I have learned a lot throughout the tale of this course. For me the biggest thing was actually having to be creative sometimes. Photojournalism to me has opened up a lot more because most of these pieces people are showing through their work is their form of creativity and art. No matter what subject is being portrayed these people are trying to get a point across within their work, so to me to learn about the different camera angles, and the different principles and rules were very interesting. It’s all about creating that lasting image to people that sparks interest. To me this means I definitely have a new definition of photojournalism. I would describe it more as a passion for the truth, and using a picture to describe it the best way you can. It’s a lot deeper than most people think. The picture depth can be horrific in some cases, or extremely positive and uplifting in others. Some people shoot war pictures while others take pictures of kids at their graduation.
I think it’s important to know the history of photojournalism. It is teaching you the basics of how taking pictures started for others to now your fully developed iPhone that takes pictures instantaneously. We wouldn’t be at the level we are today if people didn’t make these tremendous leaps in technology way back then. They paved the way for our future and I think it’s important to see how drastically cameras have changed, and how it made an impact for people who work with this kind of technology.
There we’re definitely moments of learning in photojournalism. It was interesting to learn about the rule of thirds and how it can shape the picture and make it look like something it isn’t. When we learned about how pictures can be bent, or taken at certain angles to give a bias idea, or explanation. To me that was very interesting, but yet very worrisome. It showed me you really need to do your research and figure out what you’re looking at. Another moment of learning for me was when we learned about war photographers. I thought it was intense how much they put into their work because sometimes you don’t even realize it. It was emotional to think some of these people get killed trying to bring justice to a subject that needs to be looked at, and they were brave enough to encounter that.
Image By: NYIP
Image By: Imgur
Image Source: https://imgur.com/gallery/9bDMH
Photographs definitely change the world. When I researched Thomas Peschak an ocean conservation photographer it was such a beautiful moment of realization. This man quit his job as a scientist to show others what he sees in the ocean. He spends hours working at his craft to get the perfect images he wants to show, and it helps raise awareness of the problems in the world. It’s so beautiful to me how fearless he is in the water. He is definitely risky, but for a good cause. He does because he loves it not for a paycheck. Seeing how some of these animals get slaughtered like sharks for example is awful to see, but forces people to see the rawness in his work to understand, ok we really need to do something now. A picture that made a powerful impact on me were a lot of different 9/11 pictures. They were so horrific and untimed just people all over capturing such a terrible event that the rawness that went into the photos at the time were history in the making. I think some of those pictures are the deepest in my heart and touch me in so many ways. They are powerful and can make you feel the heaviness in a picture.
Image By: Thomas Peschak
Image Source: https://www.thomaspeschak.com/
Image By: Marty Lederhandler
For my creative experiential exercise, I used a polaroid camera. I love polaroid cameras because they give a major 70s vibes with the film color and everything. It feels super retro and it doesn’t take a whole lot of time to develop because it’s fairly quick. What I liked about it is it made you feel like you’re in the past. It is super tiny too just these cute little photos that pop out. They’re really nice for a quick printable picture that you just would like for a memory. I noticed it picks up a lot of detail in light the way it hits you can make or break the picture, but also can be very nice as well because it can detail you very nicely as it develops.
I can now say I feel a little more connected to photojournalists. I had a chance to actually look into other people’s work, and got to play around with pictures myself. It’s a really cool experience, and if done professionally I feel like it can be very thrilling. People get to travel around the world and share these pictures and that’s their life, but it can be so rewarding. The people they meet and the things they do to help situations can make tremendous differences. I can’t relate to the travelling aspect so much, but definitely the experience of creating something cool, and being proud of my work. Definitely a more present-day kind of relation.
I liked reading my classmates posts of different photojournalists. I read Jannah’s post about Felice Frankel. I liked that she talked about how this woman started off in chemistry and biology because I’m a science major as well. I found it interesting that used science and photography as a combination to create a successful career for herself. She currently works for M.I.T. and Harvard helping researchers use cameras, microscopes, and other tools to display the beauty of science. I loved this because I share interests in these things as well.I also read Kristen’s post as well. I loved her use of background work with the pretty clouds to capture your intrigue immediately. She wrote about Marie Constance Hansen and she worked during the women’s rights era. She is one of the female pioneer female photojournalists. She helped pave the way for other women and it’s important when it was such a male dominated industry.Haley was another person whose profile I read a lot about. She had written about Dorothea Lange and she was a female photojournalist. She went to an all-girl school in New York and continued her education in photography at Columbia University. She did a lot of work capturing the Great Depression which was such a huge part of history in its own. She took an extremely popular picture called the “migrant mother” in California and it became so popular due to showing what families were dealing with through such an awful era in America. The Great Depression effected many and this was a striking point for people to see.
Image By; Felice Frankel
Image By: Marie Hansen
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