PHOTOGRAPHY: Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism! Ezine Article By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen

Is the light photojournalists have shed on the world's most vulnerable people slowly fading behind consumer's hunger for the free eye-candy of pop culture?

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GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses the perplexing state of affairs currently confronting photojournalists in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.

Svenningsen begins by musing,

"It's ironic in a way that the rise of the Internet, a medium so perfect for photojournalism, is in fact putting professional photojournalists out of business in large numbers. How can that be? In short, there's two factors:

1. More photographers out there with easy access to market.
2. More media work ending up online for free.

In short, less revenue shared by more people!

Let's read a bit more of Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

"It's both exciting and frightening to watch! On the one hand, there's more stunning photos being taken, of more subjects, by more talented photographers than ever before […] and it just ends up for free on the Internet!" He continues, "The traditional media outlets for photojournalism, magazines and newspapers, are struggling to stay afloat, most of them finding it extremely difficult to make the necessary profit to keep a staff of photojournalists and indeed to stay alive. These economic difficulties trickle down to the photojournalists, many of whom are now struggling to make a decent living from their work."

When discussing photojournalists' need to find a new way of connecting with their audience he points out, "When we're talking about sponsored and ad-driven photojournalism, the danger is that the ideals of photojournalism can start to crumble. Both in the selection and angling of the stories, things like objectivity and focus on significant but underreported themes may be set aside. But these tendencies for the media world to be populist and market-driven in their coverage are in fact already here."

Please continue reading Photojournalism is Dead - Long Live Photojournalism!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With nearly 60 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

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PHOTOJOURNALISM: 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera - Photography Tips On Ezine By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen

Find out what you'll need besides a camera before embarking on a career as a photojournalist.

Artwork © Charles Bragg All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses what people contemplating a photojournalism career will need besides a camera in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.

Svenningsen prefaces his essay by saying, "You'll be wrong (and you won't be the only one) if you think that you just need to spend X thousand dollars on some top professional camera equipment, and then you're on your way to becoming a successful photojournalist. It takes a whole range of skills. So ok, what do you need? Here is a list of 9 things that are essential to making it as a photojournalist besides the camera!"

Let's have a look at Photojournalism As a Career - 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera.

9 Things You Need Besides a Camera

1. Flair for the visual

Goes without saying. You need to have some talent, be artistic and have creativity in the visual world. Some are born with a fantastic visual awareness, others need to develop it. We now live in a visually over-saturated world, so it's easy to find sources of inspiration.

Go to exhibitions, read photo books, look in magazines etc. Find out what style you like. Don't try and copy it, but use it as inspiration to create your own visual style. Everyone can take a picture of something. Professional photojournalists need to do it with style!

4. Money in the bank

If you're just starting out as a freelance photographer / photojournalist, you'll probably need to hang in some time before you have generated enough sources of income to keep you afloat. This might be anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. Depending on your talent, savvy, dedication and luck!

Even if you're working as a fairly established freelancer, next month's income is not always certain. Photo equipment is expensive, it needs to be maintained and replaced every now and then. So it takes a bit of capital to avoid going broke in the process of building your career.

6. Nerves of steel

In those dodgy situations, or when the adrenalin kicks in for whatever reason, you need to keep your calm, compose and time your shot, get the right angle, focus and exposure. In less dodgy, more everyday situations, you need to have the nerves to break the ice, get intimate with strangers, step away from the crowd and not to freeze up when you are finally face to face with the moment you've been waiting for.

Please continue reading about 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 52 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage

GAIA Photography and Photojournalism

PHOTOJOURNALISM FROM A to Z: A New Photography Article By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen Now On Ezine

Learn about photojournalism from A to Z with GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen.

Photo © John Brown All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter

Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen talks about Photojournalism From A to Z in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine. Let's have a look.

Photojournalism From A to Z

A for "Art?"

Photojournalism clearly contains an aesthetic element characteristic to art. But some observers object to the idea of photojournalism as art. Journalism in general is about reporting facts. Does Art connote something artificial? Or is it simply putting style over content?

If photojournalism is art, does it necessarily become more of a commodity, more "entertainment" and less "truth"? - In other words, is it appropriate to look at photos of human suffering while sipping champagne in an art gallery or lattés over a photo book? There is no short and definite answers to these questions, so let the debate rage on!

B for "Black & White"

This was pretty much all there was during the first hundred years of photojournalism. When color photojournalism started appearing more regularly in print, from the 1960s and onwards, it was initially met with some resentment, even accusations of vulgarity.

During the 1980s photojournalism was more dominated by color photos and today, interestingly, black and white is again in, not from inevitability any longer, but as an accepted stylistic choice. An argument often heard is that black and white photos focuses the viewers attention on the content of the photo, rater than the photo itself.

C for "Canon vs. Nikon"

Canon and Nikon are two of the biggest camera manufacturers in the world today. Photojournalists often engage in friendly mud-throwing contests between the Canonians and Nikonians. Both camera systems are excellent though, with a big catalogue of lenses to go along and service centers located around the world.

D for "Digital Photography"

Digital cameras have had a profound impact on photojournalism. No more darkroom maneuvers are needed. Photos can now be delivered almost instantaneous from anywhere in the world. You don't have to choose between color or black/white film before you shoot. And you can have 20 "rolls" of film on a memory card the size of a stamp.

But in spite of all these helpful improvements, has the actual quality of photojournalism improved as a result? It has certainly led to a flooding of the photo-market, and the fear is that prices dwindle to a point where it's no longer economically viable for many professionals to make a living of it. The line between professionals and amateurs starts to blur.

Please continue reading about Photojournalism From A to Z right here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 52 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
GAIA Photography and Photojournalism
Follow Me On Twitter

PHOTOJOURNALISM GUIDELINES: Best Practices Article Now On Ezine By GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen

Heavily doctored computer enhanced digital photos are out of bounds say most news photo editors.

Photo © Morten Svenningsen All Rights Reserved

In a recent article written by Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen that’s appearing on Ezine entitled Photojournalism - Good Practice Guidelines he writes:

"Photojournalists operate as trustees of the public. Their photos are used as accurate and trustworthy accounts of significant events. Their primary goal is the faithful and comprehensive depiction of the subject at hand. As photojournalists, they have the responsibility to document society and to preserve its history through their photos."

Mr. Svenningsen also quoted New York Times photo editor Michele McNally regarding amateur news photos coming out of Iran, noting she's stated, "I am indeed troubled by not knowing the sources of these pictures and their agendas [...] and the validity of the captions."

In that light, the article advises:

Never Do This

There's 3 things that you just don't do as a photojournalist. If you only remember 3 things from this article, let it be this.

1. Don't add or remove anything in the photo (fabrication). Neither by re-arranging things in front of the camera nor by changing a photo in post processing.

2. Don't stage or re-enact news events such as directing the subjects of a photo. Exceptions are portraits and product photos, but caption must not mislead the viewer into believing these photos are spontaneous.

3. Don't use excessive color manipulation, lightening, darkening or blurring of the image in post processing.

Please read the article in its entirety.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 49 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!

John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
GAIA Photography and Photojournalism