Photojournalism: What does it even mean?

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1 A picture is worth ten thousand words Fred R. Barnard, of Printers Ink, 10 March The drawing shows me at a glance what would be spread over ten pages in a book. Ivan Turgenev, Fathers and Sons (1862) Having taken a quick glance at the evolution of photography in history, this class will introduce you to the concept of Photojournalism. Photojournalism: What does it even mean? One thing is quite obvious from taking a look at the term itself it is a fusion of two terms; Photography and Journalism. Photography, as we discussed last class, refers to the process of drawing with the use of light. This process has been made possible and easier by the advent and development of a number of technological equipment. Journalism, on the other hand, is the job of collecting news and writing about it for newspapers, magazines, television or radio. Therefore, we can simply deduce that Photojournalism refers to the practice of journalism with the aid of photography, i.e. collecting news and presenting them in form of pictures. More specifically, photojournalism is a branch of journalism that is focused on using images to tell a story. This branch of journalism is believed to be rooted in the coverage of war, but has since evolved to the reportage of life as a whole. Photojournalism: A peep in History Like the totality of communication, photojournalism is a product of technology and has benefitted immensely from advances in technology through the centuries. As pointed out earlier, photojournalism started with the coverage of war. Roger Fenton, who is believed to have pioneered the field, covered the Crimean War for the Illustrated London News. The publication of his work brought such images to a mass audience for the first time. What Fenton was to the Crimean War, Matthew Brady was to the American Civil War. He reportedly started out by photographing troops prior to their departure, playing on the idea that they might not return and would want a portrait for their relatives. He subsequently developed interest in the war itself. He then sought and secured permission to travel to the battle sites.

2 Commenting on Brady s coverage of the war, Stewart (2017) wrote, Brady s was a large operation, with him employing over 20 assistants, each equipped with a mobile darkroom. While he has sometimes been criticized for not taking all of the images himself, his work and its subsequent success from its first exhibition in 1862, has garnered him recognition as one of the pioneers of photojournalism. Having begun in the 1850s, photojournalism had to wait until the 1930s to witness its first substantial boost. This boost came as a result of, you guessed right, another technological invention the Leica 35mm camera. This camera made photography portable. The invention of flash bulb also made more situations photo-ready for photographers and photojournalists. These advances in technology (in printing too) gave rise to photo-driven magazines like Berliner Illustrate Zeitung, The New York Daily News, and LIFE which all lead to the widespread acceptance of photojournalism. The Crimean War was a military conflict Who is a photojournalist? In the simplest sense, a photojournalist is a fusion of two personalities. (S)he is a journalist who is also a photographer or vice versa. In other words, a photojournalist possesses the professional dexterity of a journalist and the technical cum professional acumen of a professional photographer. (S)he is often called a press photographer, The Advanced English Dictionary describes a photojournalist as a journalist who presents a story primarily through the use of photographs. fought from October 1853 to February 1856 in which the Russian Empire lost to an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain and Sardinia. The immediate cause involved the rights of Christian Minorities in the Holy Land, which was a part of the Ottoman Empire. The French promoted the rights of Roman Catholics, while Russia promoted those of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Wikipedia You should note the emphasis on his being a journalist. You don t become a photojournalist because you own or are in possession of a camera, although as a photojournalist you definitely should own or have access to one. To tie things up, a photojournalist is an observer of people and events who reports what is happening in photographs for media organisations, requiring photographic records of everyday events for publication. Get the point?

3 Traditionally, photojournalists were usually assigned together with journalists to cover assignments. But thanks to advances in technology, journalists now often find themselves having to combine their own duties with that of a photojournalist. And that s why you re sitting in this class. Qualities of a Photojournalist There are certain attributes that photojournalists possess which makes it possible for them to perform their professional duties. We have pointed out earlier that photojournalists are combinations of two persons. Hence they should have the qualities of journalists (I hope you still remember those) and those of photographers. Following is a fusion of those qualities. Curiosity: Photojournalists should always be in a state in which they want to learn more about something. A curious mind is one of the most essential assets of anyone trying to make a living in the news business. Many a news break have resulted from a (photo) journalist s intent to understand how or why things work. Similar to Curiosity is Nose for News which is used to describe an instinctive skill or facility for discovering things. A photojournalist must possess the ability to ferret out newsworthy things from routine or trivial day-to-day activities or occurrences. This trait will bloom if you have a healthy dose of curiosity. Without cameras, there would be neither photography nor photojournalism, right? The camera is the most important tool of a photojournalist. Hence a photojournalist MUST not only possess the knowledge of how a camera works but also be able to fix minor faults that may come up in the course of performing his duty. This is what is referred to as Mechanical Aptitude. In addition, the photojournalist must have more than a smattering knowledge of working with the computer to enhance picture quality or use mobile phones or other devices to send pictures from an event venue to the office for immediate use (Ojomo, 2008). The news profession is a sacred one. This is so because of its ability to reach and influence large numbers of people at the same time. And that ability is why news professionals are required to live and practice by certain standards which include truthfulness, objectivity amongst others. A photojournalist must possess High Ethical Standards. This is especially important these days where there is no limit to the manipulation that can be applied to photographs. The photojournalist must see himself as a recorder and not a creator of news (Ojomo, 2008). A photojournalist must be Creative. I know. I just quoted Ojomo as saying the photojournalist shouldn t create news. Why then does he need to be creative? The answer is simple. The photojournalist s main duty is to record or capture news. He can and should

4 be creative with that. This is how (s)he would be able to take pictures or make videos that capture the sense of the news. Life is fleeting. It passes along in a twinkle of an eye. And so do the best picture-taking opportunities. Hence, to succeed as a journalist, you must be able to think quickly. You must be able to utilise all of your professional, ethical and technical know-how within the split second window you have to take a photograph. That is how not to miss out on capturing a lot of great moments. Another way is to be able to anticipate when a great picture taking opportunity is at hand. According to Ojomo, the ability to see ahead of an event and prepare to take the best moment of it keeps a photojournalist ahead of his peers. That quality is known as foresightedness. You should know by now that the news business is not a solo effort. Every news medium is made up of a team of professionals who make the organisation successfully carry out its business. The photojournalist must be able to fit seamlessly into this team. In other words, the photojournalist must be a Team Player. (S)he should not possess a bloated ego. He must be able to collaborate with others for the achievement of his organisation s goals. What exactly does a Photojournalist do? Your duties or responsibilities as a photojournalist depends largely on the organisation you work for. Whatever the peculiarities of your organisation are however, you can be sure that you would be expected to perform the following functions. Take pictures: That is apparent, I hope. But anybody can take pictures. Does that make them photojournalists? Not exactly. Unlike what many of us do, a photojournalist takes pictures that have news value (prominence, proximity, etc). Work with other reporters: Traditionally, photojournalists are assigned to cover events alongside reporters. Thus, they are both expected to work together to bring home the news. They also have to work with other persons in the newsroom like the news editor, the photo editor amongst others. So if you re thinking of becoming a photojournalist, learn to get along with people. Attend departmental meetings/briefings: It is at such meetings that a photojournalist is briefed on what his current tasks entails and what is expected of him. He also gets assigned tasks and is afforded the opportunity to pitch his own ideas. Monitor events: As a photojournalist, you would be required to keep a calendar of events which offer picture taking opportunities for your organisation. This is particularly important because a news organisation thrives on being up-to-date. To miss out on important events can spell doom to you and your organisation.

5 Giving advice: Photojournalists are also required to provide technical and professional advice to the organisation on how best his tasks, those of his department and the organisation at large could be achieved effectively and efficiently. Keeping Equipment Safe: Photojournalists take custody of photographic equipment. It is therefore their duty to make sure the equipment are not only safe but also always ready to use. They report damages to the photo editor and ensure routine maintenance are carried out on the gadgets. References and Further Reading Ojomo O. W (2008) Introductory Photography & Photojournalism Lagos: Coronate Books. Shapiro F (2011) A Picture s Worth a Thousand Words freakonomics.com Stewart J (2017) The History of Photojournalism. How Photography Changed the Way We Receive News.