Photojournalism is an effective means of conveying true story using photographs.Although originally created for magazines and newspapers, the modern advancement of journalism helps in the making of documentaries and reaches audiences as never before. Photojournalism covers breaking news by forming visual narratives and documentaries about wars and numerous events. The use of visual content helps to provide in-depth knowledge that no other medium can do.
History is full of information that explains the behavior of individuals and societies. Although this helps understanding, it is not always clear, and many disciplines study why things happened. According to Stearns, studying data that is current does not help us understand the past; during peacetime war can only be evaluated using historical material. Similarly, it is important to know the history of photojournalism to evaluate the issues faced by photojournalists and in solving those problems as well. The history of photojournalism also helps us to find patterns and trends in its development and determine how the introduction of pictures instead of words can gain the attention of people. With the introduction of modern technology and smartphones, photojournalism has become more important than ever before. History helps us understand the change and evolution of the society we live in. Using the techniques and methods used in past, we could bring back the golden age of photojournalism.
In the video “The Harms Way”, Zoriah talks about getting an image that could stop a war and illustrates the hardships faced by these photojournalists. He was stopped by gunmen and was aware of the fact that landmines could be anywhere. He also talks about his pre-traumatic stress disorder and suffering a teargas attack. This provides a true picture of the life-threatening career and prepares one to overcome all of these tragedies. In the same way, the conversation of the photojournalist Alissa with the Israeli editor highlights the adversity she had to overcome to do her job. The use of words like “hopefully return” signifies the toughness of those in this career. The image of a photojournalist shown below clarifies the sometimes risky condition of life as a photojournalist and the necessary precautions to be taken.
In the video by James Nachtwey, he describes about the ability of images to evoke a sense of humanity. The image presented below needs no further explanation, and depicts how an picture can shake the entire world to move a step closer towards peace and non-violence. Photojournalists do a great job of ending the human behavior that has existed throughout history by means of photography and journalism. James also presents photojournalists as a negotiator of peace and they have played a significant role to discuss peace. There are many similar cases of photography as this familiar photo of the Syrian child, which have evoked a sense of humanity throughout the entire world.
I would like to conclude by stating that the history of photojournalism can help us learn about different hardships faced by the photojournalist. We must encourage them to be prepared for possible dangers and emotional events they document. Through the powerful weapon of photos, they can act as a peace negotiator and provide true pictures of world incidents to the public. Through the years, the development of photojournalism has provided historic information. Through the photojournalists’ images, we can study the behavior within society, during tragedies and moments of happiness.
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