Creative Experiential Exercise

Being a historian does not just mean learning what happened in what year, but the most important thing is to analyze why something happened, what led up to that even and what were the after effects of that specific event. Answering all of those questions is what it means to be a historian. Learning about History of Photojournalism was quite more interesting to me mainly because I love history and I also love photography so combining two of those topics created one interesting class for me. At the beginning of the class I defined photojournalism as a career where people tell a story about some event but instead of words they use photos. I mean there is writing that goes with those photos but the main focus is on the pictures because that is the first place where readers look. As the class went on I learned more and more aspects of being a photojournalism and how they should act and approach situations, and interact with people. The most important and interesting thing to me that I learned in this class was the fact that there is a whole set of official ruled called NPPA Code of Ethics. I did not know before that there exists such a document that is strictly enforced among photojournalists. There are many rules in that code but the one that surprised me the most was the fact that images cannot be edited before there are to be published in any magazine or newspaper. Professor told us that there have been a lot of people that were fired from their job as a photojournalist because they altered their work in some way.

The photos that are posted on this blog were taken by me during the trip to Boston that I recently took. I have recently been introduced to some of the work done by an architectural photographer named Christian Richters. He is one of the more famous architectural photographers. Some of the photos done by him are very inspiring to me. Without even noticing it I took a lot of photos of building in downtown Boston. Christian is known for taking abstract photos of buildings all around the world. My dream one day is to go out and travel the world with my camera and just take photos of interesting things that I encounter. Like the life-styles of different people, their houses where they live, the clothes they wear and the food they eat. I feel that it would make me a better person if I learn to connect with people whom I never met before.

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 Image by: Vita Dukan

 

While looking at the Photojournalistic Profiles posted from the previous module I noticed a lot of interesting facts about different photojournalists from many decades in history. Some of the more interesting facts that stood out were about a photographer named Robert Capa presented in Crystal Tolpa’s blog. She writes about him that “Because of his proximity to the victim and the timing of the capture there was a long controversy about the authenticity of his photographs”. I found this very amusing that this guy was so passionate and motivated by capturing the true meaning of war that he even put his life at risk by getting so close to the action and photographing. Lucille France did her profile on a photographer named Lewis Hine. I found this photojournalist very interesting because of the work that he did with his camera. During the era when he was living the cameras that were in use were wet plate cameras. Using these cameras required a lot of technique and knowledge about the subject matter. Lewis Hine was shooting photos blind without knowing the resulting focus or the framing of the photo. If I were to do that kind of photography where I would shoot blind I would probably quit after the first day since I am so used to taking a photo and looking at the back of the camera or a phone and seeing the result. Lewis on the other hand worked hard to create such amazing images that are still popular today. Another photojournalist who stood out to me was a guy named Bill Biggart covered in Melissa’s blog. What intrigued me the most about him was that he tried to be everywhere around the world where action was taking place. Melissa provided a short list of all the events that Bill photographed. He was so passionate about photography that he died at his job when he was killed by the collapse of the World Trade Centers in New York on 9/11. That kind of passion about a job is something that I want to have. 

Photojournalist Profile-Pete Souza



What Motivates Photojournalists?

Denis Reggie

Denis Reggie is one of the most famous wedding photographers. Born in Crowley Louisiana he has been always interested in photography. After college while attending his ex-girlfriend’s wedding he found himself really interested in wedding photography. He was really annoyed by the phrase “Look here and smile” when photographers tried to take a photo of the couple. He realized that there is a better way of getting that natural feeling from the couple and he set a goal to find out how to capture that natural joy of love with his camera. He later on went to reinvent the whole purpose of wedding photography and rebuilt characteristics of capturing those perfect images. Denis Reggie said once in an interview “The thing that motivates me the most in wedding photography is the smile on the faces of the happy couple, and my job is to capture that.”

 

Image Source: https://twitter.com/DenisReggie
Image by: Denis Reggie

Image By: Denis ReggieImage Source: http://www.denisreggie.me/2010/388/

Nick Brandt

 

Nick Brandt is a famous landscape photographer. He was born in 1966 in England. He became very interested in East African wildlife and dedicated his whole photography career to capturing those grandeur photos of African animals. He studied a lot about illegal hunting in Africa and all the animals that were destroyed illegally. His main goal and motivation of his life became to capture those “last stands” of the animals in their natural environment before they were either captured by zookeepers or killed by hunters. He fought a lot to prevent the illegal killing and his camera was his main weapon. He created a lot of photographic exhibitions to show how gorgeous animals of Africa were killed left and right causing many animals to go extinct. The beauty of the animals and nature is also one of my main motivations. I love nature and love animals so capturing these beautiful creatures is what I am passionate about.

Image By: Nick Brandt
Image Source: http://nicksmithphoto.wordpress.com/tag/photographer/

Image By: Nick Brandt
Image Source: http://sol-scphotography.blogspot.com/2010/05/nick-brandt.html



Pete Souza

Another famous photographer in United States is Pete Souza. His is the main photojournalists in the White House and the official photographer of President Barack Obama. He is probably the closest person to the president because he is right there with him whenever he is at work. He even gets to shoot some of his private photos of his family life. Pete is always present during all his meeting with different officials and White House events such as picnics, balls and outings. His motivation of photojournalist career is to capture the true life and character of the most famous man in United States. His photographs is what people see all around the world so his main job is to create photos in such a way to keep the president in positive light in the eyes of people of United States and around the world.

Image by: Larry Hamel-Lambert
Image Source: https://twitter.com/petesouza

 

 

Image By: Pete Souza
Image Source: http://www.photography-collection.com/photographers/pete-souza-photographs-barack-obama-in-private-moments/

 

 

My Motivations!

 

 

 

Photojournalism and Bias

“Going Home”

 

Photo by: Ed ClarkImage Source: http://www.thegreatleapsideways.com/?p=209 

Subject’s Expression: The expression of the main subject is sad so it creates the mood for the photo as though something bad had happened.

Obvious Main Subject: The main subject takes up about 2/3 of the photo making it the first thing that viewer sees.

Rule of Thirds: The main subject is in the left third of the photo making it the main subject.

My interpretation of the photo is that this shot by Ed Clark does a very amazing job opening up the true feelings and emotions that are present at a funeral. The main subject the photo a shipman Graham Jackson is crying and is looking up on the train parade which is bringing the body of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His is looking up probably because he considered Franklin D. Roosevelt as his hero and he was probably looking up to him his whole life so now even after his death Graham still looks up to him only with tears of remorse that he passed away.

 

 

Truth

 

Photo by: UnknownImage Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/29/us-russia-beslan-idUSL2973589920070529

Texture: The texture of the concrete walls that once made up the walls of the schools is all broken up and very rough creating a sense that there was a fierce battle inside those walls.

Depth of field: The whole photo is in focus so everything from the lady to the photos on the wall is important for viewer to see.

Use of Lines: The grid lines from the photo edges that are posted on the wall create a very organized way of displaying the photos of people who died and respects them.

 I think this photo represents truth to me. In contents of Module 11 Professor says that “Truth or not truth in the photo depends on the lens that you use”. For this image they probably used a regular mid-range zoom lens that captures the actual image without actually distorting it in any way to create a true feeling and carry it into the viewer. This photo is meant to portray the number of casualties cased by the terrorist attack in Beslan School in Russia in September 2004. Terrorists took over the school and held them hostage for 3 days. As a result 331 people were dead. This photo does a great job in reflecting that large number of people dead by capturing a part of the wall where hundreds of pictures can be seen on the wall.

 

Not Truth

Image by: UnknownImage Source: http://unitedpatriotsworldwide.com/vinienco/2012/page/2/?w=18

Exposure Time: The shutter speed that was used was fast so it captured that specific moment—freeze-frame

Quality of Light: The light shines directly on their faces and captures that true expression.

Color or B&W:  This photo is in color so the color brings out the vivid details of the photo.

I think this photo does not represent truth to me because it is bias. The reason why I think this photo is bias is because it presents Muslim people in this light of violence, terrorism, and extreme anger. Searching for a photo online I typed “Muslim” in Google search and most of the photos that came up were of Middle Eastern people with machine guns in their hands and masks on their faces. I think that this is not true at all. Many photojournalists photograph few Muslim extremists and readers of magazine and newspapers think that all Muslims are violent which is not true. I know many Muslim people who are the nicest and kindest people that I have ever met in my life. It all depends on the bias opinion of the photographer.

 

 

The Ethics of Photojournalism

Just like any other career or activity, photojournalism has its own set of ethical rules that all photojournalists follow. One of the important governing bodies in the photojournalist career is National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics. This is a set of written rules of ethics that each photojournalist should follow if they want to keep their job as a photographer. One of the rules on the Code of Ethics is “Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.” Basically what this means is that when a photojournalist edits his or her photos with Photoshop or any other photo editing software they should consider the fact that the information presented in the picture cannot be altered and the details of the photo cannot be changed.

One of the most recent examples when the NPPA Code of Ethics was now followed was in a photo taken by John Tlumacki. John is one the photojournalists who works for The Boston Globe. He was present at the scene of the recent Boston marathon bombings in April of 2013. During his news gathering there he took a photo of an injured women lying on the road. The original photo (left) shows all the details and horror of the bombings. The photo shows that a woman is severely injured and part of her leg along with her pants is missing. The editor at The Boston Globe thought that the image was too dramatic and horrific for the readers of the paper to see, so they edited the photo and resulted in the photo on the right. In the edited photo they manipulated the detail of the photo by removing the wound from the leg and covering with pants. This photo raised a lot of controversy among photojournalists and people who found out about the edited photo.

 

Photo By: John Tlumacki

Image Source: http://miapappalardojournalismehtics.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/daily-news-doctored-front-page-photo-from-boston-bombing/

 

One of the good questions to ask is “What would I do if I was in the situation that John was in?” One of the ethical values that I have on my map is honesty. I think that one of the most important qualities in the person is honesty. I like it a lot when other people are honest with me and also I try to be always honest with them. I think that there is a lot less conflicts and problems between people when they are honest to each other. When people tell the truth right away to each other even if it is the bad truth it could be the way to solve the conflict. In John’s case what I would do is keep the photo the way it was taken. I think in order for a photographer to be honest he or she has to keep the details of the photo. It is important for the viewers to see exactly what happened so the photos cannot be manipulated.

 

 

 

Trials and Triumphs of Women Photojournalists

Females have always been discriminated against in many fields of work and life. Ever since ancient history women had fewer rights then man and were considered subordinate to men. In most countries around the world and even in US women were considered to be housewives whose job was to raise the children, cook, clean and do all the house work. In many 3^rd world countries women have the same fate up to this day. In United States up to middle of 20^th century women did not have many rights. They could not vote, they could not hold any government jobs and when they worked they were getting paid less. Photojournalism is not any different. Many of the female pioneers in the field of photo journalism experiences a lot of discrimination from male colleagues, women, and society. Even though a lot of women photographers were discriminated against, they brought a lot of positive change to the world.

Kate Brooks is an American photojournalist. She was born in 1977. At the age of 20 she started to study Russian language in college while majoring in photography. Soon she moved to Moscow where she started studying the lives or Russian orphans living in the outskirts of Moscow. She became so actively involved in the plight for the orphans that she started a non-profit aid group in Moscow to help the orphans get on their feet and escape the horrible conditions of Russian orphanages. Her work was later published in a Human Rights Watch. This article was named “Abandoned by the State: Cruelty and Neglect in Russian Orphanages” After this article was published around the world, this created major reforms in treatments of orphans not only in Russia, but also in many other countries around the world. Many funds were opened up and many donations were given to build new orphanages with better living environment were kids could be raised and have equal opportunities as the rest of the children.

Kate’s other big field of work was in the Middle East. After the attacks of 9/11 she went to Pakistan and Afghanistan where she researched and photographed the impact that US government had on those countries. She was one of the female photographers who photographed US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Ever since then she has been freelancing in the Middle East and taking photos for famous magazines like Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and many others. She covered many political events and disruptions that took place in the Middle East. Some of her famous and recent works came from the Pakistan Earthquake in 2006, and Cedar Revolution. Also she is famous for shooting portrait sessions for some famous Middle East political and military leaders like Pervez Musharraf, and Hamid Karzai.

 Source: http://www.redirectify.com/people/kate-brooks.html

 

  Image By: Unknown

Image Source: https://twitter.com/katebrooksphoto

Subjects Expression: The subject in the picture takes up most of the picture so it is the first thing that a viewer notices. The expression of the subject is very tiring and overwhelmed showing the hard nature of her work.

Keep it Simple: The simple background allows the viewer to keep the focus on the main subject and the expression that she portrays.

Does the Picture remind you of anything: The picture reminds me of the painting by Leonardo da Vinci of Mona Lisa.

Why I Choose it? The reason why I chose this photo of Kate Brook was because it is one of the best close up portraits of herself where she is not posing but the photo actually reveals the true emotional expression that she has inside her. The photo shows that she is sad and overwhelmed but the troubles of life.

 

 

Image By: Unknown

Image Source: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/jazz/jb_jazz_19tham_2_e.html

Rule of thirds: The main subject of the picture is Edwin P. Morrow who is signing the 19^th amendment .

Black and White:  The photo is B&W which helps to create a better clarity of the photo because the main things on the photo are face expressions and they are in white while everything else is black.

Use of Light: Light from the lamp sheds light in the form of a spotlight to enhance the importance of the signing of the document.

Why?  I chose this photo because I think it was an important moment for women in their fight for equality because this was when they finally got the right to vote. This was important moment for them because it took them a long time and a lot of work to convince the government to draft and accept 19^th amendment to constitution. I like how this photo shown the proud facial expression of the women because they finally got what they were fighting for.

 

Image by: Megan Brown

Image Source: http://meganmbrown.com/news_clippings.html

In or out of focus: Even thought the women photographed here are in different depth of fields they are all in focus showing that they are all important part of the US military.

Texture:  The texture of the sand and the building creates a very arid and hot environment of the desert.

Obvious Main Subject: The main subject takes up about 2/3 of the photo so it is the first thing that the viewer pays attention to when they look at the photo.

Why? The reason I choose the photo was because on this photo there is a group of women who are serving in the US Military. I think this was a very important step for women in their fight for equality when they were finally given opportunity to fight along-side with men and not be nurses and cooks like they used to be in the past. This photo also shows the proud facial expressions on their faces because they are proud to serve their country and protect it and they are also proud to show that they can do it just as good as any man can.

 

Photography Technology Timeline 1840-2013

 

Photography Technology has changed so much since 1840 until today. There have been some small changes but a lot of the changes in technology were so large that they had changed the way photojournalists work and take pictures. Here are some of the major changes and how they affected photojournalism.

 

In 1871 Richard Leach Maddox, invented a gelatin dry plate silver bromide process. With this process photographers did not have to develop the negatives right away after they have been processed. Before 1871 the negatives had to be developed right after they were shot otherwise they were ruined. With an invention of the process it was packaged in containers like pictured above and each photographer could have his own set.

 

In 1913 first 35mm camera was introduced to photographers. This camera allowed film to be put into the camera and pictures to be taken directly onto the film. This changed photojournalism in many ways. The cameras became smaller and lighter. They became portable and were more available for general public to use.

 

In 1963 Polaroid introduced first color 35mm film. This allowed for more detailed pictures to be taken by photojournalists. Color added a lot more detail and life to the photos. Colored photos had more information transferred to the viewer. Color photos introduced new ideas like advertisements and billboards with color photos on them to appeal to the senses of targeted consumers.

 

In 1984 there was one of largest changes in the history of photojournalism. This change is still experienced today and influences our lives in many forms. In 1984 Canon introduced the first digital camera to the market. There was a lot of research put into the development of a digital camera and finally in 1984 it was put on sale. As a result of this invention, film photography started to decline and by today film photography is only limited to very small amount of people who do it as a hobby. Digital photography allowed photos to be viewed right after they were taken without developing them. Later on with invention of internet and wireless transmitters digital photos could be sent anywhere in the world within an hour.

 

In 1990 Kodak introduced a new way to store the digital photos there were taken by their cameras. Kodak figured out a way to store photos on a CD. This changed the way photojournalists stored their pictures and sent them to their editors. Also this allowed for a safer way to keep important photos from being destroyed or mutilated. Any time a photojournalists would need photo printed, they could access the photo from a CD and print it or send it anywhere in the world.

 

 

In 2000 Philippe Kahn, attached a small portable digital camera to his Motorola phone and was able to program it to take pictures with it. This started a new trend all around the world. Ever since then camera phones became very popular among both young and old population. Today camera phones are very important thing that allow people to stay in contact together by exchanging photos and video chatting. When it is hard to take a large camera, photojournalists often use their phones to capture photos and then publish them in newspapers and magazines. Ever since 2000 camera phones became better and more sophisticated.

 

 

In 2008 Nikon developed a first camera that could take videos and still shots. Nikon D80 was the first camera that allowed for a photojournalist to take video interviews as well as photos with just a switch of a button. This changed photojournalism careers in such a great way because now they did not have to bring video cameras and still cameras. Instead they could carry a camera like canon D80 or later models, or Canon 5D MKII or later models which allowed them to shoot stills and record videos.   

Chapter 4 - Living in Digital Age

Evolution of a Camera Phone

Ever since 19^th century when cameras were invented photojournalism has come a long way. Cameras went from being as big as a wagon to now being so small that they can fit into a cell phone. Digital photography has been introduced in 1990’s and ever since then photojournalism evolved the most. First of all, digital cameras are able to take a picture and display it on a screen on the back of it, so the user can correct the settings if necessary. These DSLR’s that were used by most photojournalists were still pretty large and heavy to carry around. In order to send a picture to their editor they had to use a wireless transmitter to send them. When cell phones came out, a guy named Philippe Kahn decided to implement a camera into a phone. These camera phones were such a success that in today’s world almost every phone has a camera. Many photojournalists shoot some quick photos with their cell phones. 

 

 

Image by: Unknown

Image Source: http://www.dailyworldfacts.com/cell-phone-facts/

 

 

In 1997, Philippe Kahn had an idea of taking a regular digital camera and integrating it into the phone. By June of that year when his wife was ready to deliver his daughter he finished integrating a miniature camera device into his Motorola cell phone. After his daughter Sophie was born he used the phone to broadcast the picture of his baby girl to people all around the world (GSM). Seeing that it was a successful invention and people loved it, company named LightSurf Technologies became interested in his design. They soon started to build phones with cameras built into them. The first camera phone was then released in Japan in 2000. The phone was made by Sharp and had a name of J-SH04. The first phone was equipped with a CMOS sensor and the camera was 110,000 pixels. The quality of the images was not the best but that was a good start (GSM).

 

 

 

Image by: Philippe Kahn

Image Source: http://app.cheezburger.com/aq_girl/collection/3002238/aw/1?showFullSizeFavs=True

 

 

As years passed more and more work was done on research and development of more compact and better quality cameras that could be used in cell phone industry. In 2008 Nokia came out with a camera phone that was able to take pictures of 8 megapixels big. At that time even some of the DSLR cameras could not produce images of that quality. Today with most of the recent phones like Samsung Galaxy SIV and iPhone 5 the camera technology is so far advanced that camera in a phone can be used to make videos, make video phone-calls. These and many other of the new phones have the ability to create photos with low aperture and create quality photos even in the dark room. There has been a few privacy issues involving the cameras on phones, but overall the invention of a camera phone was a successful project that helps photojournalists even up to this day when they have to take some fast shots on the spot and they don’t have their gear with them, or they have to go somewhere where it would be hard to carry a large camera around.

 

(GSM) http://gsmserver.com/articles/cameraphone.php

 

 



 

Chapter 3: The Art of Photojournalism

Before 1900's

 

 

Photo by: Matthew Brady

Image Source: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/union-officers.htm

Year Taken: 1864

 

Texture: The texture of the tree that he is leaning against gives a picture a 3D feeling

Rule of Thirds: The main subject is in the right third of the photo so the main attention is to him.

Background: The background of the photo does not compete for attention with the main subject but it is a little out of focus bringing out the main subject.

 

The reason why I chose this picture was because I have been always interested in the work of Matthew Brady and wanted to see more of his photos and this one stood out because it was portrait of a major general, but the photo was not done in a studio but rather in simple outside environment which made the picture very interesting and appealing to me.

 

1900-1950

 

 

 

Photo by: Malcolm Browne

Source: http://anchalproject.wordpress.com/tag/airport-security/

Year Taken: 1950

 

 

Obvious Main Subject: The main subject takes about 2/3 of the picture therefore the first and the main attention is set to him.

Exposure Time: This is a very fast shutter photo because it freeze-frame the moment when the gasoline ignites and creates a fire plume

Subjects Expression: The expression on the monk's face is full of pain but also showing that he is doing this for a cause to stop the war effort in his country.

 

I chose that picture because I have seen this photo in a history book before and it always have fascinated me on the talent of the photographer to capture the image just at the right second to create such a powerful image that is still alive today. Also this tells me that some people are willing to go a long way just to get their point across to the public.

 

1950-2013

 

Photo By: Richard Drew

Source: http://adventq.com/wplo/the-falling-man.html

Date Taken: September 11, 2001

 

 

Keep it simple: The background is very simple giving the main focus to the falling person

Use of Lines: The vertical lines help to indicate that the person is falling down from a higher place

Contrast: The dark and light areas of the tower give the photo it's 3D feel and look. The rectangular beams are more realistic and visible with the contrast of dark and light area.

 

The reason why I choose this picture because of the way it was captured. Richard Drew took the photo just at the right time to photograph a helpless guy falling to his death. This picture makes me question myself and wonder what would I have done in his place? Stay in the building knowing that you will burn alive, or jump out the window knowing that you wont make it down to the ground alive. That is an impossible choice that those people had to make and it is fascinating that Richard Drew captures that moment.  



Interchangeable lens for 35mm SLR cameras

Interchangeable lens for 35mm SLR cameras

With the invention of Single-Lens-Reflex Camera (SLR) there were a lot of advantages that were possible to photographers with SLR then with any of the cameras that were invented and in use before. One of the greatest advantages was the fact that the new SLR cameras came with interchangeable lenses. A photographer had a choice of choosing a specific lens for a specific type of photo. For long range shot they would use a telephoto lens that would allow them to magnify and zoom in closely onto a specific object without walking far to take a picture of is. Wide landscape shots were taken with wide angle lenses, and studios and portraits salons used prime lenses with low aperture. These interchangeable lenses have gone a lord way since they were first invented.

 

Photo Taken by: Unknown

Image Source: http://www.heritagecameras.co.uk/t2-lens-mount-t-mount-for-alpa-bayonet-swiss-35mm-slr-cameras-9d-11el-11si-etc-2893-p.asp

 

 

There are a lot of key differences that can be greatly noticed in lenses today and lenses in 1980’s. One of the key differences is that lenses today are very computerizes and automized. There is a sensor for everything inside the lens. Almost all the lenses today have a feature called “Auto-Focus” which allows the user to preset the focus point and the lens is adjusted back and forth until that point is in focus. That feature was not present at the first interchangeable lenses that came out for SLR cameras. The focus ring on those lenses had to be manually adjusted by hand, while looking inside the viewfinder to make sure that the subject of the photo is still in focus. Another amazing feature that was added to the news lenses is the Image Stabilization, or Vibration Resistance which creates good pictures even if the camera is moving or vibrating a lot.

 

 



 Image By: Unknown
Image Source: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eflenses/

Another main thing that change between the first interchangeable lenses is the physical assembly of the lens, and the material that it is made of. Fist interchangeable lenses were made out of plastic and were easy to break id not handles properly. A lot of the expensive lenses today like the “L-series” Canon lenses are often times made out of metal to withstand the constant and heavy use by a photographer. Another thing that changed since interchangeable lenses came out is the quality of the resulting picture. As time went on, engineers were able to develop more and more complex technology which allows for a low aperture, high Depth of Field which results in not blurry pictures even with low light conditions. Finally with all of the improvements made to the lenses there is a major growth in the number of different lenses. Back in 1980’s when SLR’s just came out there was a few different lenses that could be used on camera. Today there is over 100 different lenses for every type of occasions and event.