Photojournalism

Photojournalism

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  Photojournalism Photojournalism is away of telling a story by just using a photo, the photo is usually very descriptive and evokes a lot of emotion. Photojournalism has shaped the way we receive news and how we report it. It started as war photography in the mid-19th century and throughout time it’s spread to other newsworthy events. Photojournalism has featured a lot of controversial and risky photos, but the more controversy the more real the picture is. For photojournalism the photographers like to take pictures of raw and real scenes, photographers take everything into consideration, e.g. the scenery, the focus of the camera, the shot type. In modern day we abbreviate things as much as we can and try to use as less words and as little effort as we can. Photojournalism can be interpreted as an easy way of telling a story without having to use any words. I appreciate photojournalism because I think it’s important to understand how difficult it is to tell a story and trigger emotions using just a photograph. Where photojournalism started Crimean War – Roger Fenton War photography is where the origin of photojournalism started, Roger Fenton was the first official war photographer during the Crimean War 1850. Cameras were first created in 1816 so by 1850 we had more advanced technology, but, compared to modern day the cameras were nowhere near as advanced, they were large and bulky, requiring photographers to shoot landscapes or, if photographing people, to pose them because they couldn’t capture moving shots. They required long exposures on plates that had to be developed immediately in huge, mobile darkrooms. These photos were published in ‘Illustrated London News’ it was the first newspaper that was able to include images with the paper. The first time these type of war photos were exposed to the public was revolutionary because it was the first-time people really saw what it was like. American Civil War – Mathew Brady Whereas Fenton was only able to focus on scenery pictures due to the lack of technology, 10 years later during the American Civil War photographer Mathew Brady recreated War photography in a different way. With slightly advanced technology he explored different scenery and began capturing scenes of camp life and the battlefield for newspaper ‘Harper’s Weekly’. He started taking photos of troops before they left to fight because he assumed
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  that if theydidn’t return then families would want portraits of them. However, after being out and experiencing life on the field he became more interested in War itself. He began taking photos of the war in 1861 and in a lot of situations he put himself in danger during battle so he could get a good shot. Brady’s was a large operation, with him employing over 20 assistants, each equipped with a mobile darkroom. World War 1 World War 1 was the first War where the technology was advanced to smaller cameras and film formats that let professional photographers make images quickly and under difficult light, making them able to capture moving images from the front line. The cameras were so advanced that there was a camera called ‘The Vest Pocket Kodak’ introduced in 1912, they became the most popular camera carried by soldiers. Although forbidden by some militaries, including Britain’s, many soldiers took these cameras to the front. “Photography seems to have played a substantial role in the personal life of soldiers, it made them proud that they could inform their families with pictures and, more importantly, to document their heroic participation in this war. After 1916, there were strict rules of what to show and what not. But the pictures from the front, sent by soldiers to their families, could not be controlled that much.” - Bodo von Dewitz, an expert on photography during World War Perspective Photojournalism can be interpreted as different things for different people, for a lot of people photojournalism is as standard as broadcasting the news on recent/current events around the world. Or an audience can interpret photojournalism as just a meaningless photograph, however it has a deeper meaning and demands a more serve thought process. It entirely depends on the audience’s interpretation. Photojournalism links well with the theory about perspective from Georgia O’Keeffe, her artwork/career was orientated around perspective. Georgia O’Keeffe was an artist born on 15 November 1887; she was more famously known for her paintings of flowers. O’Keeffe
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  painted a lotof flowers that, to first glance looked just like flowers but after looking closer they had another interpretation. O’Keeffe created her paintings so they would look like a flower but also be interpreted as a vagina, like an illusion. The meaning behind O’Keeffe’s double meaning paintings were interpreted as coming from a feminism point of view, trying to stir emotions about women and symbolising female empowerment. However, just because they were flowers/vaginas didn’t mean they demanded a further interpretation. O’Keeffe refused to let any ‘women’s liberation’ or ‘feminist stuff’ immerse in her paintings. It is obvious that the paintings were flowers and also resembled vaginas, but it wasn’t for a feminist movement, it was just to distinguish her work from other contemporary male artists. O’Keeffe is a great example of what the painting is, is entirely in the eye of the beholder and depends on the perspective of the audience “I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flower, you hung all your associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see—and I don't.” Georgia O’Keeffe talking about her interpretation of her paintings. I think Georgia O’Keeffe’s perspective is interesting to try and employ to the concept of photojournalism because they are both dependent on how the audience receive it. According to Stuart Hall’s reception theory there are three different ways that an audience can receive a piece of media, and these perspectives are asserted by encoded and decoded messages, this means that the producer will encode messages and values throughout the text which are left to the audience to decode. Depending on the audience’s background/cultural knowledge and their ability to understand the text the audience will decode the media in different ways. The audience can either adopt a, dominant/preferred reading, where they agree, understand and enjoy the text, or they take an oppositional reading where they reject the preferred reading and disagree with the concept and the text, or they follow a negotiated reading, a compromise between dominant and oppositional where there are depending factors that they both agree and argue with. So, people who enjoy and appreciate O’Keeffe’s art would adopt a dominant reading. For photojournalism the way they receive the photo is completely dependent on the audience’s ability to decode the photo because there is no text to support the photo, so for photojournalism it is important for the photo to contain symbolic meanings. ( Symbolic meaning is part of the semiotics theory from Charles Sanders Peirce, a symbol semiotic is when there is no visual link between the photo and the meaning of the photo, so to understand the photo you would have to know previous cultural knowledge and understand parts of the photo through symbols or subtle links.) This applies well to photojournalism because there is a lot of photos where you have to understand the previous cultural knowledge before understanding the photo. So, different audiences have very different readings of the same photo. I think this is a very important part of photojournalism because the point of photojournalism is to tell a story with a picture, and as the same with any story if you have background knowledge you will understand the story in a different way. For example, a photograph from Alfred
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  Eisenstaedt’s of asailor kissing a nurse, it is an iconic photo from the war. To the eye it is just a photo of a nurse and a sailor kissing but with background and cultural knowledge the viewer would understand that the two people in the picture don’t actually know each other but just grabbed and kissed each other in the moment, due to celebrating on VJ day when the war was declared over. This photo stands out and is a very powerful photo because it commemorated such an important time in history successfully capturing the atmosphere. Colours Scheme Photojournalism can either be taken with or without colour, more than not they are developed without colour. It is personal to the artists preference, but a lot of artists tend to stay loyal to de-colourisation because it is the way that photojournalism first started in the late 1800s. Choosing to develop the photo with or without colour both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Black and White Photojournalism in black and white is a popular decision because the boldness and the solidarity of the black and white together make a statement, and the way the dark and soft tones complement each other are sometimes more descriptive then if the picture was in all colour. The black and white emphasises the shadows and makes the photo immediately more dramatic, a black and white effect is more timeless and classic. Removing the colour from the photo can let the viewer have a new perspective and concentrate on the point of the photo, taking away any interference. For example, in a photo if the sky was light blue then this would give the viewer a false sense of security because of the sub conscious connotations that our minds make, Blue skies are usually associated with tranquillity and positiveness. But with the black and white effect it gives us the freedom to abandon stigmas and sub conscious patterns that different colours tell us to feel. In photographs colours can sometimes introduce aspects of magical realism, for example they can give the photo a hazy tone and be misleading. For example war photos would have been taken on the battle field, with green grass and during the middle of the day with the sun, so the connotations of the photo are happy and positive, however the photo should take us on an emotional journey and through a more dark and mournful process because of the upsetting and serious meaning that the photos should provoke. So, to have the photos processed without colours it gives the viewers the chance to appreciate the non-obvious aspects of the photo and allows them to recognise the emotional connection they have with the photo. Colour Although, it can be argued that colour gives the photo more context. And therefore, the ability to have a deeper understanding of what is going on in the photo, so some artist still keep they’re photos developed in colour. They even enhance colours to make them overpower and highlight of the photo. The impact that colour has on photos is that colour catches the eye, if there was a bright photo next to a black and white one then the viewers eyes would immediately be drawn to the bright piece. However, art isn’t meant to fit into a small box with just few peoples perspectives, there may be more people who would be drawn to a black and white photo because it evokes mystery and depth but that point of view is not glorified because in the media the most interesting and radiant piece of work is the one that produces most attention with first glance. The different colours in a photo can immediately set a tone and give the photo more detail, cold colours can connate a winter day, or a calming, antiseptic day. Including colours in
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  photos can beeffective from this point of view because isn’t photojournalism meant to tell us a story, and it is easier to understand a story if you have more factors explaining it. Sometimes artists will even leave some colours in and then decolourise the rest to send a message to the viewer. Structure Shot Angle The angle of a photo is important because different angles have different meanings. For example; if the photograph is taken from an angle looking over the subject of the photo it belittles the character, showing that they are inferior to viewer. It makes the audience feel above them, in control, we call this a bird’s eye view. However, a worm’s eye view would be the opposite. An eye level angle represents that the viewers are equal to the subject of the photo, this angle would be used to humanise the photo, it would give the photo are more relatable perspective for the viewer, instead of feeling either intimidated or in control. A lot of people would interpret an eye level shot as a “normal” shot but if you are able to understand the depth that the angle of the photo carries then you will be able to have a deeper connection with the photo. A lot of photojournalists take their photos from an eye level angle to emphasise the realismof the photo. It is also very important to use an eye level photo because this angle doesn’t include any judgement it creates an idea of equality. Shot Type As well as the camera angle the shot type is just as important. There are numerous different shot types in photography. For example, a long shot, where the camera includes an entire scene, so typically shows the entire object or human figure and the background. Or there’s a close up shot which is, a photo of a certain feature or part of the subject, it takes up most of the frame. A close up of a person usually means a close up of their face, e.g. their eye. In photojournalism a lot of the photos acquire an extreme long shot, or a long shot, with the exception of a few close-up shots. It is predominantly long shots because this style of photograph gives the photographer the freedom to have as much in the shot as possible, which gives the photo more ability to tell a story. It is easier to set a scene and create an atmosphere with a long shot and they are more likely to convey a tone and emotion. However, a close-up shot is frequently used because in a close-up piece of photojournalism the photo is usually a lot more descriptive and detailed because there is just one subject in the photo for the viewer to focus on. Marilyn Silverstone Marilyn Silverstone was a photojournalist and ordained Buddhist, 9 March 1929 – 28 September 1999. She was born in London, but her family moved to America just before the Second World War. She grew up in Scarsdale, New York. After graduating from Wellesley College, she became an associate editor for Art News, Industrial Design and Interiors in the early 1950s.She moved to Italy to make documentary art films. Silverstone’s photography stood out for me against other photographers for multiple reasons. Firstly, because when conducting my research finding famous photojournalists, I found it very difficult to find women photojournalists. This is because it is a lot harder for women to get publicity for doing the same job as men. When I searched ‘famous photojournalists’ only 3 out of 10 results were women. So, Silverstone immediately stood out to me as her work must be impressive. Also, in the time period it was even more
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  difficult for womento be appreciated as men were more successful and seen as inferior to women. I find Silverstone’s photographs interesting because she took a lot of photos from a portrait angle instead of landscape. Most photojournalist photos are taken from a landscape angle because a landscape photo can be more descriptive and lets you see more of the photo. But Silverstone captures a lot of her photos using a portrait angle, this looks effective and makes her photos stand out. why are photojournalists important Bibliography Jessica Stewart. (2017). The History of Photojournalism. How Photography Changed the Way We Receive News. Available: https://mymodernmet.com/photojournalism-history/. Last accessed 26 Sept 2019. Craig Allen. (2014). Photographers on the Front Lines of the Great War. Available: https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/photos-world-war-i-images-museums-battle- great-war/. Last accessed 26 Sept 2019. (.). What do you see in Georgia O'Keeffe's flowers? Available: https://uk.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2014/february/05/what-do-you-see-in- georgia-okeeffes-flowers/. Last accessed 1 Oct 2019. Steven Bradley. (2016). Icon, Index, and Symbol — Three Categories of Signs. Available: https://vanseodesign.com/web-design/icon-index-symbol/. Last accessed 1 Oct 2016. . (2019). Marilyn Silverstone. Available: https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/marilyn-silverstone/. Last accessed 23 Oct 2019.
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  Wikipedia. (2019). MarilynSilverstone. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Silverstone. Last accessed 23 Oct 2019. (2019). Color vs black and white photography – What makes sense and when? Available: http://www.photographyvox.com/a/color-vs-black-and-white-photography/. Last accessed 23 Oct 2019. Bill Brandt. (.). Bill Brandt – setting the scene. Available: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/bill-brandt-setting-the-scene. Last accessed 5th Nov 2019.