When researching photojournalism, it’s clear from the beginning that there are stunning photojournalists all at different stages of their profession. Some can be at the bottom of the ladder and some can be renowned for their amazing results by telling stories through magnificent images. But there is an endless spiral of amazing photojournalism brought to my attention through clicking through random links and recommendations on sites such as Flickr. Below is a small gallery of some of my own photojournalism work which I have documented since 2010, followed by research on famous photojournalists.
Photojournalism
Bill Eppridge (1938 - 2013)
Eppridge was a famous photojournalist for Life magazine and is known for his most iconic image of Robert Kennedy's assassination in 1968. When interviewed about his assassination, Eppridge is quoted saying, “You are not just a photojournalist, you’re a historian,”. His work includes historic photos of Woodstock, The Beatles, the Vietnam War and stars such as his famous personal photographs of the then secretly insecure Barbra Streisand. I feel that whatever photojournalism work we do as individuals, once its online and of a good standard we will be adding to the ever expanding subject of which we report on - like Eppridge suggests, you become a historian as it becomes logged online. His influential photo essay of ‘Two Lives Lost to Heroin’ proved controversial when published in 1965 and is still widely renowned today. It even influenced the 1971 film ‘Panic in Needle Park’.
When he photographed The Beatles’ visit to the US, John and Ringo asked for directions from Eppridge, to which he replied, “I’m not going to ask you to do a thing, I just want to be there.” In terms of documentary style, this observational mode is the mode of which Eppridge aimed for within his work to capture the
decisive moment and report to the world what is going on in such circumstances. A prime
example was the unplanned assassination of Robert Kennedy. I feel this is an excellent
technique in photojournalism as it captures the moment which can last forever. This is highly
influential in terms of what photojournalistic work I do as the difference in staged work and
spur of the moment gives you a different form of pleasure and satisfaction. When looking at the
Kennedy Image, lighting has a huge impact. It almost shines down upon him to suggest his soul
is being withdrawn towards heaven. In terms of rules of thirds, Kennedy's hand, along with his
body and the busboy in the white shirt all host a primary visual attraction. The contrast of the
black and white, the innocence and the evil, all clearly portray a startling image. The facial
expression on the busboy's face connotes the confusion and panic, which is captured at the
decisive, unplanned moment. As it shutters reality not only by holding the busboy's motion but it also captures Kennedy's body as it lies mangled and lifeless.
Jacob Riis (1849 – 1914)
Jacob Riis raised to popularity due to his photojournalism of the 1800’s. He migrated to America in 1870 from Denmark due to its prospects, but struggled for work – in and out of employment as a carpenter. The New York News Association took Riis on as a trainee as he was unemployed and “had nothing better to do”.
This led to a successful career as he worked his way up in the publishing industry. During his time in the industry, he often wrote about poverty in the slums of New York City. He served as a mediator between the poor, middle and upper classes. He took his position as a journalist and exposed to the upper classes the previously unexposed slum conditions and lifestyle. His work was pioneering for the time and shocked many which potentially led to social reform. This type of reform-minded journalism became known as ‘muckraking’.
Behind Riis’ photography, he campaigned for better living conditions along with the construction of parks and playgrounds. This passion behind his journalism led to stunning, revolutionary photojournalism work. His most famous book, ‘How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York’, evolved from a photo journal that was refused to be published by rich newspaper owners. But despite this, it proved popular where it was published, and the book proved successful and is quoted as a “powerful book” by The New York Times.
Chris Hondros (1970 – 2011)
Hondros also climbed up the ladder within the journalism industry, starting out with an intern in a newspaper, becoming a chief photographer and then onto become a multi-award winning photojournalist. He worked in major conflict zones including Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Angola, Sierra Leone, the West Bank, Kashmir and eventually Libya which would be where his own life was taken.
His most controversial image was in January 2005, when his caught the moment Rakan Hassan and his family were fired at by American troops thinking they was suicide bombers. The image is of Rakan's sister who was 5 at the time. The attack killed Rakan's parents instantly and left Rakan paralysed. Rakan was then flown to Boston for treatment. Once the treatment was over, he was taken back to Iraq due to his own wishes and the wishes of his family – however a bomb killed Rakan shortly after moving back.
In April 2011, Hondros was killed after a rocket propelled grenade struck the house him and British photojournalist Tim Hetherington were in, whilst reporting on the Libyan civil war of 2011.
Rakan's story, 'The end of Rakan's War':
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/03/the_end_of_rakans_war/?page=full
Mosaab Elshamy (Born 1990)
When considering modern journalism, social networking has expanded exponentially over the past few years. Mosa’ab Elshamy has incorporated this theory and reports to the world via his Twitter page. After following him, I soon learnt about his coverage of the Egyptian revolution – including the 2012 Gaza war which was not only covered by Elshamy but by mainstream media too.
Mosa’ab Elshamy has covered events in many countries including the Middle-East and many parts Africa. Elshamy’s images and photostories have featured in TIME magazine, The Economist and many others. In 2012, he won many awards for his work.
Due to his increasing dependability and insightfulness, he is proving popular with over 37,000 followers on Twitter who are viewing his stunning images from Egypt as soon as he publishes them. However, due to his uncharted reputation, there is little information online of his career.
by Mosaab Elshamy