Photojournalists as well as the other people that make up the photographic community are our eyes to the world. Whatever it is that motivates each and every one of them to do what they do, they inform us, inspire us, amaze us, and put our world in the broader context of history. According to TIME, being in the photographic community brings great challenges. “
Dwindling sales, increased competition and a fragile trust in photographers’ mission to inform - too often, those factors can make those of us in that community, photographers and photo editors alike, lose sight of what drive us.” So, what drives photojournalists to do what they do? Why do they do it? What is photojournalism to them as well as to all of us?
Motivation can be described as the need or reason for doing something, and can be characterized by one’s enthusiasm for doing something. Motivation drives people to do what they want and need to do, and simply what they love to do. There are many things that motivate photojournalists to take photographs; each photojournalist is motivated by something different. While some photojournalists may be externally motivated by making money and being rewarded in their careers, others are internally motivated by other things, like Lynsey Addario. Lynsey Addario primarily focuses her work on conflicts and human rights issues, especially the role of women in traditional societies. She is motivated by documenting women’s issues and making changes for women in society.
Addario acknowledges that her job requires “great sacrifice.” But when she sees the impact of her work, she finds it impossible to stop doing it. In the video Lynn Johnson Women in Photojournalism, Johnson explains, “
documenting women's issues feels like a responsibility as a woman photographer.” This is an accurate explanation of what motivates Lynsey Addario as a photojournalist. As a woman photojournalist, Addario does whatever it takes to spread information about women’s issues to the world.
Another photojournalist, Don McCullin, was recognized mainly for his war photography and images of urban conflict. Throughout his career, McCullin examined the underside of society. His photographs largely depicted the unemployed, oppressed, and impoverished. He, too, wanted to make a change through his photojournalism. His motivations did not simply revolved around making money or earning any external rewards. According to McCullin, motivation for photography and photojournalism needs to come from one’s passion and strong feelings about specific topics. McCullin said, “
Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” McCullin then went on to further explain his motivation for documenting poverty and those less fortunate. Compassion is at the heart of all of his photography. He said, “
Photography has given me a life… The very least I could do was try and articulate these stories with as much compassion and clarity as they deserve, with as loud a voice as I could muster. Anything less would be mercenary.” If photojournalists are like Don McCullin and can focus on the passion behind photojournalism rather than external rewards, serious social reform can be possible. After reading the article, Ed Kashi and the Importance of Advocacy Journalism, the question is that while a photograph can inspire people and influence them, do all of them actually create change? Ed Kashi states that he aims for his photography to, "
inform viewers but also inspire them to find activist solutions to social problems.” Kashi wanted to see change created from his photography, like McCullin. Their ability to create social change is most important to them.
Another photojournalist that is inspired and motivated by change in the world is James Nachtwey. Though he was won several awards for his work, creating change is still what is truly important to him as a photojournalist. Nachtwey has covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries.
Throughout his career, he has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts, and critical social issues. In putting himself in the middle of a conflict, his intention is to record the truth, to document the struggles of humanity, and with this, to wake people up and stir them to action. Most importantly, in my opinion, Nachtwey recently focused on a major issue that has been greatly impacting the people of his own country. In 2017, he set out to document the Opioid Crisis in America through the people on its front lines. The photos he had taken were then used to create TIME’s The Opioid Diaries. Since the Opioid Crisis has now become a national emergency in the United States, Nachtwey contributed to gaining urgent attention on the topic. He focused on the stories of individuals suffering and wanted to be their voice by sharing photographs of them. Similar to James Nachtwey, Felix Masi is motivated by being able to tell other people’s stories and the struggles that other people were going through. In the video, Kenyan Photojournalist, Masi says, “
I could see pain through my lens but then I could see hope through these people.” Masi believed that through his work, he was helping people gain a voice and get their stories shared with the world. Nachtwey has done the same with the Opioid Crisis, which is a topic that is very important to me.
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| My Motivation Map |
These are the things that motivate me the most. My motivation stems from what I need, what my family needs, what I want, what I don’t want, and what makes me, as well as others, happy. My future, the direction in which I want my life to go, is also very important to me. I work long hours to do what I need to do to make sure my family and I have everything that we need to survive. I also go to school full time so that I can better care for my family and I want to become a social worker so that I can help better the lives of others. I have big dreams and my future life is very important to me. I wake up everyday ready to take a step closer to get my family and I where we want to be so that we can live our fullest, happiest lives. In comparison to what motivates me, some photojournalists may be motivated only by money, for example. However, others are more motivated by leaving an impact on others and being the voice for other people. I am motivated by external rewards, such as money, simply for survival needs and to care for my family. On the other hand, I am also motivated by internal rewards, such as being happy and feeling accomplished, which are two motivational factors that many photojournalists can relate to. Many photojournalists, such as the three that I researched, find happiness in caring for others and feel accomplishment by giving voices to the less fortunate.
