In the former sections of Photography After Frank, Gefter talked about photography in terms
of artistic value. In the next section, titled “Photojournalism”, we are
introduced to a completely different type of photography. Gefter lays out a
definition of photojournalism, which is crucial to analyzing the differences
between it and photography as a solely artistic practice. “Photojournalism: a
breed of photographic imagery assigned or conceived to capture news-worthy
events or to document conditions in the world expressly for publication in a
news-based journal. At its foundation lies an unwavering adherence to fact. The
photojournalist will shoot an event as it transpires without altering its
anatomy with his or her presence. The ‘camera as witness’ is, perhaps, the
profession’s essential rule of thumb.” This section provides a new perspective
on the idea of a photo representing reality.
“Intention is what distinguishes the photojournalist from
the artist.” This statement by Gefter reminds me of a discussion we had in a
public relations class I was taking last term. Photojournalists work to answer
the same questions any journalist is working to answer: “who, what, where,
when, and why.” The artists discussed in the last two sections were not trying
to capture images of things that would be most desired in the media, nor were
they even trying to capture images of things that are well known.
Photojournalists have a different agenda than those who are pursuing
photography in an artistic sense. Gefter makes it clear that these two
categories of photographers can overlap, but generally are very different.
When Gefter first mentioned that photojournalism was solely
based on fact, it made me think about today’s photojournalism images. I feel
like things are falsified more and more, especially because of new technologies
in photo editing. Sure enough, Gefter mentions that today’s photojournalism is
less based on facts than it has ever been. However, while technology aids in a
veer from integrity, it also aids in the success of photojournalism.
Being a photojournalist sounds like an extremely stressful
job. When reading about the artists in the other sections of the book, I had a
way more relaxed feeling. Artistic photographers are able to guide their work
as they see fit, at their own pace (usually). Reading about Philip Gefter’s
typical day working at the New York Times
made the difference between artistic photographers and photojournalists very
clear. You are not simply responsible for the work that you produce, but the
news stories that make your work possible. You need to constantly be in contact
with people and there are very specific times you need to be at very specific
places. You must be prepared for anything and everything at all times.
Photographer Giselle Freund made an interesting observation:
“Before the first press pictures, the ordinary man would visualize only those
events that took place near him, on his street or in his village.”
Photojournalism made it possible for people to see what was happening in the
world outside of what was immediately surrounding them. It is one thing to read
about events happening in the world, but few would argue that photographs
accompanying news stories add a whole new level to their meaning and ability to
be taken in. Reactions to visual images can be much more powerful than those to
just words. Sometimes things are made more believable when accompanied by
pictures because it’s a type of proof or validation of the occurrences. I know
that I am much more interested in news stories when they are accompanied by
pictures. I can’t imagine what it would have felt like to be reading newspapers
when images were first added to them. Like Freund said, people didn’t have a
visual image of anything that was happening in the world if they didn’t see the
things first hand.
I found it interesting when Gefter wrote about how looking
at a picture is like learning a second language. There are things that need to
be processed and connected when first looking at a picture before you can understand
it. You can’t just look at it and immediately know everything about it and what
it means. He also talks about how
different types of photographs have to be read in different languages,
depending on its purpose. Artistic photos need to be read differently than
advertisement photos, which need to be read differently than journalism photos.
There are so many contexts in which a photograph can be read, all of which
affect its meaning. In other words, if you look at one photograph in different
contexts or “read it in different languages”, the meaning of the photograph
could change.
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