Photographer vs. Photo Journalist
Feb 27, 2015 09:38:23 #
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
Feb 27, 2015 09:47:25 #
MsRochelle wrote:
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
Every photojournalist is a photographer. Only a percentage of photographers engage in photojournalism.
A photojournalist may shoot events, or may not. They probably shoot people, but not necessarily.
I do events and people often, but I am not a photojournalist even though on rare occassions a photograph of mine shows up illustrating a news article.
Feb 27, 2015 09:49:38 #
MsRochelle wrote:
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
"Your thoughts" is the key phrase. A photographer has to make his images look as good - as pleasing - as possible. A photojournalist has to present images that help to tell a news story. As such, they would have to show the human aspect and show the viewer what it would be like to be at the event.
Feb 27, 2015 10:31:38 #
Apaflo wrote:
Every photojournalist is a photographer. Only a percentage of photographers engage in photojournalism.
A photojournalist may shoot events, or may not. They probably shoot people, but not necessarily.
I do events and people often, but I am not a photojournalist even though on rare occassions a photograph of mine shows up illustrating a news article.
A photojournalist may shoot events, or may not. They probably shoot people, but not necessarily.
I do events and people often, but I am not a photojournalist even though on rare occassions a photograph of mine shows up illustrating a news article.
A photojournalist is almost by definition is a photographer. However a "photographer" may be more interested in the Art pf the picture, and the photojournalist is more interested in getting the shot, not necessarily the "rules". I have been both (sort of) and my published photojournal shots were crap from an atristic viewpoint, but they told the story well enough so as to be published
Feb 27, 2015 10:34:11 #
MsRochelle wrote:
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
Comparing a photographer to a photojournalist is like comparing a chef to a cook or a woodworker to a carpenter
Feb 27, 2015 10:47:34 #
Shutterbugsailer wrote:
Comparing a photographer to a photojournalist is like comparing a chef to a cook or a woodworker to a carpenter
Tell that to Alfred Eisenstadt, to Henri Cartier-Bresson, or any other of a number of mere photojournalists.
Feb 27, 2015 11:22:20 #
Photographer is a general term; it's like saying somebody is a football player. But is he a quarter-back, tight-end, guard or what. Each position has its set of skills. You put a quarter-back at the center position and he's going to get his butt handed to him. A portrait photographer, photojournalist, landscape photographer or whatever all have a different skill set.
Feb 27, 2015 11:30:22 #
Shutterbugsailer wrote:
Comparing a photographer to a photojournalist is like comparing a chef to a cook or a woodworker to a carpenter
That's completely ridiculous. There are plenty of photographers, even professionals, who are hacks, and the best photojournalists are artists of the highest rank.
Feb 27, 2015 11:37:26 #
I guess the difference is...either one has to know how to handle a camera, weather your taking pictures for People Magazine the news media or weddings, why would it matter?
Feb 27, 2015 11:38:21 #
Back in my working day, a photographer was one who shoots pictures and gives them to an editor to write about. A photojournalist is one who photographs and writes his own stories.
Feb 27, 2015 11:50:20 #
The key for any professional photographer is to be able to anticipate the action weather your shooting sports, news events or weddings.
Feb 27, 2015 11:58:08 #
Ol' Frank wrote:
Back in my working day, a photographer was one who shoots pictures and gives them to an editor to write about. A photojournalist is one who photographs and writes his own stories.
I suspect you are just confused... :-)
Depending on who you talk to either Alfred Eisenstadt or Henri Cartier-Bresson was the "Father of Photojournalism". Neither of them commonly wrote articles. To be honest (and have I been a fan of their photography for decades), neither of them tells a story well even when they tell it to a professional writer! I will sit for hours looking at their photography, but have never gotten much out of what they have to say about photography. That is very different than Ansel Adams, Joel Meyerowitz, Dorothea Lange or Garry Winogrand. They didn't write journalism articles so much either, but when they explain photography they all did a great job (Adams and Meyerowitz both wrote books, but were not photojournalists.)
Feb 27, 2015 12:19:59 #
Apaflo wrote:
Tell that to Alfred Eisenstadt, to Henri Cartier-Bresson, or any other of a number of mere photojournalists.
You'd need a medium and a seance to do that. :D
Feb 27, 2015 12:23:41 #
MsRochelle wrote:
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
A photojournalist is a photographer who shoots newsworthy
stories for the media.
Feb 27, 2015 13:16:16 #
MsRochelle wrote:
A friend of mine and I were having this discussion, so I thought I'd ask for your opinions. Is there a difference? Does it matter whether you're taking pictures of events or people? Curious as to your thoughts.
Its kind of like a construction worker vs a laborer.
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