How has photography changed in journalism?

Photojournalist James Nachtway on duty in Rwanda during the genocide of 1994. (Photo: Christian Fei)

How Has Photography Changed in Journalism?

We’ve all heard the old cliche “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but there really is a lot of truth in that statement. Often times, a picture will tell a story much better than words do.  You experience that moment in time, as it happened.

As society developed, it was often shared through the news.  Journalism first took hold when Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press during the 15th century. However the first photojournalist recognized was Carol Szathmari.  He documented the Crimean War.  During that time, printed photos came from engravings and was very difficult to make.

By the mid 1900’s, 35 mm cameras were created and they were small enough to carry around. During the Great Depression, photographers began documenting the effects of poverty through photographs.  While it wasn’t really news, it was appealing to people because they could either relate to what they saw or it gave them a better understanding of what they didn’t know about.

Today, photojournalism thrives. Readers now expect there to be photos of the news around them.  It is the photographer’s responsibility to take the photo objectively and with an open mind to the event or news they are covering.  With everyone today practically having a cell phone in their pocket, it’s easy to get pictures.  Yet are they accurate in the event that just happened or have they been staged or manipulated with photoshop?   This is why it is important for there to be true photojournalists when reporting news events.

It will be interesting to see however, how digital photography changes things even further in the future. Children today, have never known a time in their lives when digital wasn’t there.

To read an actual newspaper story or magazine article likely seems archaic.  With social media accounts like Instagram and Snap Chat, pictures are the new norm, so the news will have to follow what is demanded by the public.  Visual storytelling is anticipated to be the wave of the future.

Visual storytelling uses photographs, videos, music and other media to tell a story.  According to Microsoft, “The average attention span is down to 8 seconds;”  and according to 3M, “Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text by the human brain and 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.”  Based on these statistics, a reader will be much more engaged in a story and feel connected with pictures and/or videos.  If this is what sells, then that is what the publisher or producer will want.

Technology is expanding at a rapid rate.  Rest assured however, photojournalism will change right along with it.  It has to in order to survive in our media world today.

Here Is a Brief History of Print Journalism in America

https://www.thoughtco.com/here-is-a-brief-history-of-print-journalism-in-america-2073730

https://www.lightstalking.com/a-brief-history-of-photojournalism/

https://mymodernmet.com/photojournalism-history/

http://www.visualstorytell.com/blog/what-is-visual-storytelling

What kind of equipment and skills would I need?

Photo by: Jean Powell

If I Wanted To Be A Media Photographer, What Kind Of Equipment And Skills Would I Need?

Peter Adams once said “Photography is not about cameras, gadgets, and gismos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn’t make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel.”

Regardless of what kind of photographer a person chooses to be, the first thing one must have is talent.  It doesn’t have to be a natural talent, skills can be learned.  However, it is important to be educated on things like composition, lighting, and positioning.  An expensive camera is not necessary to get started, but knowing how to use it is vital.

Once a person knows how to take a quality photo, they need a portfolio so they can share their work with others.  A website is also highly recommended, along with social media accounts. Creating a blog that tells stories about some of your experiences while working also helps potential clients want to connect with you and hire you to do work for them.  Business cards wouldn’t hurt either to make sure you are not forgotten beyond that first meeting.

There are other items that will be necessary to be a good media photographer.  For the shoots themselves, one will need the basic equipment of a camera and at at least one good lens.  A tripod is also very necessary. In certain situations a person may need the camera to be very still in order to prevent a blurry picture from an unsteady hand.

One can never have enough batteries (both for the camera and any extra equipment that might require them). Yet, just as equally important, are the memory cards.  You can never have enough. Some higher quality photos taken in the setting called “Raw” can take up significant amount of space on one card.  External hard drives are also necessary.  They are usually very inexpensive and one should never solely trust that their computer will never crash.  Multiple back ups are highly recommended. A photographer will never have the opportunity to go back and retake that picture of an exact moment in time.

Finally, unless provided by the person who is doing the hiring, the photographer needs a computer or lap top and photo editing program. The editing program will allow the photographer to adjust colors, remove unwanted items, and many other things that will perfect one’s photo.

While this is the basic equipment that is needed to get started, there are a lot of additional things that can be purchased over time and are especially good for event photography. These would include an off camera flash for additional lighting, filters, and reflectors. A nice camera bag with room to expand wouldn’t hurt either.

https://www.themoderntog.com/top-essential-things-to-buy-when-starting-a-photography-business/

https://photographylife.com/beginning-photography-equipment

https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/event-photography-equipment-ds00/

https://www.adorama.com/alc/12-must-have-items-for-photojournalists

http://www.peteradamsphoto.com/

How do copyright laws affect photography?

Copyright is a set of laws established in our country that gives the original artist or creator exclusive rights for his work’s use.  The Federal Copyright Act of 1976 protects original photographs under copyright law.  Under this act, the photographer/person who physically took the photograph is considered the creator, and therefore has ownership of its copyright.  If a photographer does not want his work distributed or used, he can issue or tag his work with a copyright notice, but is not required to by law.  According to copyright law, work does not have to be officially registered as copyright, but rather is secured automatically once it is created.

However, copyright laws can often be confusing and misinterpreted.  For example, if a company or business hires a photographer, the company does not technically own the photographs or work the photographer has done for them unless the copyright ownership is transferred by the photographer.  Therefore, whenever you hire a photographer, it is essential that copyright negotiations are discussed before any work or payments occur.

As an artist producing work that is viewable by the public, it is important that the artist takes necessary precautions to avoid his work being stolen.  Therefore, when publishing work online, the creator should include a tag in the header or footer of the website or blog it is posted on giving notice of copyright.  Also, it may be a good idea to include a link that redirects users to existing copyright laws.

Remember, taking another’s work without permission is against the law!

For more on Copyright Laws check out our link below.

https://thelawtog.com/copyright-laws-for-photographers/

https://www.ppa.com/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1720

How has digital technology changed photography?

In 1826, an inventor named Joseph Niepce took the world’s first photograph which took nearly eight hours to develop.  In 1888, Kodak produced the first camera that was mass-marketed and available for the public to purchase and use.  Then, in 1977 Polaroid produced the first instant camera with color film.  Now, in 2018, the luxury of using photography is available at our fingertips with little equipment necessary, with the simple action of pulling out our cellphone, snapping a selfie, editing it, and uploading onto the internet for the world to see.  With each new digital technology breakthrough, the world of photography is shaped and changed.

The art of photography began as a science, as it took hours of practice for the photographer to take the perfect shot.  There were numerous factors he or she had to account for, as the ability of older cameras were limited.  For example, a photographer may have only had a set number of attempts due to limited film and storage.  Therefore, the photographer had be especially considerate and careful with the depth of field and aperture of the thing, person, or place that was being photographed.  After the photographs were taken, the photographer would then have to wait hours and even up to days for them to develop, often with mistakes or errors.

The digital camera has remarkably made the photographer’s work easier.  DSLR cameras now feature significantly more storage that allows the camera to hold more data at once, thus allowing the photographer numerous more attempts to get a good shot.  DSLR cameras also feature instant feedback, allowing the user to view the shot that was taken before it is developed.  Wireless interconnection features such as Bluetooth allow the photographer to upload the photograph onto computers, giving the photographer reassurance his work is saved and stored if the camera is lost or damaged.

Lastly, cellphones, tablets, and IPods now feature built in cameras with amazing features that allow for remarkable photos to be taken as if they were taken professionally.  The internet allows us to upload our photos and share them to our friends and family, or post them to websites and blogs.  In conclusion, digital technology has changed photography in such way that photography has now became a luxury and a convenience that is easily available for us.

Research Proposal

Photography has now become a popular hobby and/or career choice for many people. With the development of smart phones, which takes great pictures themselves, everyone has essentially become a photographer of some sort.

To understand the mechanics of photography, it is best to know how photography has progressed over the years. Therefore, we plan to look at the question “How has digital technology changed photography?”  It will be interesting to learn just how much photography has progressed and how things are done differently today compared to years ago.

Next, if you are going to be a photographer, then you need to know copyright laws. There are so many different laws out there. It impossible to them all, so we are going to ask the question “What copyright laws affect photography?”

If you are going to be a photographer with either real equipment or even just a cell phone, one must know what it takes to get that good shot that stands out.  The last question we will ask is “If I Wanted To Be A Media Photographer, What Kind Of Equipment And Skills Would I Need?” This could be helpful to anyone, even someone who just taking nothing more than a snap shot.

Finally, we have to ask our self “How has digital photography changed journalism?”from the time I was a child they had crews that would show up at any kind of new event. With the digital age, this has changed. we will explore what changes have taken place and how we get the news today.

Whether it be just for fun or as a career choice, there is a lot to learn about the photography world. We hope to create a little insight that might stir the imagination.