Photojournalism is an area of photography dedicated to taking accurate shots of current events. The basic mission of a photojournalist is to take pictures to accompany a news story (whether it is broadcast or published in a newspaper). However, truly great photojournalism pictures should tell the story BEFORE the text or broadcaster does.
Photojournalism pictures attempt to capture the viewer’s attention and emotion to entice him to continue listening to or reading about the story. Think of newspaper covers with large, dramatic shots of the latest current event: these pictures reflect the articles’ titles while adding a dynamic edge to story by visually communicating the pathos of the event.
Photojournalists and Ethics
A key aspect of photojournalism is to present accurate pictures that don’t compromise the integrity of the actual situation.
He is bound by ethics to photograph events exactly as they happen and as they present themselves in reality. To move an item or re-stage an event after the fact is a violation of the viewers’ trust in the photographer.
Consequently, altering pictures with computer software is considered taboo among serious photojournalists and news organizations. This code of ethics is one of the central features of photojournalism that distinguishes it from other areas of photography.
Careers in photojournalism can be destroyed by even a hint of photo manipulation. For this reason, many photojournalists prefer to use traditional film rather than digital cameras. Although digital cameras allow photojournalists to review photos immediately in the field, digital images are easier to manipulate than film negatives.
Photojournalism Examples
The best photojournalistic pictures inspire the emotion of the scene within the viewer. Some of the more recent examples of photojournalism have been the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Iraqi War.
Good examples of photojournalism engage viewers and make them want to read the accompanying story. Perhaps the most powerful examples of photojournalism in recent memory were the images taken of the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001.
Images of the hijacked planes slamming into the towers shocked people worldwide. For many, these images continue to linger in and haunt the memory long after the words in the news articles have been forgotten. Such examples of photojournalism convey the power and responsibilities of the professional photojournalist.
above information taken from
http://www.photography.com/articles/types-of-photography/photojournalism/
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