photojournalism

One Photographer’s War In Ukraine

Andriy Dubchak is one of the only photojournalists to have covered the conflict in eastern Ukraine from its beginning. In this article, he shares deeply personal memories from the front lines.

Photojournalism Through the Eyes of a Monk

Being a monk who has photographed monastic communities from many years now, many people have asked me if I have something to share from my experience. Well, there isn't much.

The NYT’s Poor Caption and Dubious Image Selection of Hope Hicks

Unlike most types of photography, photojournalism abides a more stringent set of ethical guidelines because truth is paramount to accurate reporting. Many newspapers enforce their own ethical journalism guidelines, which tend to focus on retouching and the use of photo illustration techniques (e.g. compositing, timelapse, panoramic, etc).

The Cameras That Shot the Winning Photos of World Press Photo 2019

World Press Photo just announced the winning photos for the 2019 edition of it's world's most prestigious photojournalism contest. Camera metadata shared alongside the top photos is again providing us with an inside look at what gear the world's top photojournalists are using at the moment.

2019 Pulitzer Prizes Won by Photos of Migrants and Famine

The Pulitzer Prize has just announced the winners for 2019. In the area of photography, Reuters' photography staff won in the Breaking News Photography category for photos of migrants journeying to the US, and photographer Lorenzo Tugnoli of The Washington Post won for his photos of the famine in Yemen.

Shooting Overhead Action Photos of Tennessee Basketball

If you've followed Tennessee basketball, chances are you've seen one of those really cool overhead photos. That top-down, bird's eye view is something you don't see every day, and only very few have access to capturing this unique angle.

Dear Partisan Journalists: Don’t Drag Us Photographers Down With You

As perceptions of bias have led to devastating levels of mistrust in the media, the role of political photography has remained relatively uncontroversial. While writers might deftly tweak facts to fit a narrative, photographers covering politics have less of a scope to inject their personal opinion into their work. The camera, as they say, doesn’t lie.

The New York Times’ Photographic Double Standard

In covering the terrorist attack on a Nairobi hotel that killed at least 21 people by Shahab extremists, The New York Times decided to publish an image of a bullet-riddled body taken by Khalil Senosi. Photo Twitter was outraged, and Poynter wrote about the “hard choice” the NYT made regarding the selection.

Dropping Photojournalists Also Drops Photo Quality, Study Finds

A number of prominent newspapers and magazines have laid off some or all of their photojournalists in recent years, but these moves are not without their consequences. A new study has found that switching from a photojournalist staff to non-professional photos causes, to no one's surprise, a significant drop in photo quality.

Women in Photojournalism

In the last couple of years (has it really been that long?) we've been hearing revelations of the trials of female photojournalists. Nothing, unfortunately, too unexpected. Every time around someone writes another version of the standard essay on this topic covering much the same appalling ground every time. See, for instance, this recent iteration.

NY Daily News Cuts All Photographers

The New York Daily News slashed its editorial staff in half this week, and among the casualties of the layoffs was the entire team of photographers. The paper, which called itself "New York's Picture Newspaper" for over 70 years, now has zero staff photographers.

Crying Toddler in Iconic Photo Never Separated from Mother

One of the most talked about photos in the ongoing immigration debate has been Getty Images photographer John Moore's iconic photo of a 2-year-old Honduran girl crying at the feet of her mother and a border patrol agent. It has become a symbol in the debate over family separations, but it has now come to light that the girl was never separated from her mother.

The Story Behind that Viral Photo of a Toddler Crying at the Border

One of the most viral and talked about photos this week is of a 2-year-old daughter looking up and crying at her mother at the US-Mexico border. The Honduran mother and child were being taken into custody by federal agents when they were photographed by Getty Images photographer John Moore, who shares the story behind the shot in the 7-minute CNN interview above.

This Photographer Shows the Violence of the Most Dangerous City in Africa

Cape Town is the most dangerous city in South Africa and one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Freelance photojournalist Leon Knipe follows the police to crime scenes and works to document as many murders as he can. The 5-minute video above by Shaun Swingler is about Knipe's life and work (warning: it contains graphic photos of horrific crime scenes).

The Ethics of Photographing Slums

My eyes are filled with tears because of the smoke. The plastic particles in the air are irritating my lungs. I'm climbing this mountain with my two friends.

Photos of Car Attack and Refugees Win 2018 Pulitzer Prizes

The 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners have just been announced. Photographer Ryan Kelly of The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, Virginia, won the Breaking News Photography category for his chilling photo of the moment a car attack slammed into racially-charged protests in his town -- an incident that made national headlines.

The Homeless Photojournalist Who Lends His Eyes to the World

Ed Gold has spent nearly two decades working as a full-time photojournalist. Perhaps best known for documenting some of the world's most remote people groups, Gold's photos have regularly been published by the BBC. Despite his apparent "success" in the industry, however, Gold has been homeless for as long as he has been a photographer.

A Black and White Comparison: What Does Retouching Tell Us About Photojournalism?

This week, TIME magazine published James Nachtwey’s photo essay on the opioid crisis. Over his decades-long career, Nachtwey has carved out a reputation as a stoic and relentless documentarian of conflict and pain. His latest effort took over a year to produce, and it has all the hallmarks of great photojournalism, providing a level of intimacy and rawness that can only be captured with persistence and skill.

Sex, Lies, and Lemmings: Hossein Fatemi and the Toxification of Photojournalism

The year-long world tour of photojournalist Hossein Fatemi’s controversial Iranian photos is coming to an end. In a year in which fake news and the abuse of power has never been in sharper focus, it’s worth examining some of the incomprehensible decisions that led to Fatemi’s work being given such a massive platform to deceive.

What National Geographic Photo Editors Actually Do

Have you ever wondered what the photo editors at National Geographic do? No, they don't sit around and edit pictures in Photoshop. In this 6-minute video, some of the biggest names in photography offer a glimpse into the closely-knit relationships between photographers and their editors.

Do Photojournalism Contests Glamorize Pain and Suffering?

In a break from the past, World Press Photo (WPP) released the short list of finalists in advance of naming the winners to their annual contest – arguably the most prestigious in all of photojournalism. The photos are remarkable for their composition, exposure, and intimacy. But judging by the subject matter one might surmise that we’re living in a hellish dystopia, or that the jury believes pain and suffering is the most valid form of photojournalism.