What is Photojournalism Exactly?

Don't tell my kids that my profession doesn't exist. They'd wonder what I do all day... (Photo by Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

       Photojournalism defined is the process of using photography as a main story-telling device. The reason why it is considered to be “photo” journalism is because a regular journalist would use just simply pen and paper to tell stories, while the photojournalist uses their camera to capture the visual representation of a story (Icon Photography School). Photojournalism is a very powerful, unique, and interesting form of storytelling. Rather than just reading a words off of a piece of paper or a screen and having to imagine what is going on inside your head, you can see what is going on right in front of your eyes through a photograph. 

Photojournalists usually travel to take pictures for news articles, magazines, social media, etc. These photos can then be used to either tell the stories themselves, or provide visual images that accompany a news article. A photojournalist’s job is much more complicated than just taking photographs. They are also responsible for editing the photos they take and preparing them for publication (Photojournalism: How to Become a Photojournalist). Besides all of this, most of them risk their lives and enter dangerous situations to even capture these visuals just so we can have another important piece of history. However, why are people so interested in studying history? Why is it so important?

Photojournalist of the Year, large market: John Thompson, a close friend of Philando Castile, castigated St. Anthony police for the death of his coworker, a person he called a "brother." Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Basically, history is like the window into the past. In order to understand the present, understanding the past is key. History is so important because it allows us to make more sense of the current world. Analyzing history strengthens our critical thinking skills and helps us solve problems in the present by applying information from the past. History also keeps us informed on current events as they unfold. 

History also helps us to appreciate multiple perspectives and interpretations. History offers so much information about how people and societies behave. It gives us an understanding of other people and cultures. History is important in our owns lives personally, too, since learning about events in the past is interesting and gives us the excitement of discovery (Why Study History?).