Photo Journalism Experience

Photojournalism is a form of journalism collecting, editing and presenting the material needed for the publication that creates the images in order to tell a story. It is now normally just aimed at still images now but in some cases the term also refers to videos used in

broadcast journalism. Photojournalism works very close to other types of photography such as documentary, social documentary, street and also celebrity photography. The work should comply with a rigid ethic framework which demands that the work is both honest and impartial whilst telling the story in strictly journalistic terms. Photojournalists create photographs that contribute to the news media. Like a writer a photojournalist is a reporter but they must make decisions instantly in some cases and to carry photographic equipment. While often exposed to significant obstacles such as physical danger, weather, crowds and many more.

Timeliness- The images produced should have a meaning in the context of a recently published record of events.

Objectivity- The situation implied by the photographs is fair and accurate representation of the event they depict in both content and tone.

Narrative- The photographs combined with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.

People have their career destroyed in photojournalism by even a hint of photo manipulation. This is why many photojournalists prefer to use a traditional method which is film rather than the digital camera. Although digital cameras allow photojournalists to review the photos taken immediately in the field, digital images are a lot easier to manipulate than film negatives. The image is easier to change and manipulate but the film is made up with lots of stills and would take longer to manipulate and wouldn’t be given to the people who need the footage on time. I gain this opinion because I was reading some articles on the Internet talking about how people used manipulation and lost their job.

Henri Cartier-Bresson:

Henri Cartier-Bresson is known as one of the greatest photographer of his time, he was a shy French man who raised “Snap shooting” to a level of a refined and disciplined art. His sharp shooting ability to catch the decisive moment, his precise eye for design, self-taught methods of work, and his comments about the theory and practice of photography made him a legendary figure among contemporary photojournalists. “During the work, you have to be sure that you haven’t left any holes, that you’ve captured everything, because afterwards it will be too late”. Quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson. I think this image I have chosen is one of the best images. I like this because Henri has captured the man running but still in mid air and you can see the reflection, this image was not set up because you would be able to tell otherwise the man would be in the centre of the shot.

Henri Cartier-Bresson One of Henri’s photographs

Robert Capa:

Robert Capa was a Hungarian combat photographer and photojournalist who covered five different wars: Spanish Civil War, second Sino-Japanese war, World War II across Europe and others. He documented the course of World War II in London, North Africa, Italy the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris. His action photographs, such as those taken in the Normandy invasion 1944, portray the violence of war with unique impact. “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough” Quote from Robert Capa.

Robert Capa One of Robert’s Photographs

Many people say the closer you get to the event the better your photographs will be but doing this will give higher risks. There are many of risks doing photojournalism I think the biggest risk is losing your life. For an example Robert Capa went on the front line capturing the different emotions and experiences of the soldiers I think that he was a brave man doing that because he was risking his life to show people around the world what effects the war has on different people. I think that photojournalism is not a job for people who are weak. Even if they are not on the front line they still put themselves in danger just to capture that one photograph that will tell a story. Even just covering a simple crime scene you need to get close enough to show the intensity of the scene. Roberts photograph shows the realism of the war when the soldiers are dropped off on the beach, which is called a beach landing. You cannot see anything in front of the soldiers and this is what the men would of seen. This adds fear and other emotions to this photograph that is why I think that this photograph is successful.

This is a photograph of the headland memorial from many years ago and the other picture is a recent photograph I have taken. I am going to reshoot this image because the positioning isn’t the same as the older version and I want them looking the same. The memorial is a place where people can pay their respects to men and women have fallen during the war. Once every year people meet up for a ceremony to pay their respects which is remembrance Sunday. I have been part of this tradition for five years because I parade with the Royal Marine cadets. I think the only difference is the plants around the statue, I don’t know if the houses were painted on the first image because it is in black and white.

More than a 100 people were killed during the bombardment of the headland and old town areas of Hartlepool on December 16, 1914. Hartlepool became the first mainland Britain to be bombed by the Germans in the First World War. In total, 118 people died and buildings as more than 1,000 shells rained down on the town during the surprise 40-minute attack by three heavy German cruisers. The gun battery, led by the quick-thinking Lieutenant Colonel Lancelot Robson, defended the town during the bombardment.

National Press Photographers Association's Code of Ethics reads: Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding. Photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or are manipulated. The Code of Ethics goes on to detail what is and is not acceptable in professional photojournalism.  Though the standards may seem fairly crystalized, every day there are challenging borderline cases.  Considering that photography itself is barely 150 years old, one might wonder how these particular ethical guidelines came to be, and how they may be evolving over time

Information about definition of photojournalism and Robert Capa from Wikipedia.org

Information about Henri Cartier-Bresson from

http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/bresson.htm

Hartlepool bombardment history

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/