Photojournalism

Working the ICE story in Minneapolis meant relying on others—friends, colleagues, total strangers even. It meant leaning on the community and knowing how to sift good information from bad—and by the end of my time there, there was a lot of the latter.

For years, a favorite working lens as a community photojournalist was the Fujifilm XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR.

Covering tragedy isn't glamorous. It’s the part of photography that no one shows in behind-the-scenes reels, and it’s the part new photographers usually have no training for. You don’t learn how to handle grief, shock, or community devastation by watching gear reviews. You learn it the day you walk into a situation where pain fills the air, and every grieving face turns toward you as if you’re intruding on something sacred.

Tamara Lackey, Nikon USA Ambassador, book author, PBS show host, and philanthropist, has used photography to establish Beautiful Together refuges for children and animals in need in Ethiopia and North Carolina. Here she weighs in on finding your voice, overcoming creative block, and camera bag essentials (don’t forget the candy).

War photography is not for the faint of heart. Beyond having technical expertise in your equipment, there’s a whole other level of engaging with people and resilience that comes into play. While that last part takes years of experience and training to learn, here’s a peek into what one war photographer uses to shoot with on the battlefield—and his gear will definitely surprise you.

The garment industry in Bangladesh has long balanced on a thin line between progress and exploitation. It sustains millions of workers while feeding the global appetite for low-cost fashion, but it also hides deep inequality and danger for those inside the factories. Justin Mott’s latest assignment exposes this uneasy truth, showing what it really takes to tell these stories honestly and responsibly.

The smell of fry bread and livestock hits you first at the Sanpete County Fair. Kids in dusty boots weave through the crowd with ribbons in hand, 4-H leaders shout instructions over the hum of the rodeo announcer, and the late-afternoon sun cuts sharp shadows across the midway. I’ve covered this fair more times than I can count, and every year it reminds me how different small-town assignments are from the big-city work that dominates so much of the photography conversation.

Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, and in commemoration of VE80, I’m sharing a never-before-seen collection of images taken by my grandfather during his service as a British Army mechanic.

Photography sometimes requires us to embrace the apparent contradiction that life can be beautiful even when it isn’t pretty. This is something that Serbian-born photographer Boogie understands all too well and is reflected in his raw and unflinching photographic style.

In one of the most inhospitable regions of the world, where life exists on a knife’s edge, Ragnar Axelsson has spent four decades photographing the beauty of its frozen landscapes and, more recently, the impact of climate change on the lives of the hardy people who call this frozen wilderness home.

I recently had the chance to get a personalized tour of Ajani Charles' solo hip-hop photography show being hosted at Toronto's City Centre Airport. Charles' exhibit is the result of a lifelong passion that has turned into a massive personal and professional adventure: Project T-Dot. I thought I was going to get a straightforward gallery tour from one of Canon Canada's Ambassadors, but I walked away with a whole lot more. Due to its popularity, the exhibit has just been extended to July 24, 2025.

It is often through the eyes of an outsider that we are most able to see ourselves clearly. The collection of iconic images that Swiss photographer Robert Frank captured on his 10,000-mile road trip across America amounts to nothing less than a historical document and a landmark in American culture.

Under the umbrella of wedding photography stands an approach to documenting weddings known as wedding photojournalism. While part of the wedding genre, wedding photojournalism leans more into its photojournalism roots, offering a more "hands-off" approach to capturing the moments of the wedding day.

In an era when information travels at breakneck speed across vast digital networks, the very act of trying to hide certain data often paradoxically ensures its broader dissemination. This ironic dynamic, known as the “Streisand effect,” encapsulates a critical tension at the heart of contemporary media ecosystems: attempts to suppress or censor information frequently result in that information being shared more widely and gaining even greater cultural resonance.

The TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 lens has garnered attention among photographers seeking an affordable, compact prime lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Available for Fujifilm X, Sony E, and Nikon Z mounts, this lens offers a 40.5mm full frame equivalent focal length, making it versatile for various photography genres, including street, travel, and everyday shooting.

How many times have you watched a film about a photographer where the actor clearly has no idea how to use a camera? It's an unforgivable mistake, and one Kate Winslet was sure not to make in her new film, Lee, about the photojournalist Lee Miller.

Adobe has announced an integration of camera hardware and software that will be a game changer for news and event photographers. Beginning today as a beta implementation, photographers using a camera with C2C (camera-to-cloud) technology built in will be able to upload images from their camera into Frame.io, where images can be instantly edited using Adobe Lightroom. This workflow will allow a photographer to shoot an all-day event without stopping to download images onto a computer. Culling, editing, and delivery can be handled by an off-site editor anywhere.

In the heart of Ecuador's Chocó rainforest, a mission to save the critically endangered brown-headed spider monkey unfolds. Led by conservation photographer Jonas Paurell, this gripping documentary captures the raw beauty and challenges of rainforest conservation.

Today, we'll explore a photojournalist's experience capturing life in Myanmar for the New York Times in 2011. 

Get an inside look at what it takes to cover an MLS soccer match at the Seattle Sounders, featuring Sony's flagship a9 III global shutter full frame mirrorless camera, and the PDT-FP1, an all-new portable data transmitter for creators.

Making a living as a photojournalist isn't what it used to be. But making a living is still possible.

Telling a story is more than taking pretty images. Here are five tips from photojournalist Natalie Keyssar that will help you build a better story.

There’s no question that photographs from this week's Republican National Convention, merely days after an assassination attempt on former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, are going to define the narrative of this tumultuous time in U.S. history. There’s also no question about who overwhelmingly seems to dominate the photojournalism field based on this photo that I've linked to below: white men.

Capturing the essence of a city during a momentous occasion presents a unique challenge for photographers. You need to go beyond the obvious celebratory visuals and find images that tell a deeper story, conveying the emotions and atmosphere of the event. This is especially true when documenting a significant historical milestone, like the 1,000-year anniversary of Hanoi, Vietnam.

The realm of assignment photography presents a unique and exciting challenge for photographers, requiring a blend of technical skill, interpersonal savvy, and adaptability. This insightful video offers a glimpse into the realities of working on assignment, specifically for a prestigious publication like the New York Times. 

In 1993, Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist, etched his name in photography history with one poignant image that encapsulated the harsh realities of the world. The iconic photograph, "Vulture and the Little Girl," stirred emotions, sparked debates, and shed light on the famine-stricken Sudan. However, it also plunged Carter into the depths of controversy, with this photograph revealing the complexities and ethical dilemmas surrounding shocking photography.

A photographer's encounter with a tragedy can be transformative, both personally and professionally. Justin Mott's coverage of a deadly stampede in Cambodia for The New York Times offers a deep dive into the complexities and emotional weight carried by photojournalists on assignment. 

Dive into the intriguing world of photography's exploration of death and crime scenes, from Victorian post-mortem photography to modern-day coverage with documentary photography. Discover what drives this morbid curiosity and where the line between respectful documentation and exploitation lies.

Nikon and Agence France-Presse (AFP) are collaborating on a practical verification system to ensure image provenance in the field of photojournalism. Recently, I spoke to Nikon about their plans for the function as well as how it might help viewers and photographers in the modern age.

I’ve been a pro photographer for a few years, and while I was going pro, I tried just about every form of photography you can think of, except for one… until now.

The perceived glamorous life of a Hollywood unit still photographer is not all about meeting A-list celebrities and taking iconic cover shots of award-winning films. It's actually a challenging endeavor that requires grit, perseverance, and a plethora of social and technical skills.

There was an interaction I had at the bagel store on Martin Luther King Day, when I went to photograph a pro-Palestine rally in New York City, that most accurately captures my often conflicted view about what’s happening these days in front of my lens as a photojournalist.

360 cameras have become jacks of all trades, but there’s a specific reason that photojournalists might want to consider carrying one in the field: to replace a wide angle lens.

We catch up with photographer Simon Murphy who currently has a major exhibition of his work, having cast his lens on the Govanhill area of Glasgow over the last 20 years. Learn key insights into his methods, how he connected with members of this diverse community, and what advice he would pass on to photographers seeking to embark on long-form documentary projects.

It has been 60 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and the event remains etched in America's national memory. In this fascinating video, CBS News revisits that fateful day in Dallas through the eyes of photographer Bob Jackson, who was assigned to cover JFK's visit for the Dallas Times Herald and who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work related to the event. 

In an increasingly polarized world, one of photography’s most profound strengths is its ability to cultivate empathy and compassion across cultures. At its best, photography can transport us into unfamiliar environments, activities, and viewpoints. It reveals the humanity in people whose lives and backgrounds differ vastly from our own. Photography has a transcendent way of building understanding and sympathy by showing us new perspectives.

In every photoshoot, I will always perform a three-part culling process, and it ensures I always pick the best images.

War photography is a genre that transcends mere visual documentation. It is a testament to the human spirit, a mirror to society, and a call for change.

Coming to The Photographers’ Gallery in October: the first UK retrospective of one of the world’s most innovative and influential artists and street photographers. If you are interested in documentary or street photography, Daido Moriyama's work is definitely something you should familiarize yourself with.

I get questions like these daily, mostly from inexperienced or new photojournalists who want to get into documentary photography. I often repeat the same answers, so I figured it might be useful to put it all into a single article. So, here are the bare basics of high-risk documentary photography.