist. This means they need to be able to have a specific set of skills as both a photographer and a journalist. They are visual storytellers, who need to be unbiased, fair, and need to know what is going to get the viewers’ attention.

In the videos viewed it showed that there are different types of photojournalists. There are some that are small town photojournalists who may follow you from young to old and there are also those who put their lives on the line to get that perfect photo. Jason Henske was a small town photojournalist who in a video explained his experience as a photojournalist. He explained that as a small town photojournalist you need to be able to capture many different things, there is no one focus. In his video, Henske states, “itis difficult separate your feelings as a friend and your feelings as aphotographer.” On the other hand, there is Zoriah and Alissa who put their lives on the line in war zones to get their photos. These types of photojournalists are not guaranteed their life, but this just shows how determined they are. Zoriah stated, “it allows me to create my own projects myself and togo out into the world on my own and if I fail there’s only one person to blameand if I succeed I can give myself a pat on the back.” This shows another great aspect of photojournalism and why people love it because it is a passion and they can do it on their own.

History is extremely important to know. In the video, Why study history, it says, “understanding the past isthe key to understanding the present. It trains us to gather evidence, and tofind patterns and trends. It challenges us to think outside the box and to becreative.” Photojournalism helps up to understand both history and the present. Without knowing the history and looking at the images and studying them there would never be changes in today’s world. It is important to use photojournalism to make a change. As James Nachtwey stated, “If war is an attempt to negatehumanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war, and if it’sused well, it can be a powerful ingredient in the antidote to war.” This statement is powerful because it shows that photojournalism is not only used to tell stories, but to help make a change.

Photojournalists are passionate and courageous individuals. They help to make a huge impact on society so that people can see what is going on around the world. They go through any means necessary to get that perfect photo, whether it means risking their lives or not. Telling a story with a photo makes it so much more powerful to individuals when they can actually see what is going on. It takes a strong, passionate, and courageous person to be a photojournalist.