The evolution of photographic processes revolutionized the
way that photojournalists were able to share information and photographs with
the world. Multimedia, such as online newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, and
Instagram have dramatically changed the way people receive images
and view conflicts. As David Campbell states in the article, “Nowadays we see
it in multiple forms ranging from online photo galleries where pictures are
combined with text captions, to audio slideshows, linear video (both short-from
and long-form), animated infographics, non-linear interactives, and full-scale
web documentaries and broadcast films.” Multimedia,
such as online newspapers, allows people to view and read an online version of
a particular newspaper from the convenience of their phones or computers. New
news stories are constantly being uploaded onto the News’ websites and people
can share these stories with others by sending it digitally.
Created on July 1, 1980, as David Shedden states in the article, the first
online paper “was The Columbus Dispatch. It was part of a unique CompuServe and Associated Press experiment about the potential of online papers.” Back then,
no one truly understood just how much of an impact digital technology
would have on the news, as well as photojournalism.
With the rise of multimedia, such as
online newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, more “everyday” people
are taking pictures and sharing them with the world, which greatly affects
photojournalism. With the creation of social media sites, such as Facebook and
Instagram, people are easily able to upload their pictures digitally, allowing thousands of people to see them. With the rise of camera phones, companies and
businesses are turning to everyday citizens to go out and take snapshots of the
action or conflict. The idea of “street journalism” has become increasingly
popular within the last few years. Citizen
journalists are on the rise, using social media sites, such as Twitter,
Instagram, and blogs, to share their photos about current events that are
happening all around us. You no
longer have to be a professional photojournalist to get images out to the
world. As Professor Nordell says
in his video, “there is a
declining skill set that is needed to get a decent picture, and so it has
really effected the market for photojournalism.” Companies, such as Fresco,
which is a news dispatch, and Demotix, a photo agency for citizen journalism,
are changing the way images are shared with the world. As Turi Munthe explains
in the article, “Demotix is a place where anybody from anywhere can share their
stories with people throughout the world—and with the global mainstream media.” Although the images and stories
that are being conveyed can truly help people have a better understanding of
the world and the seriousness of a situation, the companies are taking jobs away from photojournalists. However, with the rise of multimedia, photojournalism
has taken a more dominant role in the news and has allowed people to share
powerful messages faster. People no longer have to wait for newspapers to come
out, and instead can simply look up the stories or images on their phones and
computers. Multimedia has created a faster, more efficient way to share images
with the world.
Before the age of digital technology
and the ability to use multimedia as a way to share images with the world,
people relied on the creation of the rotogravure to print mass amounts of
images that could be put into newspapers. Created in 1890 by Karel Klíč,
the rotogravure, as Ohio Gravure Technologies explains in the article, “is small
cells recessed into a cylinder that hold ink. The cylinder is washed with ink;
a doctor blade removes the excess, leaving ink only in the cells. The ink is
transferred to a substrate(paper, plastic, film, and more) using a rotary
press.” The invention of the
rotogravure allowed newspaper companies to produce high quality images at a
faster rate than any of the other printing methods of that time. Even though using
the rotogravure was more expensive, newspapers, like the New York Times, as
Professor Nordell states in his video, “would do a
special Sunday addition with photographs. It was the most read pages of the
news paper.” The rotogravure
printing process allowed newspaper companies to mass produce images and
stories at a faster rate and share them with the world.
When looking
at the rotogravure printing process and the use of multimedia, both of these
photographic processes are rapidly able to produce images that can be shared with the world. Both of these processes of sharing photos with people
were very effective during their times, providing companies with fast,
efficient ways to mass produce an image. The rotogravure was an amazing and
convenient tool during the 19th and
20th century, rapidly
printing high quality images that could be sent out in the daily paper. However, within the last decade,
the world has shifted towards digital technology, and the rise of multimedia,
such as online newspapers, Instagram, and blogs, have lessened the need for
newspapers and printing presses. People can conveniently look up news stories
digitally and cell phones and computers make it faster and easier to share
photos with friends and others. Unlike with the rotogravure, multimedia allows
people to have the details and photos right then and there, instead of having
to wait for a paper to be printed and delivered. We live in a fast paced world where people want the news to be right at their finger tips. Multimedia
is a quicker and more convenient way for people to produce a picture and share
it with the world. News is being updated every minute, providing people with more
information about a conflict or event than the rotogravure printing process
can. The images that were produced from the rotogravure came out daily, not a couple of times a day, so
the information was only available as fast as the company could print the papers
and deliver them. The rise of multimedia has also allowed
for more than just photojournalists to share their images and stories with the
world. Anyone can now take a picture and put it on Instagram or send it to a
news station. Back when the rotogravure was being used, different media sources would
publish photos that were taken by their photojournalists. The pictures had to
be high quality and appropriate for people to view. Nowadays, multimedia has
little say as to what images can be shared with the public. Newspapers and
magazines may still filter images, but sites such as Instagram, blogs,
and Facebook, allow people to express their ideas and convey any photos that people
believe the world needs to see. As Arthur Feligg once said in his video, "you take everything
in stride. The same camera that photographs a murder scene can photograph a
beautiful society affair at a big hotel." No matter what type of image a
person wants to share with the world, both the rotogravure and the use of
multimedia are effective tools that have greatly impacted the way society can view and share images.
Photo by Unknown: Provided by NY Time Magazine
Image Source: https://www.periodpaper.com/collections/ny-times-original-rotogravures-1923-sports-travel-wwi-art-hunting-yachting/products/1923-rotogravure-wwi-battlefield-artillery-shell-casings-british-soldiers-burial-239896-rto7-001
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