Chapter Six

Women Photojournalist

Photo from The University for the Creative Arts 

A photo of Hannah McKay during her time in

the Bangladesh refugee camps.

Year Created: 2017

Principle #1: Depth- I like the way the dirty road just seems to go on forever behind her. It draws your eyes back the water on each side only highlights this forever path that then eventually seems to meet some green grasses that also follow its path and continue back. 

Principle #2: Feelings the Image created- The image empowered me, this women is in the middle of a country where there are refugee camps and people are crossing the water drowning to make it away from war. The rawness of the photographers who go to great lengths to get the other shots we see on the news and computer screens when we open them is depicted right here. She is dirty, and lugging equipment, using anything she can that's convenient to get a good shot and smiling through it.

Principle #3: Rule of Thirds- Each section of this photo is filled with interesting aspects to drag the viewer in. The bottom half shows what many wouldn't see is the photographer on a stool in order to get the right shot as well as other needed people and equipment used in her time in Bangladesh. The middle of the photo shows Hannah enjoying her journey in a another country and the raw aspects of what it takes to get the shots that are worth more than a thousand words. Lastly the Top of the photo shows a beautiful sky that also has a gleaming piece of rainbow that made me smile.

Why did I choose the image?: I choose this image because its not the typically biography photo someone would choose. I shows Hannah McKay in raw form in her career, it also shows to me how much she enjoys it as I feel like she is portraying her happiness outward in this moment. Even when the sky above her seems cloudy and dim she brings light to the photo with her presence.

    Hannah Mckay is a young female photographer, she may only be 30 years old but she has already proven herself in the photojournalist community. Hannah has only be heavily into photojournalism for six years starting her journey young at the age of 24, and has already won a  Pulizter Prize for her work in Bangladesh. She begins to talk about short yet interesting experience within the field in the article What is it like to be a young, female photojournalist in a male dominated-industry by Marcela Kunova. She recaps how it was daunting at first to enter a industry dominated by men being a female photojournalist but another challenge arose for McKay, there was also the gender gap. She believes its good to have people of all ages in the photojournalist community because just like a male and female are able to capture different shots and perspectives of a situation, she said the same can be said for between people in varying age groups. Her career has just started in photojournalism but she has been able to be apart of many projects such as the Bangladesh trip that captured the lives of the people in refugee camps there. She learned a lot about photojournalism through each experience so far and has learned the most from the moments she thought she wasn't going to be able to handle the overwhelming things she was seeing. Hannah also states that overall she hasn't had a problem within the industry with the men she works with but has had times where she shows up to a job and the "people don't take her serious because they were expecting a middle-aged white man".

      Although many female photojournalist have experienced discrimination in the field, McKay states that she "doesn't see an issue at all being apart of a male-dominated industry and that she is respected by her male colleagues and she respects them as well". This is refreshing to hear that in 2018 a young, motivated, female entering a male dominated-industry can feel comfortable, safe, and accepted into the profession she loves. When looking back in history to other women who entered photojournalism we known that this is was and still not is the case in all situations. We see many examples of this brought forward by Professor Nordell in his YouTube video called Women Photojournalist. One incident in particular stands out to me when he begins to talk about Marion Post Wolcott, who had to deal with the men in her profession harass her by "urinating in her chemicals, spitting spitballs at her, and putting out cigarettes in her developing trays". Wolcott experienced this in a time when very few females took jobs where women were stereotypical suppose to work. This may have been a factor in the era of why she was treated the way she was which still makes it unacceptable but it still is occurring in modern times. 

      Lauren Wolfe documents in her article The Q&A: NYT's Lynsey Addario on Libya Sexual assault. This information was just from 2011 which documented the horrific details of Addario's experience when she traveled abroad as a photojournalist in Libya. She may have no been assaulted by people she was directly working with to take the photo's but was assaulted by government workers in that country who had detained her. She speaks on how they would grope her body at every check point and often had to cry and plead she for them to stop before another guard would step in and tell the other to stop. There are bad people everywhere in the world but compared to her male colleagues they were beaten and in one instance a gun put to his rear, she was constantly touched and felt over he clothes inappropriately as well as being hit and abused. If being a women comes with it own hurdles in any industry where we stereotypical don't fit then hats off to all the African-American women who not only had to deal with discrimination based on their skin color but as well as their gender. For instance from the course content we see the Facebook post from Sophia Nahli Allision that was put on the National Press Photographer Association page stating how "the industry lacks diversity and the support to be made for the talented and badass woc photojournalist to share their stories and work". It's nice to see other women taking a stand, giving suggestions, and overall continue to change the world we live in to be more inclusive of all. It shows that the obstacles the women before us faced were not just for themselves but to pave paths for the women of the future and for us to do the same for the generations to come.

        This discrimination doesn't just happen within the photojournalist community but can be seen at every corner of the workforce. Women are have been payed less, and been overlooked for jobs for many years and even today we still see slight instances where this is happening. In the article A Look at Gender Discrimination Against Women by Lahle Wolfe it covers women from elementary school and beyond and discrimination that's seen throughout our lives. Something that stuck out to me that girls are discriminated in school by the subjects that are more closely taught to each gender as well as the encouragement for boys to play sports versus girls. They also cover how when females are encouraged to go to college they are often pushed into "stereotypical female dominated industries such as teaching, nursing, retail, office administration, and care-giving". This resonated with me because when I was looking at careers in High School my family pushed me to be a nurse, even though I had my heart set on working in a laboratory. Long story short I went to school for nursing for a semester before deciding to chase my dreams and not theirs and work in a Laboratory today where the shift from all men has dramatically been scene and on every shift besides night shift is female dominated.

Photo By: Hannah McKay

    This photo McKay took while in Mexico, she was there to document the migrants who come from all over to try and make there way to America for a better future.

Year Created: 2018

Principle #1: Use Lines- The way the poles that construct this fence are so perfectly spaced apart to show the equal amount of blue sky in between

Principle #2: Texture- The sky is so perfectly gradient levels of soft dark and light blues with not a contrast of the clouds, airplanes, or wildlife. As well as the poles have rust that contrasts against the blue sky and shows how long and weathered it is. The mans clothes have signs of being worn as well as his heals are cracked and beaten from his journey to get here to attempt a chance at a better life.

Principle #3: Obvious main subject- although we can't see his face we don't need to see feel how tired yet motivated he is to do whatever it takes to try and get over the fence and into America because clearly anything besides what is behind him is worth risking his life for.

Why did I choose the image?: This image to me is very powerful it not only shows the legit obstacle that migrants face to try to get into this country as well as the reality that some people are so desperate for a better life they will do anything even climb a wall. The image shows the worn fence/ wall that has been put up to keep out unwanted people as well as the detail of the migrants clothes are warn and dirty and you can tell they are just as exhausted as the man who is in them. It also gives me a sense that from the other side of the fence the sky looks so blue on our side, so taunting that freedom, safety, and the American dream are so close yet so far away for these migrants it truly breaks my heart.

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott

Year Created: 1939

Principle #1: Subjects Expression- There are four subjects in this image and all subjects have a different look from happy, to distracted. I like that it captures four peoples expressions very well and you can see everyone's unique personality.

Principle #2: Contrast Appropriate- The black and white along with the textures in the photo show great contrast the wood wall behind them shows texture and contrast to the dark wooden benches they are sitting on and the dark glossy table that is below there arms. I like as well that the contrast between there outfits and there skin are enough that you can see the details even down to the contrast of the very white cigarette compared to the females skin, as well as to the dark table that is just below.

Principle #3: Quality of light- For a black and white image the quality of light can been seen and you can even see the shadow that cast on the right side of the photograph. The quality of light allows for the details in the textures of the surroundings to be clear as well as the detail of the peoples faces and clothes

Why did I choose the image?: I chose this image because Marion Post Wolcott's story really intrigued me, she went through so much and didn't back down to stay in a field that so desperately wanted to run her out of. He images are not only detailed, and full of light for black and white shot by they capture people in such a beautiful way.

History of Photojournalism

I have created a timeline on important events throughout the History of Photojournalism. I hope you enjoy the points and pictures I have brought forward.

Chapter 4

Working in the Digital Age

      Blog is the shortening of the term weblog that refers to an online journal or that is updated frequently either by one individual or multiple contributors. The first blog can date to 1994, which was created by Justin Hall known as Links.net. Although the term blog wouldn't be created until 3 years later by Jorn Barger who was created the Robot Wisdom blog. Blogs became a new way to document information and share it with a wide audience. The next year in 1998 we saw the first instance in which a blog containing traditional news, Jonathan Dube blogged Hurricane Bonnie for The Charlotte Observer. Blogs just continued to grow throughout the 2000's as it was stated in the article A Brief History of Blogging by WDD staff " in 1999 there were 23 blogs on the internet and by the middle of 2006 there were 50 million blogs". Blogs can be used to talk about any type of topic by anyone who is willing to start one, as well as they can be informal or formal. We saw a rise in political blogs as well in the beginning. In 2005 "statistics revealed that 32 million Americans read blogs, that was more than ten percent of the entire population", people started to make money blogging which caused a skyrocket in blog spaces and new bloggers to emerge. This marks the transition from journalism in newspapers and magazines to the internet. The internet created a quick, easy accessible, and free way to get this information unlike anything before it.
     Blogging just like the internet is constantly changing and evolving, for instance traditional blogging was typically individuals work on a dedicated websites, which has been on the decline. We have seen an increase of blogging on other internet platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and as well as on professional sites such as the Huffington Post and Business Insider. Felix Salmon who wrote How blogs have changed journalism touches on the topic that larger news sites have become more "bloggier". As larger news sites shift more towards an online audience, we must start to inquiring how this will affect photojournalist. In the article written by Jared Keller called Photojournalism in the Age of New Media he looks at the advantages and disadvantages of the growing internet presence. Twitter and Facebook as well as other social media have created a flooding of images from both citizen and professional photojournalist. The increase of websites and blogs being posted allows for increase photos needed from these photojournalist but with such a flood of images it really comes down to the details of the photos. Keller talks about instances when there are events happening across the world for instance, there were events happening Benghazi, Libya but there had been no photos coming out of the area about the events via professional photojournalist. He goes to say how they " found a guy in Libya who had posted some pictures on the internet, tracked him down through his Facebook, made contact, asked questions about the situation, got permission to use the photos, and retained him for a few more days of work". In this instance it worked out that a guy with an iPhone with feet on the ground was able to get the pictures and verification of the images and events to the news before anyone else. The issue that follows with this is that verification of images from just any citizen photojournalist with a cellphone can fall into grey areas. Sometimes people re-post other images without credit, screenshot from someone else and potentially sell it as their own. Overall that can cause issues among the photojournalist community. There is also a difference between the photos taken on iPhone's versus professional high-quality images , "We want images that stand the test of time", "snapshots and photos taken by camera phones are not things we can come back to learn from and understand something deeper" stated by Nathalie Applewhite, managing director of the Pulitzer Center. People tend to forget that photojournalism is not just random snapshots of places and events and actions. As I had stated in my previous blog a statement from The Gordon Parks Foundation "the camera can be a weapon against poverty, racism, against all sorts of social wrongs" but this goes hand it hand that they could do opposite when the person behind the camera doesn't respect the profession in such way. They are moments in time that need professional and thoughtful content to document for generations. We must remember that photos often are taken with more truth than words and "images can be manipulated, and ultimately used by someone with a vested interest to frame things in a certain way".

     

Photo by Tim Gouw

      Above is a photo of a man in a coffee shop stressing and working hard about a project on his computer, although it is not specific if he is working specifically on a blog, it still shows how the internet and information can elicit emotion. The image was taken by Tim Gouw and submitted via a amateur website that allows anyone to create a profile and add images that could be used for free or a small fee.

      Blogs compared to the pre-digital photographic technology of the Leica 35mm in which I researched and talked about in my blog post chapter 2 there are vast differences and surprising similarities. Blogs although still relatively new are a way of reaching getting information out to a ever growing population and internet audience. The Leica in its time around 1924 was used by photojournalist to capture images in order to get news out to their audience at the time which would have been by newspapers. Newspapers and Blogs are not that different in the aspect that they contain written documents by journalist on topics that interest the reader, they often are accompanied by photos taken by a photojournalist depicting the action of the article or showing the event that is being describes or talked about. Blogs allow both amateur and professional photojournalist to express and create blogs about any topic that interest them. As well as similarly to the Leica 35mm was designed for both "amateur and professional photographers to capture the world around us" The major differences are obviously that blogs are where the articles and pictures are published to, versus the Leica 35mm is a camera that would capture the photos to be used in a newspaper during its time. The Leica 35mm images captured up until later times would be published to newspapers within certain areas versus photos posted on blogs are available for anyone, anywhere, who has internet service.
       The pre-digital technology of the Leica 35mm allowed for photojournalism to grow throughout the next decades and many of the basic concepts found in the camera are still scene and used in cameras today. They opened to door for both amateur and professional photojournalist to capture images that would document the world for the generations ahead and for history. Blogs have changed the field for photojournalist in both positive and negatives ways. For modern day photojournalist blogs create more jobs and opportunities for their photos to be published and used such as the Leica did for people back in the 20's. Although the internet has also complicated photojournalism as there is a flooding of images from people that could be used and sometimes picked over a professional photojournalist images because of convenience, time, and even cost of compensation. The convenience of blogs is beyond what could have been imagined the 20's, the Leica was compact and easy to travel with but you still needed other technology to develop the photos, select which was would be used and get them to the editor of the newspaper as for blogs we can take a photo via our camera it can be transferred via WiFi to your laptop and be posted on your blog within minutes of capturing it. This was drastic as it was stated in the article Photojournalist or Pack Mule that " years ago a requirement of photojournalist was to have a strong back as they would need to carry 80 pounds of equipment". These other amateur photojournalist may not provide images with the same quality, professional manner in reporting about the image such as it's validity and origin which can lead to stolen photos, or adulterated photos tainting the field.

Photo by Chris Duesing

     Above is  a photo taken by Chris Duesing in 2015 using a Leica 35mm camera, although it is not a photo from that era it still shows the amazing quality and detail that was possible to be captured with the technology from that era.

Chapter Three

The Art of Photojournalism

Photo by:  Louis Daguerre

Image Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/this-is-the-first-ever-photograph-of-a-human-and-how-the-scene-it-was-taken-in-looks-today-9841706.html

Year Created: 1838

Principle #1:  Shadows-You can see the shadow of the trees on the street as well as the human who is tieing their shoe in the bottom of the photo.

Principle #2:  Rule of thirds-Even for this image there is very well spacing out of the bottom, catching enough of the closet building and capturing the details of the windows to the middle where you can identify each tree, the road from the sidewalk and the businesses that line the other side of the street as well as the top of the photo shows the sky in contrast with the whole view of the city.

Principle #3:  Quality of light-the quality of light is poor in this image due to the process and the primitive technology used but it adds character to the photo and makes you appreciate further the effort that went in to capturing a photo with this much detail with the technology at hand.

Why did I choose the image?: I choose this image because through my research it was originally thought to be the first photo that captured a person as seen in the lower left but was proven wrong. That drew me into the photo as well as what kind of medium was used to take this photo which was named after him called the dagurreotype that used chemicals and silver plate to develop the image. For such primitive technology it captured a lot of detail from the shadow of the trees to the curtains in the windows of the buildings.

Photo by: Margaret Bourke-White

Image Source:http://images.google.com/hosted/life/6e4339de82ce093b.html

Year Created: 1945

Principle #1:  Subjects Expression- One of the first things I noticed in this photograph was the men and there faces with wha to me looks like hesitation and even sadness before I even read more deeply into what is going on in the photo you can tell this isn't a happy time. They are dirty, tired, and look like they are ready to go home.

Principle #2:  Texture- This is seen throughout the photo from the bottom half of the rigid rocks and debris and as your eyes move up you are drawn to the men's clothing in the way the folds catch the light. Lastly as your eyes move to the top of the photo you an see the texture of the worn and tired buildings, the barren tree and the the edges of the weathered roof that adorns the buildings.

Principle #3:  Exposure time- This photo was clearly taken in a time when these men were in motion we can tell because the first man is throwing his belongings into the box and the photo was captured just as it left his fingers but there is no blur. As well as if you look to the opposite end of the photo you see one of the men jumping down or about to stomp on something as he is crouched lower and his foo is slightly in the air

Why did I choose the image?: I choose this image because it stood out in the mix of black and white photos. I felt like I could easily feel the emotions of the men who look tired, dirty, and saddened to be throwing the last of their personal belongings in the box before they go on a raid. For some that may have meant it's the last time they get to hold and see those letters, photos and other belongings as they were only allowed to wear there dog tags as identification into battle.

Photo by: Stephen Dupont

Image Source: https://www.stephendupont.com/observations/l9bpsfofvo4safgje27ozmjcmcxeky

Year Created: 2000

Principle #1:  Depth- Although this photo isn't conveying much distance compared to the first photo. I believe there is a different type of death that the layers of the background have created. Each layer from the bench, behind the bench, the fence, the cars, all the way to the pallets on the other side of the street. At first it seems very up close to the man but while looking deeper you see much more fine details.

Principle #2:  Lines- I like the used of the lines the box below the man makes against the ground, the lines within the bench that draw your eyes back. The lines of the bench are parallel to the lines in the fence and guard rail that follow behind which further draws you back into the details of the cars and the commotion on the street.

Principle #3:  Obvious main subject- The man and the bird are the first thing you are drawn into especially because the bird is in motion yet you still can identify what it is he is releasing you get he full motion of what had happened through this image. The man looks content and happy to be sharing the moment with the obvious photography snapping the image.

Why did I choose the image?: I choose this image because it depicts a real life scenario, I am sure this man does his typically cooking right here on this bench either this is where he lives or this is where he makes his livelihood. It's apart of Duponts collection of photographs called Observations. I love the way he looks very comfortable and simply happy to be where he is. As well as I really enjoy the motion of the bird taking off gives to the photo and the bird that is to his left that seems to be waiting for his turn.