Photojournalism

You can say a million words through a photograph, you can tell a story through an image and you can bring out feelings through a picture. This is what photojournalism is essentially for; to evoke emotions and inform you on an issue or event. Just like how an author for a newspaper or magazine will go out to gather information on an event such as a celebration, premiere or a war, a photographer will go out too. Photojournalists can have the power to remove themselves from whatever situation they are in to get a good picture. Some photographers go into some of the most harrowing war zones and have to get up close and personal with conflict to share with the masses.

There are many famous photographs that have opened the eyes of the public to issues around the world, this being one of them:

Photographer: Stuart Franklin Magnum

This photograph is of Tienanmen Square where a student stood in front of tanks in protest. It was taken in a time of oppression for China and gave this picture gave the Chinese people hope.

A famous Photojournalist is Robert Capa. He was born is Hungry in 1913 and is famous for documenting five wars: the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese war, World War 2, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the First Indochina War. He revolutionized photojournalism as he took a different approach to others of his time. He got close to the danger without taking a removed approach showing what these experiences would have truly been like.

Photographer: Robert Capa

Here is a photograph taken by Capa of the 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division landing on Omaha Beach in 1944. This photograph shows how close he did get to the danger. He famously said "If your photographs aren't good enough,your not close enough."

Photojournalism can be quite a controversial subject for some people. For example a photographer could be in a war zone and have to go up to a grieving mother and take a  close up picture of her tear stained face while she is sobbing over the loss a family member, her home or a  friend. Most photographers can’t even ask for permission because of the language barrier. It is also argued whether or not it is ethical to take pictures of dead or injured people, some saying that it is important to show the seriousness of what is happening while others say that it is disrespectful to the people in the photos.

 Another controversial issue with photojournalism is how truthful these pictures are. A photographer can leave in or take out anything they want in a photograph. Now days with Photoshop it is now easier than ever to alter a picture to make it more effective. Not necessarily as truthful. 

I think that photojournalism is vital for truly telling people what is going on in the world and is also very useful for looking back in history to see accurate depictions of famous events.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Capa

http://www.robgrimesphotography.co.uk/people-who-inspire-me-robert-capa/

http://www.worldsfamousphotos.com/2007/03/21/tiananmen-square-1989/