Photojournal Part 2- Art photography versus Press Photography

Press Photography and Art photography both share similarities and differences, but they are very much different from each other in the sense of meaning and portrayal. Press photographs provide visual support for stories they represent, but fine art photographs are the outcomes of the photographers’ visions and creativeness.

Similarities: Press photography is taken to visually represent an event or story and art photography can represent a story and/or event by the choice of the photographer. Photographs from each respective discipline tell a story to their viewers; listed below are two examples, one press, and one art that both express history that were/are listed as big news headlines:

           

The first photograph is a press photograph taken moments after a suicide car bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan depicting the horrors of the tragic events, and the second photograph is of Ernesto Che Guevara, a symbolic figure of the revolution in Cuba in the mid 50’s. The face of Che tells his own story. 

Soldiers pull a woman from the scene of a suicide car bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a December 15 picture by Australian photographer Adam Ferguson.

Ernesto Che Guevara, 'Chile 85'. Pencil editing effect.

Differences: The biggest difference between the two disciplines is that Photojournalism distinguishes itself from other forms of professional photography by its adherence to the principles of journalism: timeliness, accuracy, fair representation of the context of events and facts reported, and accountability to the public (Dillon Westbrook) and that Photojournalism is the use of photographs in conjunction with the reporting of news in media such as print newspapers, magazines, television news and internet reporting (Westbrook). A photojournalist cannot merely edit or set up a photo to couple his or her artistic and creative view of the story, but must present a photo in its originality and true context. A press photograph visually informs and connects the reader to the realities of the story. This is why The Toronto Start has a code of ethics that forbids altering the content of photographs (Gordana S. Icevska). On the other hand, art photography has no code of ethics to follow such as the NPPA. A fine art photographer has all the freedom to alter a photo in any way, shape, or form they desire since their objective isn’t to represent an object, or event in its truest, most original form, but in a way that is unique to a personal artistic style. Art photography doesn’t limit itself to events or stories, but has a broad spectrum of endless subjects.

Below are two examples, each representing the two photography disciplines. The first displays politically fueled rioting movements in Madagascar that lasted for 2 months, killing 170 people. The second is a image of a Northern Pacific railway car, depicted in a artistically dark ‘industrial’ mood. Eric Swanson

Two men hide behind a barrier as police fire tear gas at rioters in Antananarivo, the capital of the African island country of Madagascar; Photographer: Walter Astrada, Agence France-Presse

Photographer: Eric Swanson

Sources:

Westbrook, Dillon. "A Brief History of Photojournalism." Photography-Schools.
     N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. <http://www.photography-schools.com/
     photojournalismhistory.htm>. 

"Photojournalism Bibliography." Poynter Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.
     <http://webct.georgebrown.ca/webct/urw/lc2044122001.tp0/
     cobaltMainFrame.dowebct>. 

"NPPA Code of Ethics." National Press Photographers Association. N.p., n.d. Web.
     13 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/
     business_practices/ethics.html>. 

Icevska, Gordana. "SHOOTING THE TRUTH: HOW PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE MEDIA BETRAY US." Learning Activities Week 9. Microsoft Word file.