Photography is a form of art originating in the 18th century, intertwining light and real life subjects to capture what the visual eye sees. Throughout time and the change of world, including geographical, political and social changes, photography has acted as both an entertainment and news source, e.g using photography to document war but also selling and presenting as 'art' in exhibitions. The change in technology from Leica and 35 mm cameras to DLSR's has physically given photographers a wider range to use for documentation, therefore an increased chance to clearly capture a scene, and replicate the truth of said scene. However, the photographers intention behind photographing may differ, with further technical on set and post production editing settings that play with the truth of images, these settings also being more advanced and developed from the beginning of the editing period in early 1860's, not so long after Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre's Daguerreotype and Heliograph photography discovery, the earliest forms of photography itself, in linkage to one of the first photojournalists, Carol Szathmari and his work within the 1850's Crimean War. These figures of photography are those who began the art-form techniques, attempting to reflect the truth of the visual eye in daily life and news situations.
The first forms of photojournalism began in 1850's, just before 'retouching' in photography began. It seems war photography was the most common form of photojournalism, in which I will explore within this essay, with distribution to widespread magazines and newspaper articles over the years.
A 20th century example is photojournalist Nan Goldin, known for her exposing portraiture photography exploring drug overdose - heroin in particular, LGBT rights and women's intimacy rights. She documented transgender communities in 1970's, experienced death by friends due to her photojournalism in LGBT during the Aids epidemic in 1980's, to photographing drug abuse in early 2000's. Her photojournalism explores subjects that were not as widely explored or spoken about, capturing these social environments with "no censor" (Abrams, Loney, 2016) A photo from her collections, 'Cookie and Millie in the Girls Bathroom at the Mud Club' is a photograph of two young women who have the 'Heroin Chic' look, sitting in a bathroom that looks to be before, during or after a party / drug use situation. The 'Heroin Chic' look was a popular fashion trend converging with photography, where models would have skinny, bone exposing facial and body features with tired under eyes and light, pale skin. (Helmore, Edward, 2019) The romanticised drug look began in consideration of the time period, when heroin had developed into middle class use instead of lower class. Goldin captured this through the shot of both girls, though the situation is negative their facial expressions seem otherwise, with a contrast of black faded film and bright red dresses / makeup. The photograph is a key example of exposing a time period with a situation that was becoming increasingly popular in society, therefore Goldins intention of using photography to document her time period.
Her photojournalism is therefore a successful example of documenting a certain time period, exploring communities and subjects many may not know about, or be afraid to speak of at the time. "Jimmy Paulette and Taboo in the Bathroom" is a further example of this, part of her documenting transgender and LGBT lifestyles and showing these to larger American societies. The fact that some works of Goldin were seen as controversial, in my opinion, means Goldin explored the truth rightfully and exposed topics in a century that required breakthrough and information on for daily lifestyles, for topics such as LGBT to be seen as more normal, to remove the uncomfortable stigma attached to speaking on the issue, using photography as a suitable medium to do so. Her 'glamorisation' of deprived lifestyles allows a raw, uncensored level of truth that one may need in order to fully explore the truth in society using photojournalism.The photographer also did some journalistic work for a magazine called I-D, a young audience oriented magazine that included her drug and sex photograph collection. As a contemporary magazine, I myself have viewed a few pieces, first viewed in article for influencer Troye Sivan. If photojournalism does reflect the truth of events successfully, the distribution and where the photographs are seen also plays a key role to the audience. Nan Goldins experience with I-D was that some photographs were named as too exposing, and many of her works had to be taken down throughout exhibitions and magazines throughout the world, for being too indecent or against legislation. Though photojournalism may tell the truth, it may counteract otherwise on platforms and distribution areas, manipulated as the news or photograph spreads, or manipulated in written form, in terms of magazines and newspapers, also known as print journalism.
Photography, just like art, is a creative medium, though reasoning as to why one may decide to use photography to document the truth instead of painting or drawing a scene differs. Well-known journalist photographer Don McCullin has many collections of war photography and documentation of life in various cities, including 1960's London, and began his career as a "photographic assistant" for the RAF. (McCullin, Don, 2019) The idea there was/ is a photographic role required for the documentation of war strikes me, how photography may be more of a real reflection than another medium, in terms of documenting the truth of a scene, and in this situation, gathering images of the war for news and update purposes. A photograph that attracted me was one where the scene was a representation of war, a photograph of kids playing in a derelict situation. The framing of the photograph allows us to see both sides of what one may call the 'fight' and is a representation of reality. McCullin plays with the truth here, considering the actual photograph is not the war, however, is intention, being to reflect it, in which one would label symbolism photography. I have also experimented in the genre, using objects or particular subjects to represent something else. This may be controversial in terms of truth, considering the physicality of the photograph may not be the actual scene, however it may have been the photographer's intention to replicate such, in a more artful manner. To an extent, the audience may be able to interpret photographs such as Don McCullin's, however may be more confusing with less clarity in truth if the photography is more abstract, using elements such as colour and simple objects to reflect an event, and would not be a truthful element in terms of photojournalism and news situations, considering the news cannot be bias.
On the topic of news and political journalism, Erica Canepa is another journalist photographer with an intention to document the truth about cultures in the world, and an example of a photographer who portrays how photojournalism helps construct the truth. An example being her documented work from Egypt following different Egyptian citizens based on their daily lives separated into collections, an example of one collection following a female taxi driver in Cairo as below. Her work is more contemporary, with lines of symmetry and neat compositions with minimal negative space that allow the audience to see all whats happening in scene. I feel that Canepa is therefore a photographer who uses photojournalism as a real form of showing the truth, and has her passion evident in said photos.
Overall within photography, there has been a vast amount of journalism photographers who have documented societies around them, constructing history of issues that become progressively more important. Without photojournalism, information of previous events may never have reached human knowledge, which affects the social and political impact on the world. I feel that the medium has been a reasonable one to use for news and documentation in the past, and may continue to be into the future with the further development of new technology and a converging media.
Biblography - As followed under 'references'
