M15 - Final Project 2 - Concluding Chapter

Earlier in this Introduction to Photojournalism class, I would have told you, the word photojournalism directs my thoughts to the various social media platforms or that it has created a way for people to communicate and express themselves to others around the world. Photojournalism is more than media platforms and communication. It allows the world to maintain connectedness. It creates awareness and brings insight to horrible situations or great situations. There are so many types of photojournalism including war, humanitarian issues, social problems, women's rights and more. The field is not limited to one type of subject, it is extremely versatile. Photojournalists are witnesses of the truth and contribute to history. They risk their lives in order to share information to the world. Throughout this course, I have learned about photojournalists being kidnapped or even killed on the job. They are just as brave and noble as a firefighter or police officer. 

I still believe that history allows us to learn about and understand events that occurred in past and that it is impossible to learn current information without learning how something began or why it began. To add to why the history of photojournalism is important, it shows the growth of the world and the career. Knowing the history of photojournalism shows how much technology has changed and how beneficial these advancements have been. It also demonstrates the growth of the career, in the 1970s, you would be photographing more war and havoc in this world. It shows how the world has progressively gotten better in terms of conflict and fatalities.

One Ah-ha moment I had is when I realized photojournalism is in the eye of the viewer. When I first saw the image of the vulture praying on the little girl, I felt sadness and hopelessness. All you are able to grasp is that this poor girl is starving and is almost dead. Vultures are scavengers and eat dead remains. From another perspective, this image can cause feelings of anger. I realized that Kevin Carter was a witness to this situation and all he did was photograph it without much intervention. Images may provoke varying feelings due to the different perspectives of people. 

Kevin Carter

Another Ah-ha moment is when I took my a photojournalistic image for the winter extra credit. Taking this image made me feel like a photojournalist. I was able to capture my boyfriend sledding down the hill. I captured his facial expression which demonstrated his raw emotion. When I learned about the rule of thirds earlier in the semester, it was hard for me to grasp the concept. But the image I took of my boyfriend was in the left third of the photo frame. I was able to apply the concept I learned which helped me better understand it. It allows you to focus on the third of the frame that your image is in. 

         With the history of photojournalism, we are able to understand the beginning of photographs. It explains the who, the what, the where, and the why's of photojournalism. We are able to understand something that is essential in our society. Photographs are apart of the everyday lives of many people. If you look anywhere you will see an image. Regarding the history of photojournalism, I have learned many things from my classmates. One thing I have learned was regarding Hansel Meith, Mechealea wrote in her blog "However, often her images were censored of edited to alter a different meaning she was portraying." Censorship is a huge issue in some countries still in modern day photojournalism. It takes away the meaning of images and diminishes trust between photojournalists and viewers.

Hansel Meith

         Another thing i've learned was about Thomas Peschak from Maria Jehle. She mentioned that,"This all started when I started studying marine biology. Yes, I was a scientist that decided to become a photojournalist." Photojournalists all have different motives. I found it interesting to learn that a scientist would be driven to become a photojournalist. I wonder if this is common, is photojournalism a desirable career for many? He showed throughout his work the marine life he was passionate about. He raised awareness for many marine related problems in the environment. 

Thomas Peschak

The last thing I've learned was from Felipe Novelini Maia's blog. He wrote about the photojournalist Robert Capa and said, "His motivation was not show the people in a war killing each other, it was show the survivors and how they looked when they were the survivors." It was interesting to see a photojournalist who wants to show the good parts of war versus showing guns and violence. This varies from many photojournalist who photograph war. He rather photograph the positive aspects. This shows a lot about his character and the ethics he has. Ethics are very important in this profession and any profession that you deal with people. 

Robert Capa

Photojournalism definitely has the power to change the world. Photojournalists communicate what is happening in places all over the world. The world needs photojournalism to relay news and history. It serves as proof of an event happening. Some images literally change the world. One image can evoke many feelings. This can make a literal change like some images raise awareness to issues like poverty and receive donations and support. Other images are just so emotional that they make an impact on someones life and they rememberer that image forever. The more people who know about a problem, the more can help fix it.