History of Photojournalism

Photojournalism had its birth in conflicts and war.

Study the PDF below (for academic use only)

The first photograph to be used in illustration of a newspaper story was a depiction of barricades in Paris during the June Days uprising, on 25 June 1848. The photo was published as an engraving in L'Illustration, 1–8 July 1848.

During the Crimean War in 1855, the British Government hired the photographer Roger Fenton to document the war. People like him were called as Campaign Photographers. The First Photojournalism Series was by Roger Fenton during Crimean war, 1855.

Roger Fenton can be described as the first war photographer. Roger Fenton didn’t show the cruelties of war but everything around it. It was not just because of the technical limitations of his equipment. The British Government didn’t hire Roger Fenton to simply document the war, but to portray it in a positive and romantic way. The first complete series in the history of photojournalism was for propaganda. With the positive photographs of Roger Fenton, Govt wanted to distract from mismanagement and paint a positive image of the Crimean War.

The American Civil War, attracted a lot more photographers making it the most photographed historic event of the 19th century. Mathew Brady was the most prominent photojournalist of the American Civil War. Thanks to the many photojournalists, the general population witnessed the reality and cruelty of warfare for the first time. Newspapers had no choice but to show, that war is not the romantic fight, but suffering on every front.

Up till now photojournalism was only war/conflict/tragedy photographs. The printing of images in newspapers was rare. John Thomson, in the 1870s, in collaboration with the radical journalist Adolphe Smith, began publishing a monthly magazine, Street Life in London, from 1876 to 1877. The project documented the lives of the street people of London and established social documentary photography as a form of photojournalism. Instead of the images acting as a supplement to the text, he pioneered the use of printed photographs as the predominant medium for the imparting of information.

Influenced by technological advances, photography became more dynamic and versatile. Thanks to the introduction of flashes, Jacob Riis had the option to photograph inside of buildings and wasn’t forced to photograph outside anymore. Jacob Riis photographing the poor of New York made a very powerful social documentary, and had a direct impact on the living conditions of the citizens in New York. Photojournalism can become very influential.

Arrival of the 35mm film compact Camera, 1925. This camera allowed the photographer to be more flexible and be more in the middle of the action. They could move quickly to action-packed scenes. The new Leica gave them a lot more freedom and opened up the modern approach to photojournalism. For the first time it was possible to create truly candid photographs and display the life on the street or on battle field as it really is, instead of having people to stand steady for a posed photograph.

The GOLDEN AGE of Photojournalism, 1930s to 1950s

Many factors made it the golden age: compact commercial 35mm Leica camera in 1925; introduction of the flash bulb 1927-30; quality illustrated magazines; founding of agencies like the Magnum (1947), and emergence of famous photographers such as Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Margaret Bourke-White, W. Eugene-Smith, Dorothea Lange.

Photojournalism

Magnum Photos was founded: in 1947, the most influential photojournalism agency of the 20th century has been founded. The photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and William Vandivert founded Magnum in Paris. Magnum Photos has visually documented most of the world's major events and personalities since the 1930s covering society, politics, events and conflict.

Comments

Indian Political Spectrum: Left, Right, and Centre

Left-wing, right-wing, and centre are terms used to describe different positions on the political spectrum. The terms left-wing and right-wing originated from the seating arrangements in the French National Assembly during the French Revolution (1789). Supporters of the King and the traditional social order sat on the president's right side. These were generally considered more conservative and resistant to change. Supporters of the revolution and those advocating for a more egalitarian society sat on the president's left side. These were seen as more progressive and willing to challenge the status quo. Over time, these seating positions became symbolic of broader political viewpoints. The terms "left" and "right" were eventually used to describe the entire spectrum of political ideologies, not just those present during the French Revolution. Left Wing focuses on equality, social justice, and reform. Left-wing ideologies generally believe in reducing econo...

The Male Gaze and the Construction of Gender in Visual Culture

Visual culture encompasses the totality of images, visuals, and visual practices that shape our lived experience. It manifests through art, photography, cinema, design, and countless other forms, representing the ideas, customs, and social behaviours that revolve around visual materials. Visual culture is not merely decorative or informational; it is a powerful force that produces, circulates, and interprets visual forms to construct meanings, shape beliefs, and convey power within specific cultural contexts. From traditional artworks such as paintings and sculptures to mass media like film, television, and advertising, from digital platforms including websites, apps, and video games to everyday objects like fashion, logos, and packaging—all these elements communicate meaning and fundamentally shape our understanding of the world. The quality and impact of visual culture depend on two critical factors: the quality of the visual content created and the nature of the act of see...

The History of Visual Analysis: The Power and Politics of the Image

The history of visual analysis represents humanity's evolving relationship with images—from cave paintings to digital screens, from religious icons to internet memes. This intellectual journey traces how we have moved from simple description to complex theoretical frameworks that reveal the hidden structures, ideologies, and meanings embedded in visual culture. While visual analysis has ancient roots, its most transformative developments have occurred in the modern and contemporary periods, fundamentally reshaping how we understand the power and politics of the image. Early Foundations The early history of visual analysis established essential methodologies that would later be challenged and expanded. Pliny the Elder 's first-century documentation of artists and techniques in his Natural History represented an empirical approach—cataloging rather than interpreting. This descriptive tradition continued through Giorgio Vasari 's biographical narratives in The Lives of the A...

Visual Analysis: SEMIOTICS

Visual analysis is a systematic and scientific approach to examining visual materials that goes far beyond casual observation. In our visually saturated world, images have become a inescapable universal language that shapes our perceptions, attitudes, and experiences. From the artworks adorning gallery walls to the advertisements lining city streets, visuals communicate narratives, evoke emotions, and reflect sociocultural ideologies . However, the process of seeing and interpreting visuals is not as spontaneous or natural as we often assume. As John Berger notably stated, " seeing is an active decision ," suggesting that the process of interpreting visuals is neither spontaneous nor natural, but rather requires conscious effort and critical thinking. The way we perceive and interpret visual content is heavily influenced by habits, conventions, and our individual perspectives. Serious visual analyses requires conscious effort and critical analysis to unravel the ...

Sigmund Freud on Creative Writing and Day-Dreaming

Freud in his essay, Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming, explores the psychological origins of artistic creativity and the impact of literature on readers. He draws parallels between the imaginative activity of creative writers and the day-dreaming of ordinary people. It is a discussion about the relationship between creative art and unconscious phantasy. In it, Freud talks about the role of daydreaming and fantasy in human behaviour, and how creative writers are able to express their daydreams without shame or self-reproach. Read the essay below (for academic use only) Creative Writers and Day Dreaming PDF Freud argues that the child's play and the adult's phantasies/daydreams share a common element—the desire to alter an unsatisfactory reality and fulfil unfulfilled wishes. The creative writer is like a successful daydreamer who is able to transform their private fantasies into works that provide pleasure to the audience. Freud suggests that the writer's choice of subject...

The Violent and the Violated on the Same Canvas

Violence bleeds with the stories of the violent and the violated. This observation cuts to the heart of one of the most profound and uncomfortable truths about violence: the complete narrative of violence must encompass both the hand that strikes and the face that receives the blow, both the system that crushes and the body crushed beneath it. To tell only half the story—to focus exclusively on victims' suffering or perpetrators' actions—is to miss the terrible human complexity that makes violence possible, sustainable, and repeatable across history. Guernica , a massive black-and-white antiwar painting by Pablo Picasso , depicting a scene of chaos, suffering, and the brutal realities of war, with figures of a bull, a screaming horse, a fallen soldier, and grieving women, makes us see both the violator and the violated in war. In 1937, the Spanish town of Guernica was destroyed by Nazi bombers supporting Francisco Franco 's fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War . Th...

Research: Hypothesis

A hypothesis states your predictions about what your research would find. Study the PDF below (only for academic use) Hypothesis in Research PDF Hypotheses propose a relationship between two or more variables . It is a tentative answer to your research question that has not yet been proved. A hypothesis is not just a guess — but based on existing theories and knowledge. For some research projects, you might have to write several hypotheses that address different aspects of your research question. A hypothesis has to be testable , which means you can prove or disprove it through scientific research methods, like experiments, observations, statistical analysis, etc. Hypothesis in Research How to develop a hypothesis? Ask a question : Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer. Do some preliminary research : Look for theories and previous studies to help you form educated assumptions about what your research will find. Collect as many observa...

photo.graph.art.design

Search This Blog