Photojournalism Bias

 

Photo By: Ed Clark

Image Source: http://www.thegreatleapsideways.com/?p=209 

This image represents a Navy ship man following the burial service of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first thing I see is the emotion of the woman with her head in her hand. After looking closer, I saw the tears in the ship man's eyes. The emotion of this picture is what makes it real to me. To me, this is a depiction of patriotism and nationalism. For someone to mourn a leader so intently and respectfully speaks volumes. As Tom Zachmeier said, in order to be objective, photojournalists need to be an "invisible camera" from a distance. However, Clark did a good job here of balancing his distance and connection. It is apparent that Clark was in the distance, maybe a passerby or even a participant because he is not fully divulged into these peoples' lives. At the same time, he connected with these people enough regarding the situation that the people felt free enough to let these emotions flow.

Principle 1: The subject's expression is very natural. In fact there are a few main subjects the grasp my attention. None of the subjects look posed. If they did, it would look more synchronized.

Principle 2: The rule of thirds is used excellently in this image. The main subject is of to the left. His face and the expression on it is in the upper left while the instrument he is playing, another focus, is the bottom left. In this case, the rule of thirds adds a creative appeal.

Principle 3: The use of lines is used in many places in this image. First of all, the beam in the back right adds structure to the photo and emphasizes the crowd. The black horizontal lines on the instrument stand out because of the color contrast. Also, the vertical lines on the instrument are noticeable because the clash with the balance of the subjects. If these lines weren't present, the crowd would look too average.

Photo By: Corey Arnold

Image Source: http://www.coreyfishes.com/koken/albums/human-animals/

This image represents the truth to me because it shows the innocence of children. Children have a such big hearts until the reality of the world slowly starts to destroy them. My way of knowing in this situation is my sense of perception. Therefore, I can see and perceive them in my own mind. I have seen children decide what is right and what is wrong. Obviously in this case, the seagull was hurt and it was the girls' first instinct to help it. Also, the girl in pink looks like she is recommending what to do with the bird. The ideas of children in a crisis situation are very raw and based almost completely on emotion. Professor Nordell stressed how truth can and does change. What is interesting here, is that the photojournalist's truth had undoubtedly changed since he was a child. Although the implications to both the girls and the bird of holding the bird in this manner were known, Arnold avoided his bias. Perhaps when the girls look back on this photo, their truth will have changed and they will not understand the motivation behind their actions.

Principle 1: The use of light in this image is very clear. The reflection from the snow almost puts a glow around the main subjects. Also, the bright light allows for the colors of the girls' clothing to be very crisp and clear. The light is not too bright because it is balanced by the overcast.

Principle 2: There are various types of textures elicited in this image. First, there are the clumps of snow which looks icy and therefore creates a bitterly sense. Also, the texture of the seagull's feathers look majestic which correlate with the manner in which the girl is holding it. Finally, the texture of the snow pants shows how wet the children are from the snow and it elicits the memories of childhood.

Principle 3: The depth of field is just right in this image. If it was any more out of focus, the seagull would not be identifiable in detail which is the whole purpose. If it was any closer, the actual action would not be understood. Some use of shallow depth of field is apparent because the subjects are crisp while the far background begins to blur.

Photo By: Steve McCurry

Image Source: http://stevemccurry.com/galleries/deep-southhttp://stevemccurry.com/galleries/deep-south

This image does not represent the truth to me because the subject is too different from the setting.  The setting is obviously extremely run down and crippling upon the subject. However, the subject is well-dressed, looks sturdy, and appears healthy. For a man who keeps himself so put together, my mind does not connect the antithesis: his house. Also, the point of photojournalism is to tell the news, through photos. Although this may bring awareness to the issue of poverty, it is not hard news of a current event. This contradicts Hearst's Journal which would "get the news, no matter what it costs." It may have been easy for a photojournalist to travel to a nearby sight like this one, but it only ignites the temporary emotions of a viewer. Similar to Professor Nordell's experience at the rally in Boston, just a different type of camera transformed the truth of the event. Perhaps this photographer found this one home set off the road within a decent neighborhood. Maybe it is not an exception and this is commonplace in this town. The truth is not completely told through this one photo.

Principle 1: The feelings this image creates are pity, sadness, and confusion. The well-dressed man in such an ugly setting confuses me. The pity for the man is furthered by the strong contrast. The falling stairs and roof surrounded by boards makes me sad to see that anyone lives in this environment.

Principle 2: The contrast of this image is excellent. The red and green really go together but are separated by a bland brown so it is not overwhelming. The blue sky gives the image life from rustic colors. The ultimate contrast is the blue sky with the dead grass in the foreground while the two together make the image holistic.

Principle 3: The main subject in this photo is not obvious. Is it the house or is it the man? I think it is the house but this image is not complete without the man. The size of the man is too small to make him the main subject but usually people are the focus in photojournalism.

Ethics of Photojournalism

Like many presidents, Ronald Reagan was photographed and placed on the cover of Time Magazine. His photo was altered. However, it was not done using Photoshop, seeing as the editing took place long before that software came about. Instead, an illustrated and then digitally placed tear was inserted running down Reagan’s face depicting his opinion on the conservative right wing falling apart. The controversy goes even farther because both the photographer and illustrator were labeled on the magazine’s cover. However, is stating an illustrator enough to tell readers the image was altered? Time thinks so “‘Time regularly runs conceptual covers,’ ” said a spokesman.

Editing a photograph and portraying it to be true is never acceptable. It contradicts ethics, especially my own. I made a photo map to illustrate my own personal ethics. I revolved them all around my main value regarding my life. This main value is that we are all humans. No one is superior or inferior to another, regardless of race, intelligence, culture, and so on. That is why one of my values is equality. Another big value on my map is truthfulness. By editing any photo, it completely eliminates truthfulness. Without truth, one cannot live a real life.

Each one of my ethics depicted in my map contradict the edited photograph on the cover of Time Magazine. First of all, respect is violated. By portraying Reagan in a different light, it destroys Reagan’s self-respect along with his personal identity to the citizens that are led by him. Also, showing Reagan of crying even though he is not takes away his dignity because it shows him in a vulnerable, emotional state that is not even true! I also value opinion and knowledge greatly. Everyone is worthy of their own opinion and capacity of knowledge. That should not be belittled. However, even though the knowledge of the situation regarding Reagan’s foreign diplomacy was known, the editors at the magazine made and opinion and placed it on the President as being his own. We are all humans and react differently. Some cry, others do not. But it is not acceptable to force an emotion on someone. Emotions are the realest human data.

The photographer, David Hume Kennerly, originally took Reagan’s photo like any other photographer would. Later, the “illustrator” Tim O’Brien digitally added his illustration. This was a process that the editors planned on doing all along. I would have not planned such a rigid outline before the photo-shoot began. Like I said, people react in different ways and in order to show that, I would wait for Reagan to become fired up or shameful and then capture a photo. I would have had respect for the President’s dignity and self-identity. Therefore, I would not have manipulated him into something he was not. Although a major difference, there were similarities between the cover photo and what I would have done. For example, I would have stuck to American culture. Culture and truthfulness along with respect would all compile into a similar photograph, before it was edited. These are three of my ethics that would have photographed the President as a respectable, powerful, and professional man in his suit and close up face.

Here is my ethics map

Photo By: David Hume Kennerly

Image Source: http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20070326,00.html

The same editing was done to President Lincoln's portrait

Photo By: American Antiquarian Society

Image Source: http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20110418,00.htmlhttp://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20110418,00.html

Women in Photojournalism

Louise Rosskam was a successful photojournalist from the 1930s through the 1950s. However, her successes were not achieved without much struggle. From the very beginning, Rosskam was targeted. Her family lost money during the Great Depression so now she was a poor, Jewish woman. According to the Library of Congress, Rosskam attended the University of Pennsylvania but “She majored in science, one of the few courses then open to women.” Although she became a microbiologist, she had a hard time finding work. That is when the lure of photography drew her in.

Rosskam became a rebel supporting the leftist movement in which she was exposed to photography that depicted social challenges. This is how she met her husband, Edwin, and they began to work together as a dynamic duo. Unfortunately, while working for the Philadelphia Record, the company wouldn’t pay Rosskam for her work. Instead, “The newspaper would hire only Edwin so he listed Louise's wages as ‘gas and oil’ in his expense account.” Another instance of discrimination was when Louise and Edwin both published a photography book and only Edwin’s name appeared on it. Marion Post Wilcott faced a similar struggle, “She completed and was paid for a Fortune assignment, but those photographs were never published.” Rosskam specialized in photography of children but worked heavily with social issues. For example, race and class issues were photographed in Washington D.C. while typical farming work was photographed in Puerto Rico along with the political change there. Rosskam is an inspiration to women because the discrimination did not discourage her. She eventually made it into the Library of Congress as a successful woman.

There is no doubt that women were, and arguably still are, a minority group that faces discrimination in the workplace. The general trends that encourage discrimination against women are pregnancy, physical appearance, physical ability, and wages. Women are fearful to admit pregnancy due to a lack of hours employers may give them. My cousin was pregnant when she went to a job interview but refused to tell the company in fear of not being hired because she could only work a few months before pregnancy leave. Some corporations will hire a woman solely because she is attractive and that may lure in customers. Oppositely, some companies may avoid hiring attractive women in fear of sexual harassment claims. Biologically, there is a difference in a man and woman’s body type. However, physical strength cannot be the sole reason to discriminate. In fact, there should be adopted programs that help a woman adapt to strenuous work. Finally, women are doing the same type of work for the same amount of time but are getting less pay. This is true today! According to a 2008 study by the U.S. Department of Labor, “women earn on average 80 percent of what men earn.” This needs to change.

Firefighting is a specific career that women have long been discriminated at. Throughout history, women could be firefighters. However, they often worked as volunteers, in rural areas, or for private companies. What message is the government sending by not supporting women through public firefighting services? Even when more women became a part of this field, they were clerks and did not last long because of poor treatment on the job. At a Seattle fire department, women were dismissed by their height before they could even test for the job. Height was never a requirement for the job. In 1976, Lori Lakshas won $40,000 in a case against the employer for physical and medical exam discrimination. Although women are still not equally balanced in firefighting, there a programs that train women specifically. Gender equality is important regardless of the occupation. However, Joe Elbert explains why gender is specific to photojournalism, "'We're starting to get more – and different – interpretations of subject matter as more women come into the profession. There is a different approach because of gender.'" Progress is better than nothing. This contradicts Paul Melcher’s idea that gender cannot be seen through a photograph and therefore is not important. Gender is not physically seen because the photographer is not in the picture. But, the type of subject that is photographed does give away the gender of the photographer and this is an important factor to incorporate into photojournalism.

Louise Rosskam


Photo By: Charles Rotkin
Image Source: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/womphotoj/rosskamessay.html
Year Created: late 1945 or early 1946

Principle 1: The quality of light in this photo is rather poor. It seems like the sun was too bright. Therefore, the subjects' eyes are squinted while shadows are very prominent. Due to the strong lighting, the photo has an overall poor quality.

Principle 2: The photographer did a good job of keeping this image simple. It is clear the focus is on the people and there is nothing distracting in the background. Because the ocean and sky are so vast, it is actually a nice background. Even the foreground, the barrier, is a simple and uniform design.

Principle 3: The use of lines in this image is striking. The stone barrier the subjects are sitting on was the first thing my eye was drawn to. This line correlates with the line of the horizon in the background. At the same time, there are lines perpendicular on the stone barrier. This gives the photo an artistic flare of contrast.

I chose this image because the use of lines really struck me. I felt like I was looking at three different photos. Also, research explained how close Louise and Edwin were. The emotion of both of them here, although bland, is completely content and I think that explains their relationship. I was also drawn to the camera in the man's hand. It is so big!

Women Discrimination in the Workplace


Photo By: Comstock Images/Getty Images
Image Source: http://woman.thenest.com/workplace-programs-reduce-racism-discrimination-21203.html
Year Created: unkown

Principle 1: The background detracts from the composition. The man and women would have been enough to get the point across. The gender symbols in the background are distracting because they are digitally created. Also, it took me a minute to even figure out what they were. That was a minute I was not paying attention to the message of the image.

Principle 2: The image, without context, is abstract. If I didn't specifically search for workplace discrimination, I would not have automatically known what the message was intended to be. Although the subject on the right looks like a man via his clothing, it is still abstract because the head is missing. I think keeping the head in the photo would have only added to the strength of the message.

Principle 3: This image is very in focus. Although it is not a close up, the edges of the man's pants and the heels of the woman's shoes are clear. If this image was not in focus, it would be a confusing image because it would just simply look like a giant and a midget. Also, if the image wasn't in focus, the gender symbols in the background could not have been made out, even though I think they should have been left out all together.

I chose this image because the vast contrast between the subjects immediately struck me. Then I was wondering what happened to the man's head so I furthered examined the image. This photograph really depicts the superiority of men in the workplace compared to women. I wanted to find an image that had both a man and women dressed professionally, with qualifications unknown, showing that is really is gender that is discriminated upon.

Women Firefighter


Photo By: Peter Blakeman
Image Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2228132/Fire-fighting-fit-Woman-firefighter-33-crowned-world-s-toughest-triumphing-competition-5-000-hopefuls-globe.html
Year Created: 2012

Principle 1: The main subject here is clearly the firefighter. There is no doubting that. She is a good size in this photo too. She is not too big that her entire body cannot fit and at the same time she is big enough to know that she is, indeed, the main subject.

Principle 2: The subject's expression adds quality to this photo. She looks determined and that's how firefighters should be: determined to save lives. Also her posture is interesting. It is obvious she is in a running motion, determined to get to the fire. Regardless of the heavy equipment she has to carry, the subject's overall expression is devotion and passion.

Principle 3: This image creates a sense of awe. Not only is a woman out there with all the men, she is performing her job in the same sense. This image is so striking because it represents a minority: women firefighters. Also, the equipment including the hose and all the valves explain the complexity of firefighting and gives a sense of what the career entails.

I chose this image because I really like how the firefighter was in motion, on the job. This was not staged but rather in action. I appreciate that because photojournalism is all about people in action. I also like that this image dismisses the stereotype that firefighters are only big, strong men.

Midterm

Now let's recap:

Wet Plate Collodion - 1851
Photo By: France Scully Osterman
Image Source: its-all-positive-the-wet-plate-collodion-process-two-day-workshop-at-the-f295-symposium

It's all about the plate.
Get your chemicals,
But not too late.
15-20 seconds
And the photo looks great.
Take your time,
And everything will turn out just fine.

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Film Roll - 1889
Photo By: Scovill and Adams Catalog
Image Source: http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/acc/acceastmanwalkervar2.htm



















Eastman made film portable
With his rolls in small capsules.
Negative image means one sheet,
While color requires a whole fleet.

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Autochrome -1904
Photo By: Lavedrine and Bertrand
Image Source: http://zauberklang.ch/filmcolors/timeline-entry/1336/


A whole new world from autochrome
It involved potatoes, but not ice cream cones.
Potato starch and dye was the key.
It produced every color in the sea.

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35mm Camera - 1924
Photo By: Rolf Fricke
Image Source: http://corsopolaris.net/supercameras/early/early_135.html


The 35mm became the top pick.
Machine based developing was really slick.
Inaccurate shutter nobs
With caught up film
Made for a tough job.
Advanced for its time,
Photojournalists were waiting in line.

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Kodachrome - 1937
Photo By: The Wichita Eagle
Image Source: http://www.kansas.com/news/business/article1038697.html


Color was not new
But they used to spread like goo.
Kodachrome made colors sharp
And photography had a whole new type of art.

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Digital Camera - 1975
Photo By: Eastman Kodak
Image Source: http://petapixel.com/2010/08/05/the-worlds-first-digital-camera-by-kodak-and-steve-sasson/


Digital was a milestone.
But the first was as heavy as a throne.
Batteries were a need
And black and white was all that could be seen.

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DSLR (digital single lens reflux) - 1999
Photo By: Jon Stine
Image Source: http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/digitalSLRs/D1/index.htm


DSLR is the best yet.
Small and digital,
It's your best bet.
Quality and speed:
All a photojournalist needs.

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Instagram - 2010
Photo By: Ariel Zambelich
Image Source: http://www.wired.com/2012/04/instagram-40-million-users/


Instagram or instagold?
Although not very old,
The app is like a world map.
Quality photos from across the globe,
Instagram wears the Godly photo robe.


Here is my bibliography:

“About George Eastman.” International Museum of Photography and Film. George Eastman House, 2000-2015. Web. 2 March 2015.

“A Brief History of Kodak Kodachrome.” Shooting Film. Blogger, 30 April 2014. Web. 2 March 2015.

Ahmad, Irfan. “Timeline of Instagram from 2010 to Present.” Social Media Today. Social Media Today, 7 January 2014. Web. 2 March 2015.

Antman, Mark. “The Autochrome: 100 Years of Color Photography.” The Image Works. The Picture Professional, 2007.

Diprose, Leigh. “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How 35mm Film is Developed and Printed at a Lab.” PetaPixel. PetaPixel, 7 January 2013. Web. 2 March 2015.

Hicks, Roger W. “How do I Use a 35mm Camera?” Roger and Frances. N.p., 2007. Web. 2 March 2015.

Jacboson, Quinn. “The Wet Plate Collodion Process.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 22 October 2006. Web. 2 March 2015.

McClain, Shawn. “How Does a DSLR Camera Work?” Demand Media. Opposing Views, 2008-2015. Web. 2 March 2015.

“Understanding Film…the Basics.” Kodak. Digital Learning Center, n.d. Web. 2 March 2015.

Zhang, Michael. “The World’s First Digital Camera by Kodak and Steve Sasson.” PetaPixel. PetaPixel, 5 August 2010. Web. 2 March 2015.

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