Photography Research Essay
...lustrated, Picture Post, and The Daily Graphic, built their reputation on the use of photography. During the World War II phase, quality photojournalism developed greatly, with the supply and demand taking a sharp increase (Kobre). In addition, during the war, many photographers would take their position in the field of combat and capture the tragic dreadfulness with the use of a camera. Moreover, the supply of smaller and faster cameras increased during the latter stages of the war. The Vietnam War is a perfect example of photography taking place in the course of combat. The following picture depicts the excruciating pain and death that took place during this tragic event. This particular picture is from 1972, and is of a nine year old girl, Kim Phuc, who is running down the road, screaming in pain from the jellied gasoline which coated her body, burning through her skin. This is the famous photograph which caught the world’s attention and truly illustrated the gruesome reality of war. By this time, photojournalism had developed to the point where these types of photographs were being portrayed in famous art galleries around the world. Many photojournalists have studied this particular photograph and came to the conclusion that it was this image that turned public opinion against the war in Vietnam (Saywell). Many new technologies have caused extensive changes in photojournalism. Specifically, it was the emergence of digital photography which offered new realms of opportunity for reproduction, manipulation, and the transmission of images (Wikipedia). Digital photography is different from film photography in the sense that it uses an electronic sensor to record an image as a piece of electronic data rather than a chemical change in film (Corbett). This digital technology allows for photojournalists to carry out their assignments in a much more efficient manner. It also brought about many economic and operational advantages. In regards to traditional photography, photographers do not have the knowledge of what they captured on their cameras until it has been processed. In contrast, digital cameras have display screens which allow photojournalists to review what they have shot while still shooting the event. Moreover, considerable time is saved with the use of digital photography. The large amount of time that was primarily spent on processing images can now be used on covering the event being photographed. Additionally, at least 25 minutes is saved by using digital technology rather than the chemical process used with traditional photography. A great quantity of time is also saved getting the images to be published. With digital photography, photojournalists can plug the camera’s memory card into a laptop computer, select a caption, and transmit them by the internet to the publication picture desk (Corbett). This improved technique of transmitting pictures is particularly beneficial when photojournalists have a deadline to respect. Economically, there are many advantages as well. Significant savings are accumulated through the use of digital techniques rather than the traditional way. Before the emergence of digital photography, news organizations had to incur costs for rolls of film, and photographic paper which are now no longer needed. Since digital photography has been created, photojournalists use computer chips, which can be reused continually, unlike rolls of film which can only be used once (Kobre). Although news organizations are required to invest a great deal of financial capital into a digital photographic system, they still accumulate significant savings. The greatest advantage digital photography had on the development of photojournalism is an operational one. Digital photography is responsible for transforming the printing process for newspapers and magazines. With the old-fashioned system, printers composed pages in a back shop. With the new technology intact, editors and designers of newspaper companies produce pages on computers in the newsroom (Corbett). However, the photographs must be computer-compatible in order to be printed in this form. Another advantage digital photography had on photojournalism is the use of online resources. Many newspapers and magazines display pictures on their personal websites and they can remain online as long as the publication chooses to archive them. Newspapers such as The Washington Post have websites that display the work of their photojournalists. In today’s market, digital cameras are much more popular than film cameras amongst consumers. Some of the advanced technologies included in digital cameras include the ability to videotape and record data, unlike regular film cameras. Furthermore, digital photographs have the same abilities as computer files, which include being edited, stored, copied, transformed, and transmitted through the internet. In addition, smaller, lighter cameras greatly enhanced the role of photojournalists all across the globe. Since the 1960s, many new technologies such as motor-drives, auto-focus, electronic flash, and better lenses have increased performance for photojournalists, and have made their jobs relatively easier. Ever since new digital cameras have been created, photojournalists are not limited by the length of a roll of film since thousands of images can be stored on certain storage devices such as micro drives and flash cards (Wikipedia). Another aspect of photojournalism that has improved greatly over the years is the ability to extend deadlines and compress the process of gathering and editing the content of an image. Nearly fifteen years ago, it took approximately a half hour to transmit a colored image from a remote location to a...