Photojournalism & Photojournalist; Concept, Definition, and Characteristics.

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What is Photojournalism?

Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcasting) that employs images in order to tell a news story. In photojournalism, they understand through images, what is news in this time and they refer only to still images, but in some cases, they used to videos in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is classified from other branches of photography, e.g., documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography, celebrity photography and political photography with a rigid framework.

Photojournalists create pictures that contribute to the news media and help communities connect with one other. The photojournalists must be informed and knowledgeable about events what is happening right now on outside their door. They delivered the news with creativity and format information, but that is not only informative they also entertaining news.

Definition of Photojournalism

Journalism in which written copy is subordinate to the pictorial usually photographic presentation of news stories or in which a high proportion of pictorial presentation is used. In the job or activity of using photographs to report news stories in magazines or newspapers.

Characteristics of Photojournalism

Who is a Photojournalist?

Peoples who write the news story and articles for the newspapers are called Journalists. Similarly, photographers who present news events primarily through the photographs of events and supplement with caption is called a photojournalist.

Photography is a universal language that generates meaning after seeing an image and a photojournalist can communicate with the entire world without using language barriers. A photojournalist describes the happening of an event through the images. He or she always tries to capture the unique news angle even from an ordinary assignment. A good photojournalist always observes the things during assignments and anticipates what can happen next. He always tries to produce the photographs, which explain the crux of the news events with his one photo and more.

Definition of Photojournalist?

According to a renowned photojournalist Raghu Rai, “A photographer should take a picture from the heart and not from the head. There is no need for costly cameras or expensive lenses. All one has to do is correct to the energy of his subject that is enough to secure a good photograph”.

Photojournalism has qualities that make it different from other branches of photography. These factors help photojournalists come up with images that stir the mind and touch the soul.

  • Photojournalism is relevant: – The main objective of photojournalism is to tell him a story through images and better than the written or text news.

  • Photojournalism is timely: – In photojournalism should tackle current issues. It should feature something that’s on the news, or something people are talking about. This will make the images more interesting to the audience or reader.

  • Photojournalism is objective: –
    Photojournalism is not biased. It does not take any sides. Therefore, the images should accurately show events as they are. Some photographs, however, argue that to be completely objective is quite difficult. No matter what a photojournalist believes in; whether he prefers to be objective or honest, the most important thing is for him to present the news images as it is.

  • Photojournalism is narrative: – Photojournalism works best if it is presented as a narrative. The photos should come with a short write-up or article stating important facts about the incident or event.
    It should tell a true story.

  • Aesthetically interesting: –
    Photojournalists follow certain photography principles that are intended to help them produce photos that catch the attention of different audiences.
    Photos with the right focus, angle, and color attract more people than those that come out blurry or unfocused.

According to Mark M. Hancock “A journalist tells stories. A photographer takes pictures of nouns (place, people and things). A photojournalist takes the best of both and locks it into the most powerful medium available – frozen images”.

References
  • Wikipedia.org
  • contrastly.com
  • scribd.com
  • merriam-webster.com
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