Lecture Four: Photojournalism

Okay, i'll be honest. In my last post I started talking about the lecture and then went in the total opposite direction. Sorry guys, I guess a burst of passionate, empowering, Oprah kind of feminism came alive to talk about the injustice of digital manipulation in the media.  Re-reading it, I couldn't decide whether to delete it and re-write or simply create another post. Dilemmas, dilemmas. In the end, I decided  I had written it, the post was part of my 'journalism', so I felt it somewhat deserved to stay. Now, to make up for my rant,  I shall properly discuss the overall important theme from last Monday's lecture: Photojournalism.

Telling stories through photos is certainly not a new phenomena. This method has been used throughout history to provoke exciting stories in the minds of people by the visual communication created by the artist, or in modern times, the photographer. 

Indigenous Art                                                                                                 Biblical scenes 

Before the days of the camera, newspaper journalists must have been stressed to the max, simply sketching the scenes relating to the story. The 1860s were hard times, my friend, hard times. If breaking into a journalist career required 'fantastic drawing skills', i'd have absolutely no chance.

Lincoln still looks great

 So, lets all join hands and thank the lord for Henry J. Newton, who published the first ever news photograph. Journalists around the world rejoiced - this made telling the news more accurate and real than ever before. 

'Shanty Town' Photograph published in the Daily Graphic 1880

Speed up to modern day media, and photography has become an absolutely vital part of a good story and journalists need to know how to take a photograph that connects with the readers on some emotional level. 

This is integrated into the three following photographs of scenes from a funeral:

Photo number one has absolutely no power, is poorly done 

and has no emotional connection with the audience. We are just looking at some backs of heads and in the background is a hug. It is certainly not of a news standard, and seems rather unprofessional.

Photo number two is very powerful, as it in cooperates the feeling of religion and spirituality in the frame, while looking through to an embrace between mourners.

Number three is also very powerful, as we have these sad, desolate eyes burning into the camera, representing so many who have been affected by the death.

I believe two and three are the best, as they evoke a sense of grief and compassion felt by the reader.

These photographs show us that we must think outside the box to capture that front-page winning picture. Although covering the same event, the photos strike me as vastly disparate and all three convey a different level of emotional magnetism. This is the key to a fantastic photo - the overall emotional draw that when readers see it on the front page at a news stand, there will be a spark of interest, and therefore they will proceed to pick up the newspaper and check it out. After this lecture, I look forward to getting out there with my camera and capturing some emotionally stimulating photographs!