Photojournalism: The Falling Soldier

The role of the news-making photographer in Gardner’s era was to document the history that was in the making, documenting the battlefield and anyone that would be considered a pioneer of the news. They also had a role to make large photographic prints. Today, photojournalist’s play the role of being a visual story teller. They have to photograph, edit and present the images they shot to tell a story that no one else can tell. They have to be knowledgeable about the trade and have to be able to use all the tools provided really well. The time from Gardner’s era and today technology has changed and the equipment has advanced so far that more advancement is continued to be used to the fullest. The only thing that I have really seen be

While emotions were extremely high in the sense of angst for a better life, photography provided a new sense of reality to Americans and for others around the World. Photography all around the World is unlike anything else of its kind. People are able to tell stories and elicit emotions that bring the audience to that desired response. Throughout the 1930’s, photography from governmental institutions or advancements alone brought a new beginning to the end of a terrible time that Americans all around the nation

While Postman points out the literal meaning of photography is “writing with light”; the two are from completely different universes when it comes to public discourse (p. 71). Unlike typography, photography cannot offer assertions, make propositions and offers no commentary. As long as it is not an altered photograph, it has no choice but to be true (p. 73). Thus, the photograph is only able to capture a moment in time and does not have the ability to comment on that moment. Our author contends, where language presents the world as an idea, the photographs only option is to show the world as an object (p. 72). Whereas in language, the correct context requires consideration of what is said before and after, in photography there is no before and after, only the snapshot of time. Therefore, by its very nature photography is context-free (p. 73). As photography immersed itself in the American culture author, Daniel Boorstin called this “the graphic revolution.” Postman is unequivocal on the point that the traditional forms of information, news, and even reality itself received an impairment by this new focus on images. For examples, he cites billboards, posters and advertisements. He points to magazines Life, Look and several newspapers. The picture was the focal point, and the writing was forced to take a less dominate roll and sometimes done away with altogether (p.

Through the eye of cameras lends and with the hands of a photographer we are transported to a moment in time, it allows a level of freedom that had never been experienced before. In one instant the flash of a shutter can capture our humanity or lack of it. We no longer were dependent on the artist paint brush to show us our visual history, this striped away the romantic fantasy of what war was. We could now see the real faces of the people effected by tragedy. Newspapers quickly began to incorporate photographs in to their print, this allowed us to experience and preserve history in a whole new way. Throw the media we are united in a common collective experience, people could no longer ignore the world around them; because of this photographs

Their print journalist counterparts, who are afforded not only the luxury of editing, but also a few column inches within which to develop their perception of the story fall into a different category all together. A photojournalist must ascertain the defining image of a news event as it is happening and capture it on film. If he or she is doing the job correctly, a reader can get a very good idea of what happened without even reading the accompanying article. There is no luxury of editing in photojournalism, the moment is either captured forever, or it isn't. If a fantastic shot is missed, it is gone forever.

Photojournalism reflects the old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Photojournalism is very versatile, because each viewer can receive his or her own meaning to the photograph. Photojournalism gives viewers a way of receiving the information necessary from an article without the time of reading through an article. Doretha Lange

Following its creation in the 1830s, photography has managed to completely change the way in which people view the world: it has quickly become ingrained into American culture, and it has depicted some of the most egregious conflicts in this country’s history. For many years, American photographers have bravely sacrificed their own lives to take pictures at numerous battlefields (in the Second World War, the Vietnam War, etc.) and have, at the same time, managed to shed light on the major suffering caused by some domestic issues (i.e. the Great Depression). Their dedication to producing such photography suggests that they knew of its great importance and therefore prompts the following question: How did photography manage to impact America’s foreign conflicts and domestic crises? Through examining the effects of some famous, pre-1975 photographs, the conclusion can be reached that photography has affected American history in numerous ways.

The advent of photojournalism created new opportunities for photographers and the public. These individuals were now able to travel anywhere to document objects and events because of rapid technological advancements. The most significant impact of photojournalism was its ability to attain for social change by illustrating the problems associated with the society. It has opened up a new field that became extremely influential in conveying social issues to the general public. Social issues like the Vietnam war that was brought to the eyes and ears of the public.

When pairing manipulation and photography, the Civil War helped shape the way people see journalism today. Photography was first known about around the year 1826, but it wasn’t until 1861 that the photos taken throughout the Civil War used as a form of reportage (Meggs, pg. 161) that photos began to change opinions, lives and even history. The Civil War showed us that a photo is worth 1,000 manipulated words and the impact of those altered photos continue to affect present day journalism. The tip of the iceberg in photography manipulation began in 1861 when President Abraham Lincoln had photographers document parts of the Civil War. Photos were generally easily taken before and after battle due to the technological limitations and cumbersome equipment making it almost impossible to capture live action of the battles (Broomall, “Photography During the Civil War”),

Photography, meaning “drawing with lights” in Greek, is an art as well as a science of capturing light and storing it on a medium with unprecedented accuracy. Yet, up until the late 18th century, history was mainly recorded through the techniques of painting and the press. These mediums unarguably contained a certain degree of a truth, though, it was not uncommon for events, such as war to be composed with glorified details, or an unfavorable bias from the artist at hand. Beginning in the 1830’s, cameras provided a revolutionary solution by combining the advancements in optics and chemistry. Consequently, the new medium of photography was established and forever changed how history would be visually captured. Unlike other methods, photography

Through photojournalists, society can know what is happening around the world. So, it is the job of photojournalists to report and represent facts as they happen (Tyagi 2). I do not blame a photographer because they are always ready to take a unique and unforgettable photo, whether that could be intense or terrific. For example, a photographer who was taking random pictures while he waited for the train captured a photo where a man was hit and killed by an oncoming train (Bercovici 1).

In the relatively short amount of time that photography has been around, it has impacted the world tremendously. From the first mention of a device capable of saving an image in 1021, to the first camera designed in 1685, finally to the first photograph taken in 1814, and every improvement after, the camera has greatly changed people's view of the world and the happenings around them (whoinvented.org). In America, the first major event to be documented in pictures was the Civil War. Many people were able to see what the battle field and frontlines were like for the first time, and it changed the way they thought. This essay will discuss the history of photography, its impact on the Civil War, and the main photographer of the Civil War.

The clothing of the soldier looks civilian, but he seems to have all the equipment for war. By taking a closer look at the photo, the feeling of the bullet going through the soldier’s head seems realistic. The composition of the photo have included the motion of the soldier falling back with pain and death. In analysis of the photo, there were several reasons that made it so impactful for the world and the history of war photography. First of all, the close up of the soldier being killed reflected on the bloody side of war. In addition, the picture emphasizes on people have lost their live pursuing for what they believe. Throughout Robert Capa’s career, his intention as a war photographer was never in the interest on how the advancement of weapon or artillery. His work and his intention has always been on people and how war has affect people in multiple ways. As a young kid serving days in the Hungarian jail, he knows how it feels to be oppressed by the dictatorship and living without what a purpose. War is the solution to regain freedom, but it is also a method to take away freedom. People are always the winners and the losers of

Set against the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath, the episode examines how photographers dealt with dramatic and tragic events like D-Day, the Holocaust and Hiroshima, and the questions their often extraordinary pictures raise about history as seen

Why does individuality matter? Certain people would say it is what defines you as a person, and others would differ. Society develops everyday and so do people. Author Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”, which is a magnificent statement. I agree with Emerson’s statement because you are breaking society's rule by being yourself, challenging to stay loyal with oneself, and finally helping other people do the same.