Photojournalism

H O P P E R P E D I A ©
-Brian Hammons

June 14, 2010: 3,775 hits



Photojournalism is the collecting, editing, and presenting of images in order to tell a news story. The images are usually a recently published record of popular or "current" events. Like a writer, a photojournalist is a reporter, and he or she must often make decisions instantly and carry photographic equipment while exposed to significant obstacles. Photojournalism has a strong foundation dating back between 1880 to 1897. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) was founded in 1946 in the U.S., and has about 10,000 members.

Laws regarding photography can vary significantly from nation to nation. The ethical & legal issue concerning the editing & objectivity of each photo is complicated when one considers that photojournalism made in one country will often be published in many other countries. Digital photography offers whole new realms of opportunity for the manipulation, reproduction, and transmission of images. It has inevitably complicated many of the ethical issues involved.Equipped with a digital camera, a mobile phone and a laptop computer, a photojournalist can send a high-quality image in minutes, even seconds after an event occurs. Camera phones and portable satellite links increasingly allow for the mobile transmission of images from almost any point on the earth.

Photo captions are used to explain or elaborate on specific published photos. In the U.S. newspaper field, they are called "cutlines" and are usually written by copy editors. Captions more than a few sentences long are often referred to as a " copy block."

Final "Warning" Note:

With the vast degree of image manipulation visible in advertising, television commercials and the special effects in movies, it is easy to assume “anything goes” no matter which part of the visual world one works in today. Such is not the case for the photojournalist.