Memorial Day

Memorial Day Parade

"Flags for our Veterans"

Photo by: Lindsey Broussard


The above image was taken at a 150th anniversary memorial day in Florence, MA. The town was celebrating their 150th anniversary and celebrated with hosting a large parade on Memorial Day. The Springfield High School marched with flags to represent diversity in our Veterans.

Chapter 4

Kodak DCS 100

The earliest form of digital cameras used by photographers was developed by the Eastman Kodak Company ( or Kodak). The camera was called the Kodak DCS 100, it was released in 1991. Kodak developed this digital camera with using a Nikon camera and a digital storage unit. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: "Kodak and Apple Computer, which supplied the software for transferring the digital images to a personal computer." The cameras as told by Professor Nordell in his video, were connected by a cord to a suitcase like box which stored the digital data. The digital data was then transferred to a computer.

With the introduction of the digital camera came the harsh reality of how cumbersome it was to use it. As Professor Nordell said in his video, they were portable but not easy to use. According to Chris Wilkins' article Photojournalists or pack mule?: "cameras were bulky and file sizes were small, around 1 megapixel or lower, and image quality was rough in low-light situations."  Digital cameras went back to drawing board and continued to develop new technology. 

Kodak DCS 100

Photo by: Jarle Aasland

Image Source: http://www.nikonweb.com/dcs100/

The early digital camera affected Photojournalism by way of paving the way for better digital cameras. The early digital camera was not user friendly, and was not very popular. The first digital camera was not widely used in Photojournalism due to the inconvenience of it. Digital cameras only went up from there, the technology continued to improve and now we have advanced digital cameras. Digital photography allows Photojournalists to immediately transmit pictures, it changes the deadline ability, and the increased competition between News organization.

Comparing the predigital technology and the digital technology there are vast differences and some similarities. The predigital technology Leica 35mm camera compared to the Kodak DCS 100, the major difference being the Leica uses film and the Kodak DCS uses digital technology to develop pictures. As Professor Nordell says in his video, the 35mm cameras were easy to use but not good for framing a picture. The Kodak DCS and the Leica both had their down falls for photography, the Leica being the ease of use for framing a picture and the Kodak DCS had poor picture quality in low-light. Both of these cameras have a part of camera history and changed the lives of Photojournalism.

Leica 35mm camera

Photo by: unknown
Image source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/143BZTy3QQqAUV7f6emDWg

Chapter 3

The Civil War

Artillery wagons

Photo by: Samuel A. Cooley

Image Source:https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/255316

Year created: 1864

Principle #1- Use of lines: The use of lines in the photo strikes me, the lines from the artillery wagons jumbled in the sand. They look very disorganized and tossed on the sand, yet the lines from the wagons make it look organized. The lines draw your eye to the large amount of the artillery present in the picture.

Principle #2- Background compliments: The background in the photo compliments the picture, the clear skyline. The clear skyline draws your attention to the artillery and the subject of the photo. With the large space of the sky line being open it adds depth to the picture.

Principle #3- Quality of light: The light in this picture is bright, as if it was taken on a sunny day. The brightness of the photo highlights the subject matter in the photo. The light adds a bit of light hearted aspect to a very sad subject of war.

I choose this photo because I have an interest in photographs from the civil war. I was not alive for this, so to see parts of history is fascinating. This picture represents to me the reality of the machines they needed to fight in the war. A mass of artillery to what looks like a beach is very powerful. When I look at this photo I think about what it took to get this artillery on this beach.

The Segregation Era

A silent protest by the NAACP in New York City as a response to black homes being attacked.

Photo by: Unknown

Image Source: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95517074/

Year created: 1917

Principle #1- Use of lines: The use of lines is apparent, the protestors lined up in straight lines marching.  The lines look organized and very strong. The marching lines is the first thing I noticed and turned my attention to the subject of the photo, protestors marching for change. 

Principle #2-Depth of field: The depth of field is very apparent in the this photo. The field is long, down the street, and showing the length of the march. The depth of field directs your attention to the power of the protest, and the number of protestors. 

Principle #3-Black and white: The photo was done in black in white, as it was the only form of development in 1917. The black and white draws attention to the protestors clothes, and how they all resemble one another. Their attire is not discernable due to the lack of color, which makes it more powerful. It unites the protestors in the photo, and shows the strength.

I choose this photo because I am interested in rights movements, the segregation movement was a monumental part of history. This photo struck me as very powerful, the protestors in lines marching show strength. The look of the photo elicits feelings of unity, suffering, and change. 

Women's Rights Movement

Photo by: Bob Adelman
Image source: http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2012/11/08/civil_rights_victories_magnum_photos_capture_black_women_and_gay_rights.html
Year created:1970

Principle #1- Obvious main subject: The banner is used as the main subject. The banner captures your eye as soon as you look at the photo. The banner takes up a large portion of the horizontal space, and with out it the picture wouldn't be as captivating.

Principle #2- Out of focus: The photos background is out focus, the banner is in focus. The people are not discernable and the buildings are out of focus  This draws the viewer into the banner and the message of the movement.

Principle #3-Black and white: The photo was done in 1970 when color photos were not used regularly. Black and white photo allows the viewer to look straight at the banner, and not the rest of the photo. The use of black and white for this photo makes it more powerful.

I choose this photo because I have an interest in rights movements, and the women's rights is one that is important to me. I immediately was drawn to this picture, the banner over takes the photo and sends the message of women strength. The rest of the objects in the photo are drowned out by the banner and the message.

Chapter 2

Rotogravure is a form of early printing developed in Germany and was brought into United States in 1912. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “system of printing based on the transfer of fluid ink from depressions in a printing plate to the paper.”  Rotogravure printing was used in newspapers to print photographs, art work, and advertisements. According to Professor Nordell: the advertisements and pictures in the newspaper were the most read pages at the time.  The excitement of printed photographs and news was very influential. This also increased advertisements and affected commerce.

 This type of printing greatly affected photojournalism, they were able to print photographs in better detail and grey color tones. Two newspapers used Rotogravure and it changed the newspaper industry, The New York Times and The New York Tribune. The Rotogravure assisted photojournalists to get their work widespread and faster. During WWI, the Sunday pictorial pages and the photojournalism was very influential. According to the Library of Congress’s article Newspaper Pictorials: World War I Rotogravures, 1914 to 1919: “These pictorials were important tools for promoting U.S. propaganda and influenced how readers viewed world events.”  The Civil War also was affected by photojournalism according to CBS news article Photography That Changed the Way We View War. Photojournalism became more mainstream once the Rotogravure came to newspapers.

Rotogravure compares to current digital photography minimally. Rotogravure printed pictures from a press with ink, which took time and was not immediate. Digital technology is instant, there is no printing press to generate the picture. Digital technology and the Rotogravure are simply not comparable when it comes to time frame of seeing the finished result. 

In the digital picture I took, I had the ability to autofocus my picture. The Rotogravure printing had no ability to do that.According to Professor Nordell, autofocus in cameras was a big advancement in technology in the mid eighty's. The one thing the Rotogravure and digital pictures have in common is the photographers eye and shaping the frame of the picture. Whether you use an old camera with Rotogravure printing or a cellphone camera, the constant is someone has to take the picture. 

New York Times Rotogravure picture

Image source: https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/the-new-york-times-rotogravure-picture-section-in-two-parts-section-5

 

Digital picture taken with a iPhone cell phone

Chapter 1

Photo by: Donna Wesolowski

The second greatest thing in my life has been union of my biological brother and I. We did not meet until he was 22 and I 32. Our biological father estranged from us at young ages, me personally when I was in the womb. He had an on and off relationship with our father until he passed away in October of 2016. The day after he passed he was told he had a half- sister, that day I too was told I had a half-brother and if would we like to meet. I have another half-brother whom I have grown up with and have a great relationship with, however we look nothing alike.

Growing up the kids at school always asked why I didn’t look like my family, I never had an answer but deep down I knew it was because I looked like my “father”. Upon meeting my new half-brother in October of 2016, the instant connection of looking alike sparked. We had the same stories of not looking like our brothers, he too had another half-brother pictured above. We soon became close and looked at baby pictures, the picture above is the first picture I saw of him as a child. It was an electric feeling that shot through me, how we had looked so much a like as children. It was that long-lost connection I felt in this picture.

I believe photos can change the world, according to Jonathan Klein's TED talk: one photo was linked to initiating the environmental movement. Seeing the planet in a picture showed people how our destruction has changed the world. The photo was taken on a NASA space mission Apollo 8 by an astronaut. It showed people what the world looked like, then when it started to deteriorate, it sparked a movement. 

Photo by: William Anders

Photo source: forbes.com https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2016/04/12/earth-day-2016-historic-day-earths-future/#64b16d23483b

This photo of the earth was published, yet there a lot that do not get published. According to Professor Nordell: Censorship happens with publishing, by government agencies and conglomerates. This opens one’s eyes to what pictures you don’t see, how could that change the world? You wouldn’t know because they are kept behind closed doors.

 The conglomerates own a lot of media outlets according to Alina Selyukh of NPR: “The heated competition for our attention and for advertising dollars is increasingly pitting traditional media and entertainment stalwarts against Internet and telecom giants. And some media companies are once again seeking refuge in larger conglomerates.” The list of associated media is astonishing, and proves why we only see what they want us to.

Censorship has brought about a new era of people photographing their own news, posting it to social media or sharing it with local news stations. This new type of news reporting has been called Citizen Journalists, there has been a large growth in this area. The public is taking news, tragedy, violence reporting, and natural disaster documenting into their own hands. According to Dan Gillmor’s article: the local citizens document police acts on their cell phone cameras and make a negative claim against law enforcements acts. This is a prime example of censorship and Citizen Journalists taking action.

Photojournalism

Photojournalism is events, news or stories delivered to society by photos. As Professor Nordell reported: think of it as two different words, photo and journalist. The journalists are also photographers and deliver news via their photos.  This concept of splitting up the word photojournalism helps shape the definition, it supports the thought that journalist tell the news via photos. By capturing events with photos, it is documenting history.

According to Merriam-Webster photojournalism is defined as “journalism in which written copy is subordinate to pictorial usually photographic presentation of news stories or in which a high proportion of pictorial presentation is used.” Merriam-Webster interprets photojournalism as journalism specific to photos and it being better than the written word.

The history of photojournalism is directly related to how important history is to our world. Without photojournalism we may not know all the history of the world, photojournalists have brought to society the pictures of history. Photos have brought history to life, and it has brought knowledge of the world to society. According to Holli Pearson’s video: History is… “history is humanity”. To understand history, look at the photos. It is important to know the history of photojournalism and in return you will understand history.

Through photos the story of WWI is told, without the photojournalists the events may have not been a part of documented history. WWI is of specific interest to me, as it is not in my era. WWI was tragic and devastating, the photos bring the tragedy and war to life. Below are photos taken in battle during WWI. 

Photo credit: Rfdarsie

Photo source: http://historyinphotos.blogspot.com/2012/05/world-war-i-ctd.html

Photo credit: Maiden on the Midway

Photo source: https://warriorgirl3.wordpress.com/2014/07/02/unpublished-photos-what-wwi-trench-warfare-really-looked-like/

Introduction

When I think of Photojournalism I think of  documenting activism. The most common Photojournalism I see is political, social or grass roots activism documentation. Activism is every where, the internet, social media, news papers, magazines, television and radio. Photojournalism documents these events, without Photojournalism I would not know about the local and country wide activism being done. I chose a photo that showed early activism, and demonstration of it.

Photo by : Marion S. Trikosko
Photo source: Collectorsweekly.com

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/activist-photographers-who-fought-for-civ