Nature of PhotojournalismWhat is Photojournalism?

What do you know of the world because of

photography?

How many of us have been to the Egyptian

pyramids, the Antarctic, or the surface of the

moon?

What is photojournalism?

• “Medium of communication that uses a universal language to convey facts and information”

• Compound word coined by Frank Luther Mott. – The creation of this word meant change in

importance and respectability of news photography.

Journalistic Photo• Informs and motivates• Image that is created in reality, keeps a strong

connection with it, and reveals facts and information on the first look

Strong story-telling features• Main object and focal point• Show something we couldn’t ordinarily

see for ourselves• Reveal new information at first look• Reveals more information at second look• Answers the classic questions of journalism: who,

what, where, when, why, and how• Pictures of people doing things

What makes a photo interesting to others?• Apply the classic news values that are used to

describe the qualities of a newsworthy event:– Consequence– Conflict– Prominence– Proximity– Timeliness– The bizarre, the unusual, curious, or amusing

Definition• Words and pictures, intended for publication,

that try to produce an honest visual report of what happened, in a form understandable to other.

Uses of Photojournalism• Newspapers• Magazines• Books• Video• Newsletters• PR publications

Typical Day for a Staff Photographer

• Shoots four assignments• Processes film/Downloads camera• Selects the shot that best tells the story• Makes a ‘print’ and delivers it to the newsroom for a

caption and use in page design– ‘Printing’ means preparing the photo digitally as well as

making an actual paper print in the darkroom.– Newspapers rely on the photojournalists for caption info

and sometimes to write the caption.

Terms:• Wild art/evergreen material:

– ‘slice of life’ shots that provide a chuckle or an interesting look at something; not connected with a specific story and could be used at any time

• News photos:– anything that is of immediate interest

• Feature photos: – anything that isn’t a news or sports photo; evergreen material

• Illustrations: – highly controlled photos in which every element is selected, placed and lit to

convey a specific idea or concept

What is expected of a photojournalist?• You must be both a photographer and a

journalist.• You must be a master of technical and visual

means of communicating with a camera.• You must also have the instincts of a reporter

for news value, emphasis, and significance.• You should be able to use both communicative

tools: words and pictures.