About Photojournalism

Read About Photojournalism

Modern photojournalism, a type of photography that documents real events, emerged in the early 20th century when small-format cameras became widely available. These new cameras were more portable than earlier models, which could be as large and heavy as a backpack filled with books. The smaller, lighter cameras allowed photographers to get closer to an event and capture it as it unfolded.

Photojournalists in the 20th century took their pictures long before the widespread use of digital photography and satellite transmission. At the time their images were made, Americans saw photos related to the news in printed newspapers or magazines. The Associated Press (AP) launched its Wirephoto network in 1935, allowing news images to be quickly transmitted over telephone lines, radio, and even telegraph in minutes. This system sent pictures around the nation and the world with greater ease and speed than ever before. For example, after 1935, a photograph taken in New York could be transferred to 25 cities in a few minutes by Wirephoto, whereas before it it had to be sent by mail, train, or airplane.

Widespread pictures from World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Vietnam War shaped national consciousness and opinions of domestic and international events. Readers from across the country were seeing the same images in their local and regional press. These photos were meant to capture attention, inform, and entice the reader to learn more, as well as to boost newspaper and magazine sales.

The printed page was the main source of daily visual news until the 1960s when television became the major news source for most Americans. With the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, television established its status over all other news sources. An estimated 170 million viewers turned to the television to watch events unfold after the assassination. Even though television and the Internet have become our main sources for the news and visual images, photographers continue to use the camera to capture important moments of newsworthy events that continue to shape our lives.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• How did the introduction of small-format cameras change the nature of photojournalism? What kinds of images or perspectives became possible that weren’t before?
• The text describes how wirephoto technology allowed “readers from across the country” to see “the same images in their local and regional press.” What might be the social or political implications of an entire nation viewing identical photographs of major events?
• Despite the rise of television in the 1960s and the Internet today, photographers continue to document newsworthy events. What unique qualities or purposes does photography serve that video or motion images might not fulfill?