PhotoJournalism- A Holistic Know-How!

PhotoJournalism- A Holistic Know-How!

Have you observed the eye-catching, candid captures that fill the pages of newspapers or adorn the pieces of blogs & news online? Don’t they fit with the news pieces aptly, such that they become story-tellers too? What if we didn’t have these splendid still pictures, would we be able to imagine what the news situation looks like?
PhotoJournalism is a type a journalism where the photojournalist collects, edits and presents the pictures for publication such that they can tell news stories. It is very similar to Journalism, only difference being that it employs pictures as tools instead of words. The pictures generally have captions or cut liners that speak about them.

From History to Contemporary!

It has been appropriately said, ‘Pictures speak more than words.’ Imagine, in what situations would one want pictures to do the talking? Mostly, during wars!
War period in the history saw a great deal of inventions. A lot that we have today in terms of technology or creativity is something that we owe to the war times. They might have set the basic layout of ideas that are being developed into sky-scraping forms today. One such invention of the war period was the photojournalism, originally in Germany. Instead of isolated photos in albums, photographers worked to produce stories via pictures using words & cut lines to accompany the pictures. During II World War, ’Life’ was the most influential photojournalism magazine. PhotoJournalism= Photo+Journalism, thus the combination of both. The term was coined by Frank Luther Mott, historian and dean of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Gone are the days when sending one colored photo took 30 minutes. With mobile-cameras, professional cameras of high resolutions and other inventions, photojournalism has rocketed itself. It has gained wide popularity due to the advanced technology.  It has now turned into a desirable profession. Many youngsters seem to have a penchant for this profession and look for attaining training to enhance their skills. PhotoJournalism has now become an important genre of Journalism.
As a Growing Career

A professional Photojournalist might work with a particular newspaper or magazine, online blogs, might also be a freelance worker. To obtain a job or assignments, a photojournalist might need a bachelor’s degree and good editing/software skills. One can enhance employability by taking internships and assembling a portfolio of his/her work.
Photojournalists work under pressures and deadlines. They might have to take candid shots in risky areas. They should be prepared to work out of their comfort zones and in obstacles. Their task usually involves travelling to places in order to shoot pictures that accompany a news article or a magazine story. Also, in such situations they should be well educated in terms of decision making and instant action taking so that they do not miss an important shot because the field is exposed to stiff competition. The profession, however, is growing gradually.

Ethics to be Followed

The profession of photojournalism is not free from Ethics & Morals. In other to maintain the professionalism, Photojournalists must keep in mind that they have a social & moral responsibility. They need to decide what should go into publication and what cannot be exposed to the public. They need to pay heed to privacy of the victims of the situations or the culprit too, sometimes. They also need to decide the degree of violence and brutality that can be presented to the citizens. Another thing is the degree of manipulation that a picture can undergo, this sometimes becomes a major concern for the editors and newspapers. For a picture to appear candid and real, it cannot be manipulated beyond the prescribed standards.
PhotoJournalism is a much evolving field. Do make a career in it if you have a penchant for clicking.

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