Photojournalism

Photojournalism carries obligations that most photography does not — to truth, to the people being photographed, and to the public that relies on visual documentation to understand the world. This section covers photojournalism's craft and its ethics: how to tell stories responsibly, the ongoing debates around image manipulation and AI, conflict photography, and the structural pressures facing the industry.

Five Steps to Photography Greatness

A chilly September morning. The crispness in the air added weight to the solemn moment. My composition was all figured out. I patiently waited for the final elements to come into place.

Interview with Beto O'Rourke's Photographer

While Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz face off for Texas' Senate seat in one of the fiercest battles of the midterm elections, one man has been able to photograph Rep. O'Rourke throughout the campaign.

Is National Geographic Still Perpetuating Racist Stereotypes?

Earlier this year, National Geographic examined its own role in creating and perpetuating racial stereotypes and acknowledging that its coverage in the past has been racist. Its last two magazine covers have drawn criticism, leading some to wonder if anything has changed.

How Photography Is Used to Solve Crimes, Murders

From sketch renderings to video surveillance, law enforcement uses many techniques to piece together clues for crime-solving. Details and memory often fail us, but there's one medium that never forgets - photography.

Bearing Witness With James Nachtwey

Powerful photojournalism and the service the press provides in raising awareness of issues is no longer held in the regard that it once was. In his 2007 TED Prize acceptance speech, James Nachtwey not only displayed some of his haunting imagery and talked about its meaning, but discussed the duty the press has. It seems more and more relevant as time passes.

Photographer Captures a Rare Rainbow in Jersey

A rare sight was captured at the Jersey Shore this week. When photographer Jon Entwhistle saw a peculiar sight, he aimed his camera to the heavens and virality ensued.

The Experience of Photographing September 11th As It Happened

September 11th was a horrific day. Many photographers covered the events of the day, and of them, Phil Penman's images are particularly noteworthy. In this presentation, he shows some of his images and talks about his experience on that day.

How to Take Photos of Strangers When Traveling

Approaching strangers whether in your own community or from a foreign culture is one of the more difficult skills even veteran photographers often struggle with.  

'The Scream' Painter Edvard Munch's Rare Photographs to Go on Display

For most people who know the name Edvard Munch, there’s an immediate association with his iconic painting, "The Scream.” This artist, fabled for his emotionally impactful painting, is not known for his photographs, but his lens-based work will soon be available for fans of art and photography.

Photographer Shares Shocking Images Commercial Fishermen Don't Want You to See

Brian Raymond, a lifelong fisherman turned shark dive operator and photographer, recently shared some powerful and disturbing images he captured of bycatch in the waters off of southern New England. Bycatch refers to unintended species that are caught while fishing for another species and is a regular occurrence in commercial fishing.

A Hilarious Story About Photographing the President of the United States

Monte Isom is a super successful commercial photographer based out of New York City. However, before he made a career of his own, he assisted some of the biggest names in the photography world. In this video he recaps his experience shooting the president of the United States of America.

NYC Photographer Takes Pictures of Stranger's Private Cell Phone Messages

If you’re from New York, or really any major city, you’ve been party to people-watching and the more-often-than-not eavesdrop. I'm sure everyone has caught themselves looking over a stranger's shoulder to get a glimpse at their book or magazine or even read their messages on a packed subway car.

Getty's 'Sexiest Fans' Gallery: Is the Outrage Justified?

You may have read an article about how Getty removed their "sexiest fans" gallery due to receiving backlash from social media. What's interesting is Vogue Magazine posted a similar type of article about men, which didn't seem to receive much in terms of outrage. Is it more offensive to objectify women than it is to objectify men? 

The Story Behind the Viral Photo of a Crying Child at the Border

Anyone who has been following news in the United States recently has probably heard about the turmoil surrounding the separation of undocumented immigrant children from their parents at the southern border of the country. One photographer documented the human face of this policy with a viral photo of a crying toddler at the border.

Learning From Steve McCurry's Iconic 'Afghan Girl' Photograph

One of the defining photographers of our time, and recently one of the most controversial, is without a doubt Steve McCurry. His strong use of color and ability to tell a story visually have won him places in some of the world's most celebrated magazines, galleries, and photographic collections, and his image "Afghan Girl" is among his most well-known works.

The Photojournalist's Way With Paul Gero

B&H recently released a set of videos from their Depth of Field 2018 event. While all the videos are worth watching, I found “The Photojournalist's Way with Paul Gero” particularly interesting.

Photography's Most Important Element: Emotion

I think we can all agree that in order to be successful, a photograph needs to connect with its viewers on an emotional level. That emotion could be awe, desire, sadness, longing, or any number of the plethora of human emotions, but there needs to be an emotion. 

A Photographer's Photos Become Icons of the #NeverAgain Movement, and No One Knows Who She Is

With the rise of #MarchForOurLives in response to the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students Emma González, and David Hogg have been the two survivors that have been the most visible and outspoken critics of the status quo when it comes to gun control. Their images have been circulated in the media and even turned into posters for the #NeverAgain movement, many of those bearing a striking resemblance to an early photo of González.

'Women Photograph' Offers $35,000 in Grants to Photojournalists

Women Photograph, an initiative launched in 2017 aimed at giving greater voice to the female photojournalism community has teamed with Nikon and Getty Images to offer $35,000 worth of grants to up-and-coming and established photographers around the world.

Unique Archive of Beatles Photographs for Sale

On March 24, a unique archive of photographs of the Beatles will go on sale and is expected to fetch at least $350,000 at auction. Photographer Mike Mitchell was just 18 when he shot the Beatles' first US concert in 1964, and the 413 negatives with full copyright are available to purchase. Mike's story of how the photographs came about is compelling.

National Geographic: 'For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist'

As National Geographic prepared to look at race in its April issue, the company had to take a hard look at its own history in how it told stories and portrayed differences in both skin tone and culture. After enlisting the outside help of John Edwin Mason, a professor of African history and the history of photography at the University of Virginia, they found that indeed, for decades, their coverage was racist.

How One Man's Photography Transformed America

Twenty four photographs from the early 20th century by sociologist Lewis Hine sold at auction recently, giving us a reminder of the impact of his work on life in America.

Photographer Captures Images of Tribes Across the Globe

British photographer Jimmy Nelson traveled to 35 communities across the world in the first part of his project to document portraits of tribal and indigenous peoples. Today, in the second part of his project, Nelson is continuing to travel and document lives and cultures that are often unseen.

Silence at the White House

Will breakthrough camera technology affect the entire atmosphere of press conferences? This White House photographer for the New York Times predicts big changes coming in just a year or two.

Giving Voice to Black Female Photographers

It's one thing to be a female and feeling represented in this industry, but it's a whole different thing to be a black female, trying to acquire recognition and voice in photography. How many can you name from the top of your head? For the first time in 30 years, there is a substantial body of work to give an international representation to women of African descent. MFON, "an exclusive and commemorative publication," has collated stories and photographs from over 100 women of African descent, to kick off their first issue, "MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora."

H&M Ad Sparks Ethical Debate in the Industry

Social media recently blew up over H&M's controversial hoodie ad, which features a black boy modeling a sweatshirt stating "Coolest monkey in the jungle." Other sweatshirts from the same line, stating "Survival expert," were modeled by white children. Clearly the images of the young models are filled with racist undertones. But is it realistic to think that H&M didn't even think of a possible issue? How does this reflect the photographers who took the image? And why have we yet to learn from our mistakes in the industry?

The Photographer and the Subject: Two Views in Every Photograph

As photographers, a common rhetoric we hear is about finding our style. We are to consider so many technical aspects like lighting, lenses, color grading, and choice of palette. On some platforms, these aspects have become more important than the content of the images themselves. However, there are so many other aspects of photography, and every genre of photography has its own set of considerations. In this talk for TEDx Chattanooga, Photojournalist Billy Weeks discusses the role of the photographer in an area of photography that is often thought to be objective in nature.