What is photojournalism?
Members of law enforcement walk down a street as a police car burns during riot on May 30, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. The riot resulted from a protest against the murder of George Floyd. (Photos and words by Sean Rayford)
Photojournalism is a type of documentary photography created and published within ethical guardrails for publication in a news periodical or website.
Photojournalism began in the 19th century, but it’s heyday was in the latter half of the 20th. Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Eugene Smith and Margaret Bourke-White are some of the most historical figures.
Life Magazine was the leading publication and photojournalists brought the rest of world onto the kitchen tables and couches of American families for the first time. On the local level newspaper photojournalists did the same with high school football games and community events.
Protestors stand aloing the roadside before a Berkeley County School Board meeting as mask mandates spark disagreement in Moncks Corner, SC on August 24, 2021.
The biggest difference between photojournalism and photography are the strict guardrails concerning how the photos are made, how they are post processed and published. Unless making portraits, photojournalists are not permitted to direct people in their photos or manipulate the scene.
They should influence what they photograph — as little as possible. That’s why we often hear the term “fly on the wall.”
Stick around for the final chapter of this video, where we take a deeper look at the specific guidelines set forth by the National Press Photographers Association on this subject matter.
Children play at the end of a bicycle parade in Newberry, South Carolina on July 4, 2023.
Journalism serves as a first draft of history, as well as a service to the existing communities they cover. When historians look for source materials, newspapers are on the top of the list, because of these guardrails.
The photojournalist traditionally supplies photos to accompany stories or reports and is responsible for a one to two sentence caption with each photo. I made a video about writing captions here.
Captions follow guidelines and help distinguish photojournalism from documentary photography and general photography.
Captions function as guardrails and they seek to limit the inherent bias that all humans have. All journalists are biased because they are humans.
A man stands in front of a home damaged by storm surge in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 2, 2022 in Naples, Florida. The category four storm made a U.S. landfall on Cayo Costa, Florida Wednesday afternoon.
Guardrails can limit and prevent the bias from manifesting in journalism and institutions and practitioners help keep guardrails in place.
In the United States, people in public spaces do not have a legal right to privacy and photographers do not need any consent to photograph and publish photos of identifiable people, for documentary purposes.
However, photojournalists should consider the potential impact that their work, especially in communities that have traditionally suffered because of societal power structure.
People work to clear I-10 of fallen trees after Hurricane Idalia crossed the state on August 30, 2023 near Madison, Florida. The storm made landfall at Keaton Beach, Florida as category 3 hurricane.
Understanding these dynamics can be a learned skill and where a newsroom can be a valuable resource, if there is a photo editor and other photojournalists to communicate with.
Before an assignment, the photojournalist should be thoroughly prepared in order to make best use of their time, remain respectful of the subjects and report accurately while meeting deadlines.
Unfortunately, in the modern newsroom, this information may not be communicated to the photojournalist - due to a breakdown of the system caused by budgetary and staffing limitations.
An aid worker negotiates with local police outside of the Central American caravan camp at the Benito Jaurez sports facility Saturday, November 24, 2018 in Tijuana, Mexico. Small independent groups, arriving with food and supplies regularly cued for entrance to the streets around the camp.
Photojournalists have to be on the scene - and as soon as possible. They can’t call in interviews or show up after things go down. Photojournalists typically don’t have beats, like reporters, and cover breaking news, features, food, sports, portraiture and more.
Photojournalists are typically responsible for delivering photos to accompany stories and reports written by other journalists but sometimes they may produce photo stories with their own reporting or extended captions.
Members of law enforcement stand around a police vehicle during riot on May 30, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina.
The power of still photography rests in its ability to tell a story and capture an audience in one frame. Sometimes, a photojournalist, may get the opportunity for storytelling with 2-3 or even more photos - but the goal is to tell the story in the least amount of photos.
When the photographer is afforded more then one photo an added element of storytelling skills can be implemented.
The best journalists are great listeners and the best photojournalists are great observers.
People respond to a woman supporting President Donald Trump during a town hall meeting with Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) March 18, 2017 in Hilton Head South Carolina.
The X factor in photojournalism is being able to understand what will happen next in any given scenario.
If the photojournalist has seen something similar before, they can prepare to be in the right spot at the right time. This is why experience can be a super-power.
The biggest challenge facing photojournalism in 2024 is a lack of investment — as media spending shifted to social media and newspapers became casualties. Now, instead of buying a newspaper to see photojournalism, we consume it for “free,” virally pirated across social media and lining the pockets of social media moguls.
Pro-choice and anti-abortion demonstrators rally at South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, SC on May 4, 2022.
In a world with growing AI photography, photojournalism may be humanity’s best tool to fight mis and dis-information. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the newspaper industry and traditional media, photojournalists are few and far between.
For example, when I interned at the local daily newspaper in Columbia Sc in 2003, there were 13 full time staffers in the photo dept in the newsroom.
Today, there are two left.
Also, at this time in the U.S., a devolving political atmosphere puts photojournalists on the front lines of growing political violence and on the receiving end of threats and attacks. This can have a chilling effect .
Demonstrators rally at “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017.
As a result of diminishing investment we see a growth of stock photography, reporter contributed photography and citizen and corporate contributed images in news media. The latter of which are folks typically not familiar with ethics in photojournalism, face little to no consequences for ethical breaches and in many cases - have conflicts of interest.
Participants prepare for action at the Doko Rodeo in Blythewood, SC on May 30, 2019
Photojournalism can hold those in power accountable and photojournalism has the power to bring attention those in need of help and the power to confirm events that shape cultural and political movements.
Some of the the most well known examples of this include Nick Ut’s Napalm Girl, Eugene Smith’s, Nurse Midwife and Kevin Carter’s Starving Child and Vulture.
Photojournalism has the power to debunk conspiracy theories and push back against AI imagery.
As promised, let’s take a detailed look at some of the NPPA guidelines for photojournalism.
Photographers must not intentionally alter the scene they capture in any of the following ways:
You must not add objects.
You must not move/take away objects.
You must not “stage” situations – meaning you must not deliberately arrange objects, subjects or situations that are not already occurring.
You must not “set-up” situations – meaning you must not deliberately create a situation that does not exist. For example, bringing disparate characters together in a place they would not be, giving or directing subjects to wear particular clothing, or creating or altering a scene by painting, adding objects, or people that aren’t normally in that location or occur in that location.
You must not ask your subject to re-enact actions or scenes that occurred in the past in order to make a photograph.
Portraits have different rules. Portraits can be constructed as long as they are identified as portraits in the captions. They must not be made to look like they are naturally occurring events.
Post-production
Post-processing, in and of itself, is not manipulation as long as it is within normal limits of toning and color correction.
Types of post-processing that count as manipulation:
Dramatic changes in color that alter the original color of the scene. For example, changing a gray sky to blue. Color correcting sensor/white balance issues from incorrect camera settings is allowed.
Changes made by dodging or burning, adjustments to brightness, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening or clarity that significantly alter content by obscuring, enhancing or diminishing elements in the photograph.
Just like during the making/capturing of an image you may not add, move, remove any objects or persons. You may only use the cloning tool – or any other tool – to remove dust spots on the image created by the lens, the camera sensor or dust from scanning physical negatives. You may NOT use the cloning tool – or any other tool – to extend the photograph or expand the canvas of the photograph.
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