Whether
it be for family and friends, or future career goals, motivation is the driving
force that allows people to take hold of their dreams and turn them into reality.
Photojournalists have their own unique motivations that allow them to capture
images that send powerful messages to the world. The images that these
photojournalists capture allow people to see the truth about the world. Without
motivation driving photojournalist, some of the most iconic and memorable
photos would not have existed.
Photojournalist Lewis
Hine was born on September 26, 1874 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Although he originally
studied at the University of Chicago to become an educator, Hine discovered
his passion for photography when working on a project documenting Ellis Island immigrants.
In 1911, he was hired by the National Child Labor Committee to photograph and
show the world child labor conditions in factories and mills. When
photographing the children, he wanted people to see the abuse and unfair, harsh
conditions that these children had to deal with while working. As the video “Lewis
Hine- A Progressive Reformer” states, his motivation for taking these photos,
was that “…he believed his photographs would encourage people to exert the force to right wrongs.” He wanted justice for these children who had been subjected
to unsafe working conditions. He wanted people to see everything that was wrong
with child labor. As the video says, “His work on this project was the driving force behind changing the publics opinion and was essential in the fight for stricter child labor laws.” His
motivation for helping these children fight for justice made for stricter laws and
helped people see the abuse that children faced in factories and mills. Throughout
his career, as George Dimock explains in the article, Hine was “a talented and dedicated photographer with a well-organized and highly motivated social movement.”
Photo by
Unknown
Photo by
Lewis Hine
Photojournalist
Tim Hetherington was born on December 5, 1970 in Birkenhead, United Kingdom. In
1992, he graduated from Oxford University, wanting to explore the world and
document issues that interested him. He traveled the world documenting
conflicts in places such as South Africa, Afghanistan, and Libya. As Tom
Seymour states in the article, “His experiences as a young traveler
seemed to foster the fiercely independent ethos that motivated much of his work…he was one of the brightest photojournalists of his generation.” Hetherington risked his own life in war zones to capture
images of conflict that he could share with the world. As Avni Patel says in
the article, “Hetherington's main motivations as a photographer was to bring
light to the humanitarian suffering that accompanies war… to capture the images, he thought could help him -- and hopefully the world -- understand the humanity in war.” He had the desire to share
the truth about war and went to great and dangerous lengths to show the world what
was happening. To be a great photojournalist, as Gordon Parks explains in his
video, “you have to have desire, and then you have to have the courage to fulfil that desire.” His courage and devotion to his work ultimately allowed him to
win many awards, such as the World Press Photo of the Year in 2008 and the Humanitarian
Award in 2011. Sadly, he was killed in April 2011 in Libya, where he was photographing
war zones. Although he died, Tim Hetherington has been an inspiration to many
people and as Avni states in the article, he showed the world through his
pictures that “war is terrible. But people also love really profoundly in war and they laugh in war. They do generous things and they do cowardly things. Everything happens in war.”
Photo by AP/ Outpost Films
Photo by Tim Hetherington
Image Source: https://pro.magnumphotos.com/image/NYC118497.html
Photojournalist
Lynsey Addario was born on November 13, 1973 in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Addario started her photojournalism career in 1996, as Cubie King states in the article, “that spanned two wars inAfghanistan and Iraq, and saw Addario travel to Cuba, India, Pakistan, Israel and Libya.” Throughout her years of work, she has focused on documenting the
conflict in war zones, as well as revealing poverty around the world. In the article, “Women and Photojournalism:
Lynsey Addario,” Zoe Dean explains that “The motivation that drives Addario’s work is the importance of telling these stories of suffering to the American public, as well as the daily life that continues against the backdrop of conflict.” Lynsey Addario believes that the
main reason to be a photojournalist is to encourage and inspire people to act and
make a difference in the world. Lynsey follows almost the same motivational
goal that photojournalist Ed Kashi does, for as David Schonauer explains in the
article, “his goal, he says, is to tell visual stories that not only inform viewers but also inspire them to find activist solutions to social problems.”Lynsey Addario found that images have the power to get stuck in people’s minds,
which can spark a revolution for change.
Photo by AP
Image
Source: http://alchetron.com/Lynsey-Addario-119970-W
Photo by Lynsey
Addario
Image
Source: https://newrepublic.com/article/120983/lynsey-addarios-its-what-i-do-and-stories-behind-5-photos
What personally motivates me is my family and friends,
having a steady income, graduating in order to have a future career, and challenging
myself everyday to grow into a better person that can give back to the community.
When looking at my personal goals compared to those of the photojournalists, I
think that one thing all of us have in common is that we all want to make the
world a better place. Lewis Hine acted as a progressive reformist and was able
to change child labor laws, so children would no longer be exploited by
factories. Tim Hetherington and Lynsey Addario brought to light the issues and
aftermath of war, hoping one-day people would take action and inspire them to
find better ways to deal with the issues. Although I will never be able to
match what Hine, Addario, and Hetherington have been able to accomplish, I think that
by giving back to the community and volunteering, it helps other people who are
less fortune. Even if I help just one person, that motivates me to become a
better person and helps with my own personal growth. I also believe
that the photojournalists and I are all motivated by our careers and that is what
keeps us going everyday. All three photojournalists were motivated to change the
world and they did that by capturing images through their work. I am also
motivated by my future career because I aspire to become a teacher, where I
will be able to help shape the lives of young children. My future job motivates
me to do my best everyday because one day I know I will be able to positively change
the lives of children. I am not completely sure if family and friends motivated
the three photojournalists, but I know that these two are what drive my motivation.
I want to make my family and friends proud and the support that I receive from
them allows me to become a better person and work towards my life goals.
Photo by Brittany Burnett
Shot on iPhone
