History of Photojournalism : History of Photojournalism Conclusion

For my creative experiential exercise, I went out and took pictures at the Festival of Trees in downtown Springfield. I took pictures on my iPhone in both color and black and white. Although it was not a political event or some sort of conflict, it was still really interesting and fun to go out and take pictures of all the trees and the people enjoying the holiday festivities. When taking pictures, I captured different angles of the event and it was interesting to see how people reacted while I was taking the pictures. Since I used my iPhone, it was a lot easier to get shots in focus, as well as getting the lighting to be just right. Taking pictures on my phone was also very convenient because I was able to easily take out my phone and take a quick shot of people walking around the event. Also, I think that a camera is more noticeable than a phone and therefore most of the time people did not even see I was taking pictures. I shot images in black and white and color, at times capturing the same image using both styles. It was very cool to see how the images looked when they were in different colors. The black and white images looked more serious, and almost timeless. After taking these pictures, it was really fun to look back and see all of the images that I captured. When looking through all of the images, it was as though I was reliving the event over again. I enjoyed this experience and I felt as though I was a photojournalist capturing images specifically for this event. I liked being able to go out and capture a piece of history and even though the event was not that significant, it was still a great learning experience.

When looking back at when I first defined photojournalism, I would say that my definition for it has basically stayed the same. However, I think that I understand more clearly what photojournalism actually means after studying it in-depth. When I first wrote about photojournalism, I stated how “Photojournalism is a type of journalism where photos, instead of words, are used to convey a powerful or meaningful message to people about current events that are happening around the world.” I still believe this to be true. A photo has the ability to tell a story and allows people to see first-hand an event or conflict that is happening in the world. Photojournalism captures and records some of the world’s greatest accomplishments, as well as tragic events. When writing my first blog, I do not think I understood exactly what photojournalism was. I understood the basic concept, but never imagined how much photojournalism plays a role in our everyday lives. Photojournalism has played a major role when reporting on news and current events. The use of a photo to convey a story has radically changed how people respond to certain events. As Ed Kashi explains, “Photojournalism can also work as an agent of change, often outside of its role in mainstream media…. [it] expands the aesthetics of visual reporting, justifies its grand intentions of enlightenment and contributes to our deeper understanding of the world.” Before diving into this course, I looked at photojournalism as just sharing pictures with the world, however I have learned that it is much more. Photojournalism acts as a visual truth, which can impact people’s perceptions, changing the way we view the world.

In my first blog, I saw photos as being evidence of history, for they can bring us back in time without physically ever leaving. Photojournalism helps solidify events that happened in the past, therefore giving us a better understanding and connection to the past itself. After learning much more about the history of photojournalism, I still believe this to be true. However, I have gained new insight as to why studying the history of photojournalism is so important. Without every knowing the history of photojournalism, it would be impossible for photojournalists to have accomplished the things they have done over the years. Knowing the history of photojournalism helps us gain a better insight into the different past components that have made photojournalism what it is today. People can understand all the events that have happened within the history of photojournalism and how it has impacted our society. Without the existence of photojournalism throughout history, some of the most famous images and world events may have never been seen throughout the world.

When taking this course, one big “Ah-ha” moment that I had came when we were learning about photojournalists' ethics. When looking at images, I never thought about whether a photograph was ethically right or wrong. The news shows images of wounded soldiers and starving children all the time and I do not think a person's first thought is to think about the ethics of the photojournalist who took the image. After learning about ethics though, it has made me more aware of the ethical dilemmas that a photograph could cause. Take for instance the photograph taken by Kevin Carter of a starving child and a vulture who is stalking her. When I looked at this photo, I immediately felt sorry for the little girl, but it never crossed my mind whether or not this photo was ethical. After learning about ethics in photojournalism, I questioned the ethics of this photojournalist and whether he should have put the camera down to help the starving child. I also look at images now and wonder if photojournalists exploit their subjects, which I never thought about before taking this class. We so often focus on the details in a picture that we never really wonder what happened to the subject. Another “Ah-ha” moment when taking this class would be when we learned about the technology that photojournalists use. I honestly never knew how much equipment was used back when Mathew Brady was capturing images. It is crazy to think about how far we have come in technological advances in both photojournalism and mainstream media. The new technology in photojournalism has made it more convenient for photojournalists to take images from around the world and allows them to publish and share these powerful images at a faster rate. The creation of social media and the wide spread access to it has changed the way photojournalism is used in main stream media.

Photo by Kevin Carter

Image Source: https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/

Although photos may not directly impact the world, I do believe that they play a major role in helping us understand and connect to the situation or conflict that is occurring. An image has the power to evoke a variety of different emotions, which can greatly impact a person. All it takes is one person to want to change or help in a conflict for something to happen. One image that has impacted me would be the image by Lynn Johnson of two older women sitting on a swing, which Courtney Partridge posted on her blog. This image shows two older women who are laughing, one woman is African American, while the other is Caucasian. Within the last few years, issues about races have divided our nation and have caused a lot of conflict. I believe that color should not be the thing that matters, rather its what is inside that counts. This image reminded me that people can still love one another, no matter the color of their skin or age. I also liked this photo because it was in black and white, showing that color is not what is important. Another image that has had a great impact on me is Ed Clark’s image, Going Home. To me, this image embodies the exact feeling when you experience the loss of a loved one and are grieving their death. I think it captures the raw emotion of how most people respond to death, and I think how I myself might respond to a tragedy. I think that everyone can relate to this image and it sends a powerful message about human suffering. The last photo that truly impacted me was Eric Miller’s image of children learning under a tree, which I posted on my blog. This photo truly spoke to me because it was so heartbreaking to see the children having to learn under a tree with no textbooks, pencils, or desks. As a future teacher, it is hard to imagine not being able to have a classroom full of textbooks and equipment that is necessary to teach students. This picture shows the lack of quality of education and resources in third world countries. This photo has truly impacted the way I view schools in America, and makes me want to teach students in other countries, who have nothing. After seeing this photo, it makes me cherish what I have and I feel blessed to have had the resources to get me educationally to where I am today.

Photo by Lynn Johnson

Image Source: http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/24/hate-kills-photos-insights-photographer-lynn-johnson/

Photo by Ed Clark

Image Source: http://time.com/3764064/mourning-fdr-in-a-classic-photo-the-face-of-a-nations-loss/

Photo by Eric Miller

Image Source: https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/1432/an-objective-analysis/

Throughout my creative experiential exercise, it was fun to think of myself as a photojournalist who was trying to share the joys of the holidays through the Festival of Trees event. Although these pictures would not necessarily have an impact on the world, someone might see them and automatically get into the holiday spirit. I know that when I was looking at these pictures, all of the trees and people having a good time made me feel happy. It would be cool to be able to share pictures with the world that could inspire others or evoke some sort of emotions. When taking these pictures, I was more in the mindset of a photojournalist, wanting to capture every moment of the event, as well as thinking about what would evoke certain emotions. When looking at the images I took, they do not exactly fit the images that a photojournalist would take. I took these images to share the memories and feelings of the holiday spirit, rather than sending a powerful message about a conflict or event that is happening within the world. Although it was a small event, and most people in the world, or even Massachusetts for that matter, would not know about it, it was still a fun experience to be able to capture history that was occurring in Springfield. This experience showed me that there are a lot of events going on that people do not know about, however the events might be really popular in the area they are happening in. I really enjoyed being able to go out and take pictures of this event because it was something that I have never done before. Taking pictures made me more aware of the event and the actions of the people at it. I felt like a photojournalist, studying every aspect of the event and keeping an eye open for those shots that capture the essence and meaning of the Festival of Trees.

I really enjoyed taking this class because I gained so much new insight into the History of Photojournalism from my own research and from that of my classmates. In Allison Gavin’s Photojournalist Profile blog post, I learned that as “Addario was photographing injured soldiers, she did in fact get permission from the troops to be in their presence taking photographs.” I think this shows how professional Lynsey Addario truly was and how much she respected her subjects. This fact made me wonder if other photojournalists ask their subjects if they can take pictures of them or if the photojournalists do it without their consent. In this case, I feel that this would be unethical and wrong. In Alyssa Desroches’s blog post, I learned about how photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus views how photojournalism has impacted the way we view a conflict. For she states, “I don't believe conflicts have changed since 9/11, other than to become more frequent and protracted. But the essence of the conflict is the same - two sides fighting for territory, for power, for ideologies. And in the middle is the population who is suffering.” She talks about how the conflicts have not changed, rather the way we see them has. Images can be uploaded to the internet at lightning speeds now, which allows people to see things faster than ever before. With the rise in technology, photojournalism has changed, therefore changing the way we see things. The images of the issues are more available now then before and everyone can see what is happening in the world, even if they are not physically there. From Judith Soto’s blog post about Tim Hetherington, I learned that he “had an extraordinary talent for documenting, in compassionate and beautiful imagery, the human stories behind the headlines… in every assignment, he demonstrated a remarkable sensitivity to his subjects, a tender insight into their human ordeals, and a keen sense of how visual imagery could be used to effect positive social change.” I believe that Tim Hetherington was able to encompass the values and ideas that make up a great photojournalist. He cared for his subjects and tried to show the world the human suffering that resulted from war. Tim Hetherington was able to inspire the future photojournalists to document the truth, while showing compassion and kindness to the subjects they shot.