Alterations in Journalistic Photography

Photojournalism's objective is to present news via media broadcasting. It is a form of a collection of news for the general public. In photojournalism, photographs help keep record of events in history and help bring more to a story with an image than word of mouth. Photographers have the ability to capture a moment in time that could possibly provide insight perhaps more meaning to others about the situation. Since the general public depends entirely on the feedback from these photographs, the material must be transparent and free of personal benefit. In other words, alterations are restricted in providing a livelier story to promote one side than the other. Alterations may be made only if it addresses to the brightness of the image or to the reduction of blur spots. Any addition or removal of any content associated with the photograph is strictly prohibited because it defeats the whole purpose of capturing stories right then and there. 

 Photojournalism is an effective tool in sculpting the society around us. Take for instance the method of propaganda. This form of communication is very influential that it will eventually gear people to act differently toward others whether for better or for worst. Overall, the photographs taken by photojournalists are taken respectively according to the event at that point in time. If alterations in journalistic photography were allowed, the truth behind the photos will lose its value and will lose the trust and loyalty of the public. That is why it is very important to stress that photo manipulation is an improper practice in photojournalism. If we were to envision the potential impact of alterations, we could imagine that one documented photograph may be viewed by thousands, each interpreting the news story. Imagine the impact on the some odd thousand people if the photograph was tampered with and manipulated for personal gain.

DB 6 - Documenting the great depression

The Great Depression is remembered by the immense crash of the stock markets causing numerous, countless amount of families to change their living conditions almost instantly.

The Farm Security Administration was created in the Department of Agriculture in 1937. The FSA and its predecessor, the Resettlement Administration (RA), were New Deal programs designed to assist poor farmers during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

In addition, The Office of War Information (OWI) was created in 1942 and served as an important U.S. government propaganda agency during World War II. During 1942 and 1943, the OWI contained two photographic units: (1) a section headed by Roy Emerson Stryker and (2) the News Bureau (the units were merged during 1943). The photographers in both units documented America's mobilization during the early years of World War II, concentrating on such topics as aircraft factories and women in the workforce.

The people of the Great Depression were desperate and needed any source of assistance therefore the impact of the project had a huge influence. Families were documented through photography capturing the shared struggles of each social class creating some sort of togetherness of those who were affected by the depression.

In the case of the Migrant Mother photograph in the period or great depression, her role demonstrated the life of a struggling single mom whose only job was to protect, feed, and care for her children. During that time, it was frowned upon for women to engage in the workforce while the men were viewed as the predominant figure in providing for the family. Now-a-days, women in the workplace are increasing and are encouraged to strive in almost all areas of profession traditionally overuled by men.

Assignment 1 Photo Journal PART 2

Press photographs can be easily linked to photojournalism. These so called 'press photos' are captured by photojournalists who are driven by his/her own instinct to unveil stories not yet informed by many curious news seekers. Cartier-Bresson's prevailing ethic states: Instinct always triumphs over mind. "You mustn't know too much," he says, describing how he captures "the decisive moment" on film. "There's nothing to know. Cats know more than human beings on the subject. Cats sniffle: sniff-sniff. Intuition. People use brains too much. Brains are not used for making love."

 I have chosen to focus on the unbelievable yet troublesome riots that have been going on for some time now in Greece. These unfortunate events have been illuminated and brought to public view via media which fits its categorical family of press photographs. These photographers had the need to spread the distinct animosity shared among the Greek and their Government.

Art Photography by definition refers to "photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides visual support for stories, mainly in the print media".

I have chosen the works of Noah Abrams, a spectacular Los Angeles based photographer specializing in documentary portraiture.

The differences that exist between the photos are the ideas behind the photos and timeliness. Press photographs capture the light, color, movement, and subjects without outside influences whereas Art photography generates most of its photos based on the imagination and manipulation of the artist . The photos of the Greek riots were taken as they are. The emotions of people, the actions of the people and the violence at hand are captured; all of which have occurred naturally. The photos of Abrams display a clash of adventure and creativity that he had created himself through his visions and photo enhancements to provide emphasis on his subjects.

The similarities that the photos have in common are the need for exposure and reputation. The Greek riots would have less of an impact on far away countries if not supported and documented through press photography. The art that Abrams demonstrates through his work exposes the beauty of simple objects and how it can shift an observer’s imagination elsewhere.

Like Cartier-Bresson, these photographers felt a sense of rhythm and a sense of life…a sense of liberty. You could catch that with a camera.

Works Cited

Abrams, Noah. "Skateistan."
 
     Noah Abrams Photography. Web. 2010.

     <http://www.noahabrams.com/>.  

Friend, David. "Cartier-Bresson's Decisive Moment."
 
     The Digital Journalist. Dec 2004.  Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

     <http://webct.georgebrown.ca/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct>.

Messinis, Dimitri. "Photos From Greek Riots."
 
     A Day In Picture. 6 Dec 2009.  Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

     <http://www.commercialappeal.com/photos/galleries/2009/dec/06/day-pictures---december-6-2009/15255/#section_header>.

"Fine Art Photography."
 
     Wikipedia. 15 Nov 2010.  Web. 15 Nov. 2010.

     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_art_photography>.

DB 9 - Presentation Week 9: Shooting the truth: Photojournalism

Photojournalism’s role is to provide images that capture events linked with reporting of news in media such as print newspapers, magazines, television news and internet reporting. The influence of photography used in news reports has become an integral part of reporting to the public that a story without photographs to a contemporary audience feels incomplete, as though they were only getting half the story. Consumers depend on photojournalists to connect them to far-away realities by provided images based on timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of the context of events and facts reported, and accountability to the public. 

Photojournalists have to adhere to a set of code of ethics s intended to promote the highest quality in all forms of visual journalism and to strengthen public confidence in the profession. It is also meant to serve as an educational tool both for those who practice and for those who appreciate photojournalism. If photojournalists do not follow these set of ethics, the practice itself of representing the truth of different realities could have no material significance at all. In other words, all photographs that are contributed to news reporting without any code of ethics deface the insurance of transparent information.

Since both photojournalism and writing a news story are associated with journalism, there should not be much difference between the ethics of taking journalistic photos and the ethics of writing a news story. A significant ethical standard that both methods should follow would be the accuracy and comprehensive representation of subjects. It is because of the practice of ethics consumers feel confident in what they are exposed that represent worldwide events.

There are severe impacts of altering press photographs if the intentions are to manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects. Editing in post production should only account towards image clarify and/or definition rather than to ‘photoshop’ items in or out to promote biases and alter the true reality of the matter at hand.