Photojournalism- The Social Responsibility

By Author: Shlok
Total Articles: 5
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The Start

Are you the one finding stories in every frame of yours? Are you the one who desires to create images which tell the tales you fail to tell through words? Photojournalism is the perfect genre of photography for you. It has no borders, no limits and no bars. You may travel all around the world to bring out cultures and depths from various corners of the globe. A photojournalist is like a reporter. He must carry the equipment with him all the time to curb missing some essential images. Photojournalism is only bound by the moral principles of the photographer. It is the person behind the camera who has to decide what to click, when to click and how to click. There are a few legal considerations such as taking care of the Right To Privacy of the subject. There is a constant ethical tiff between the person clicking and the media publishing it. This is the genre which demands strenuous hours of working in the field along with a huge amount of courage.

The Ethical Call

History has witnessed a number of incidents such as 2006 Lebanon War photographs controversies where photojournalists have misled the ...
... public, creating ruckus afterwards. The viewer places a sense of trust in these images and this weight is on the photographer’s shoulders. No manipulation is allowed. One has to bring out the truth as it was. The advancement in digital photography has provided numerous methods of manipulation to the photographers who often, in the greed of fame and money use these unethical methods. It is the field of responsibility which should be borne with utmost honesty.

Where to Learn Photojournalism?

There are courses offering a number of techniques to teach the student with skills required in photojournalism. They cover digital workflow and basics of camera, light, lenses etc. They also teach methods to cover news, spot news, sports, environmental portraits, photo story and of course ethics and law.

Capturing Real Into Reel

This is an opportunity to serve public, to tell public about the facts they had a right to know but was still hidden from them. Ultimately your images speak for you. Feed them with the right words and savour the fruits of success.

The P-Square for budding photographers

Patience, Perspective, Persistence and Practice are the Primary requirements. Observing people and following them around may often land you in trouble of police complaints and charges such as stalking, hence photojournalism is an art which is learnt in due course. One has to go with ease and gel into the environment of the subject. It is a visual documentation of what is going around in front of your eyes in the real time. Robert Capa, one of the most famous photojournalists who covered a number of wards once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough you’re not close enough”. They say “A picture is worth the thousand words.” and photography provides you with the decision of which words to choose. It is you who chooses the frame and the story your image should tell. Choose it wisely.

I am Shlok, a freelance writer and a blogger for Shari Academy. http://www.shariacademy.com/