Photojournalism - A Brief History

Photojournalism differs from other kinds of photography in that the emphasis is on the tenants of journalism, namely timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of facts and the context of the event and accountability to the public.  A photojournalist has a responsibility to put things into context. For example, one man throwing a brick through a shop window can look like one act of criminal behaviour. But if we widen out the image, we may find that there is actually a riot with many people throwing bricks and harming property. So to only show the one person wouldn’t give an accurate reflection of actual events.

So how did photojournalism start?  Modern photojournalism began in Germany in 1925, when the first 35mm camera – the Leica, was invented. Prior to this, a photographer would have to carry bulky equipment, but with this new camera, the photographer could take photos unobtrusively and without carrying lots of bulky cameras and tripods.  This allow for photos to become more natural and show how people really lived, rather than the mainly posed photographs taken previously.

Another important invention in the mid-1920s, also in Germany, was the first photojournalism magazine. Rather than the odd photo or illustration, these magazines tried to tells a story with pictures and words.  The photographer would shoot more photos than needed. The editor would then examine the contact sheets (these are sheets of photographs in miniature form). The editor would then choose those that he/she believed told the story. The layout and writing was obviously important as it told a story through photographs and words. But the written story was kept to a minimum.

Frank Luther Mott combined photography and journalism into photojournalism.  The German photo magazines established the concept of photojournalism, but with Hitler’s rise to power in 1933, many of the magazines were suppressed and editors persecuted. Many fled to the United States.

This led to a similar style of reporting in America.  Henry Luce, already successful with magazines such as Time and Fortune, started a new general interest magazine that relied on photojournalism. Life was launched in 1936. 

Newspapers and magazines still make heavy use of photographs. One amazing photograph can tell so much more than words. Think of the famous Jeff Widener Tiananmen Square Photograph – “Tank Man”. 

But newspapers and magazines will often not rely so heavily on just photographs now, they will also make use of words and images to add more to their content.

Technology has of course changed photography. By the 1990s, most photographers were using colour photographs only and many were not printing them. Digital photography has changed things rapidly. A photographer can take many images of the same event, then choose the best ones. This has led to a rapid improvement in the quality of images presented. Below is a summary of the history of photojournalism –

Famous Photographers

It is always interesting to look at famous photographers – the people behind the photographs.

Gordon Parks

In 90 years of life, Gordon became a world renown photographer, filmmaker, composer, poet and novelist, despite being declared stillborn. Another doctor also in the delivery room immersed him in ice cold water and the shock started his heart. He lived in a poor family and his mother died when he was 14. At 25 years of age, he bought himself a used camera and taught himself to be a freelance photographer. He took photographs of things from fashion to the depression in Chicago slums. In 1944, he was the only black photographer working for Vogue. In 1948, he became the first black photographer to work for Life magazine.  He was sent by Life to France, Italy and Spain and documented the civil rights movement in America. He reported on significant events, such as –

• 1956 segregation in Alabama
• The growth of the Nation of Islam in the 1960s
• The assassination of Martin Luther King

He also went on to be a director (directly Shaft and several other movies).   He was a close friend of Muhammad Ali and godfather to Malcolm X’s daughter. 

Diane Arbus

Diane was born to a wealthy Jewish family.  She met Allan Arbus at the age 13 and married him when she was 18.  Allan also studied photographer and both Diane and Allan became fashion photographers. Allan usually worked with the camera and Diane worked as the art director/stylist.  In 1959, they split personally after a professional split three years earlier.  Diane was encouraged by a class she took with Lisette Model who encouraged her to try and master the technical aspects of photography.  By the 1960s, her photographs were in Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar.  They had a distinctive look. They were usually of traditional subjects, but had a strange and troubling feeling to them. She would talk to the subject for hours to get them to drop their public facade and become more natural for her photograph.  She would often take them in their natural setting.  She received the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1963 and 1966 for her photographs of twin girls, dwarves, drag queens and circus performers.  In 1971, she committed suicide.  A monograph of her work the following year as one of the best selling art books in history.

Nick Ut

Nick Ut was born in the Southern Mekong Delta Province of Vietnam.  He joined the Associated Press Office in Saigon at the age of 14.  He learned photography from looking at the work of other photographers.  By 1967, he was an accomplished news photography.  He photographed the communist Tet offensive, he was wounded twice during the Cambodian campaign. He had shrapnel in his leg from a mortar explosion in Trang Bang, North Vietnam.  In 1973, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Photography for his iconic photography of Phan Thi Kim Phuc running away from a fire of napalm. She was screaming in pain from the burns on her back.  The photograph also won awards from Sigma Delta Chi, World Press Photos and more.  The photograph changed the life of Nick Ut and Phan Thi Kim Phuc.

As we mentioned earlier, her back was badly burned from napalm. She is shown in the photograph running naked. 

In 1975, he was evacuated to the Philippines. Then lived in tent cities in Camp Pendleton in Southern California. He was then transferred to the Associated Press office in Tokyo.  In 1977, he was sent to Los Angeles and became an American citizen. He returned to Vietnam in 1989 for a story on Americans missing in Action.  In 1993, he set up a new Hanoi bureau and revisited Trang Bang and met relatives of Phan Thi Kim Phuc.

“Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very powerful, but faith, forgiveness, and love are much more powerful. We would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true love, hope, and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do it, ask yourself: Can you?”

— Kim Phúc

Larry Burrows

Larry Burrows was born in 1926 in London. He left school at 16 and began to work for Life Magazine in London, printing photographs.  He went on to become a photographer and covered the Vietnam war from 1962 until he died in 1971.  He produced many photographs from the midst of battle, including piecing together 22 photographs as a metaphor of the American experience of war.  At first, this photoessay, shows marines having an outdoor briefing.  He focuses on one man, Lance Corporal James C. Farley and his events during that day. For example, when a helicopter is downed and the rescued soldier dies in front of Farley. In the final image, Farley leans against metal trunks and cries.  Burrows died with other photojournalists Henri Huet and Keisaburo Shimamoto when their helicopter was shot down over Laos.  Burrows’ book on Vietnam published after his death won the Prix Nadar Award.

Photojournalism is a fascinating career and fascinating topic to read about. Learn more in our photojournalism course.

Photojournalism Practice I BPH302
Gain valuable journalism experience by publishing photos for a student publication. This course takes you through the processes of selection and publishing for a specific publication, submitting work for publication, and meeting the requirements of an editor and publisher. Under the guidance of a mentor (a photography/publishing tutor), you will learn to write according to specific criteria, deal with a publisher, and communicate effectively with others involved in the publishing process. And, you will come away with at least one published work (maybe more), which will set you on the path to a career as a writer. No matter what you want to write, you will find this a great learning experience.  http://www.acsedu.com/courses/photojournalism-practice-i--1052.aspx