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

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 laye...

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...

Pope Francis—Fully Human and Fully Pope

Pope Francis led the Church with the authority and obligation of a co-pilgrim. He became the conscience of the Church. Long before Pope Francis fell ill and the Catholic world began talking about what is next and who is next; while Pope Francis was still making waves of change in the Catholic and non-Catholic world, I heard men of the Church judging him, saying he needed to be a little more careful, tactful, and diplomatic; take time to speak and act—meaning to be conservative and moderate like the Church almost always has been. The pressure on Pope Francis was that he must restrain from saying things that would make him and the Church look weak, vulnerable, and human. I was of the opinion that the authority and influence of a Pope, the vicar of Jesus, who sits in a pompous cathedra is to be enduring even at the point of embracing vulnerabilities, and not run away; be comfortable with others and varied perspectives; face discomfort, sweat, anger; laugh at power; and 'have the smel...

A Critical Visual Analysis of Jan Banning's ‘Bureaucratics’

Jan Banning's photographic series Bureaucratics offers a remarkable anthropological study of civil servants across eight countries, revealing how power, hierarchy, and cultural identity manifest in governmental spaces. Through meticulously composed photographs taken from a citizen's perspective, Banning unveils the theatre of bureaucracy the most immediate visual impact comes from Banning's consistent methodology: each photograph is taken from the same height and distance, positioning the viewer in the role of a citizen approaching the bureaucrat's desk. The bureaucrats are photographed in their natural habitat – their offices – which become stages where power dynamics and cultural values are performed daily. Make visual analysis of Bureaucratics by Jan Banning given below. Bureaucratics by Jan Banning PDF (for academic use only) In examining the spatial arrangements, a clear pattern emerges: the desk serves as both barrier and symbol of authority. In many image...

The Brown Sisters: A Four-Decade Portrait of Time and Sisterhood

Nicholas Nixon's "The Brown Sisters" stands as one of photography's most compelling longitudinal portrait studies, documenting four decades of sisterhood through annual black-and-white photographs taken from 1975 to 2014. Using an 8×10 inch view camera, Nixon captured his wife Bebe and her three sisters—Heather, Mimi, and Laurie Brown—in the same order each year, creating a remarkable visual meditation on time, aging, and familial bonds. For the full set of images see the PDF below (for academic use only) Forty Portraits in Forty Years PDF What began as a spontaneous family photograph in 1975 evolved into a profound artistic documentation of human transformation. The project's strength lies in its methodological consistency: the sisters maintain their positions, with the sequence remaining unchanged throughout the series. This rigid framework paradoxically highlights the subtle changes that occur year by year, creating a powerful commentary on the passage of time...

Visual Analysis: INTRODUCTION

Visual analysis is a systematic and scientific examination of visual materials that explores their communicative meaning, aesthetic qualities, and functional impact. As Susan Sontag noted, humans tend to linger in "mere images of the truth," making it crucial to develop a deeper understanding of visual interpretation. Study the PDF below (for academic use only) Introduction to Visual Analysis PDF The Nature of Seeing: The process of seeing is not as spontaneous or natural as commonly believed. According to John Berger, our way of seeing art has historically been influenced by privileged minorities to maintain social and economic dominance. Visual perception requires conscious effort and is heavily influenced by habits and conventions. The visual faculty consumes approximately two-third of a person’s used energy, highlighting its significance in human experience. The Framework of Visual Analysis: Visual analysis could be traced back to communication models, for example, Har...

Mass Media: Platforms and Content

Mass Media today is interplay between technological infrastructure and creative expressions. Mass media, defined as channels of communication designed to reach large audiences, has undergone profound transformation in recent decades. What began as predominantly print-based communication has expanded into a multifaceted ecosystem encompassing visual, audio, and interactive modes of engagement. This essay explores the dialectical relationship between media platforms and content, arguing that the two elements exist in dynamic tension—with platforms shaping content possibilities while content innovations drive platform evolution. As Marshall McLuhan famously observed, "the medium is the message," suggesting that the vehicle of communication fundamentally alters how we perceive and process information. This principle remains relevant as we navigate an increasingly fragmented media landscape characterised by both institutional and user-generated content. The Architecture of Mass M...

photo.graph.art.design

Search This Blog