Chapter Two: Pre-Digital Photographic Technology

Photo by: Kristen Foster 

The world of photojournalism is constantly changing. New technology is constantly being developed to make the process of photograph taking even more simple. People can now share photos and videos with the rest of the world in seconds, but this was not always the case. As Professor Nordell says in his video Before there were Pixels-Part 1 as he refers to the beginning of photojournalism “Many feel it actually started during the Crimean war, when Roger Fenton went out to take photographs”. As many know, the Crimean war took place around the middle of the nineteenth century. Therefore, photojournalism has been rapidly developing over the past 2 centuries into what we know it as today.



An important aspect of photojournalism is the photographs themselves. These items allow others to theoretically exist in places they are not or to even experience things they may not have been present for. A perfect example is in CBS News’s article Photography that Changed the Way We View War when the following line is stated: “Such as the portrait found in the hands of a dead soldier after the Battle of Gettysburg”. This sentence is so touching because even nowadays soldiers keep photographs of their loved ones on them and use them as their motivation to keep fighting. This allows citizens to see these people not only as soldiers or killing machines, but as actual human beings with loved ones that they hope to one day return to. Another great example is the two sentences in John G. Morris’s article The Magnificent Eleven: The D-Day Photographs of Robert Capa that states "Capa's D-Day photos have become classics. One of them, depicting a GI struggling through the churning surf of Omaha Beach, has survived as the definitive image of the Normandy invasion". This statement shows the readers just how much one photo can represent an entire time period.



An interesting development in photojournalism was the invention of the Twin lens reflex camera, first developed in the late nineteenth century. For people of our time, this camera is rather odd-looking with the two lenses on the front, but this was actually quite an impressive invention during its time. For instance, as stated in Collectors Weekly’s article Vintage Twin Lens Reflex Cameras “They were initially developed to make it easier, and faster, to focus a camera between shots”. The only significant problem was that the mirror on the top of the camera distorted the view through the viewfinder and therefore made it harder for the photographer to capture the perfect image. This is obviously not a problem in modern times because of the advancement of camera phones and digital cameras. The greatest significance of this camera is that it led to the inventions of even more advanced cameras and eventually a technology allowing for rapid production of things like newspapers and magazines. As Professor Nordell States in his video Before there were Pixels: Part 2, “There was a development with printing technology of developing magazines”. These papers were allowed to print more photos as a result of this photojournalistic developmental cascade that began with the first camera.



Looking back at past photojournalistic inventions, including the twin lens reflex camera, photographs held much greater emotional value then than now. While this may not be true for everyone, people do not truly appreciate photographs and they often overlook the significance. But in previous times, people could not just take as many pictures as the wanted on their cell phones, they had to use film and have them developed and pay for this process. So by the time they had their pictures, they had a much greater appreciation for them.

Photo by: Ansel Adams 

Chapter One: Can a Photo Change the World?

Many believe that photographs have the ability to change the world, and they are correct. Certain images can change one’s entire outlook on life and make them feel emotions they may have never felt before. As stated by Johnathan Klein in the video Photos that Changed the World, “Images provoke reactions in people, and those reactions have cause change to happen”. While the images themselves are not going out and changing the world, they are the direct cause of the changes taking place.



Everyday, people are looking at photographs. Some of which may be on social media while others may be in printed newspapers and magazines. These images influence how we live our day-to-day lives. These images can potentially provoke people to dress, eat, or speak different ways, the contents of these photographs alter our thought processes whether they realize it or not. A perfect example of an image’s influence on society is from Professor Nordell’s video Photograph of Boris Yeltsin Dancing. As the narrator of this video explains, “…which was part of media coverage that convinced the Russian public that the president was healthy enough for reelection, and helped tip the election in his favor”. Just seeing a man dancing on stage was enough to sway the votes of countless Russian citizens.



Another way that images can change the world id through censorship. Certain populations may only be able to see the world through the images the government allows them to see. For instance, in the article Censorship of War Casualties, the author Ted Rall states that “US mainstream media and the public's willful ignorance is to blame for lack of knowledge about true cost of wars”. The media is hiding all of the pictures of dead troops and the blood shed from wars. Ultimately, this is tipping the public in favor of wars because they are not seeing the effect it has, the deaths of countless innocent people who have dies serving our country. This point is further elaborated when Professors Nordell’s video Do Photographs Change the World?. When he stated that “Sometimes there are images that are so shocking or horrifying that they choose not to publish them” the presence of censorship in society is brought to light for the viewers.

There were two images that changed the way that I view life. The first image was much more recent. This photograph is of the charred remnants of Amazonian rain forest trees. The reason why this image changed me is because it allowed me to see how cruel and thoughtless humans can be, This fire was caused by careless individuals, and now thousands of animals, plants and people have lost their lives. Because of media censorship, many people in the United States did not even know about the fires until a while after the fires had picked up momentum. The final image that changed my view of the world was a much older one taken at a concentration camp after the fall of the Nazis. The photo was taken at the start of the liberation of the Daschau concentration camp. In the photo, the Jewish prisioners were gathered around the gate. In the moment this photograph was taken, many emotions can be felt, extreme anger, sadness, relief and hope for a better life are all felt at once. As this was another act of human ignorance, I now have a stronger dislike towards my own species.

Photo by: Bruno Kelly 

Photo by: William McLaughlin 

The Definition of Photojournalism

When thinking about the term photojournalism, two things come to mind. The first is a camera, and the second is journalism or some form of documentation. Photojournalism allows the world to not only learn about what goes on in other countries at other times, but to also see these events as they unfold. The concept of photojournalism can be thought of as the documentation of history through photographs.       

Photo by: Walker Evans

 As Professor Nordell says in his video What is Photojournalism?, “Photojournalists capture verbs-people doing things”. Everyday we take photos on our cellphones, whether they are intended for social media or just for ourselves to look at one day, they are usually shallow with little significant meaning. Photojournalists are the opposite. They live for capturing the perfect moment that will tell a story. 

Along with other photographers, photojournalists are artists of their field. In the video In Harms Way - War Photographers Zoriah and Alissa - Part 1, photojournalist Zoriah says “Photojournalism allows me to create my projects myself and go out into the world on my own…”. These journalists have the power to literally create a story with their photos, and others will be able to witness these stories with their own eyes, as if they were there themselves. These photojournalists are witnessing the lives of others in their towns or even on the other side of the world. For instance, in Professor Nordell’s video Jason Henske-Photojournalist, Jason Henske says “You’re following people from youth to adulthood”, as he describes what it is like to do his job in the town he lives in. 

Photo by: Alfred Stieglitz

Studying photojournalism is so important because you are able to see history right in front of you, and even hold it in your hand. This is so significant in the world we live in today because it allows us to better learn from our mistakes. When we can see the physical and emotional pain others are going through on the other side of the world, it makes us more conscious of our actions and the lives of others.

How I Perceive Photojournalism

Photo by: Kevin Frayer