Ethics of photojournalism

One situation that caused a lot of controversy, where a photojournalist may not have been fully ethical is a situation that took place in Israel with a man named Menahem Kahana. This situation has to do with photojournalists editing or altering photos. According to Mark Hancock’s blog, In this case, “Menahem Kahana's image appeared in Yated Neeman, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish newspaper and clearly someone had messed with the image.” In the photo, someone had removed the female ministers from the photo, and replaced them with men to make it all men in the photo. The New York Times added that another newspaper posted the same picture, also getting rid of the women, but did it a little differently. "The weekly Shaa Tova simply blacked the women out" instead of replacing the women with men, they just blocked there faces. The photograph the women were cropped out of was taken at an official ceremony welcoming the nee Israeli leadership. Per the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Ultra-orthodox newspapers consider it immodest to print images of women.”  Though this was a very controversial photo altering, it is what the religion believes in making it a tough issue to resolve. “In the United States cloning over people is a “terminal offense” but in the Middle East image manipulation has recent precedents as well The Tribune stated.”

 

                       original photo vs. the photo after cropping out the women.

Photo by: Menahem Kahana

Image source: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/setbacks-for-women-in-israel-pakistan-and-afghanistan/comment-page-9/?_r=1

 

 

 

Photo oh Limor Livnat, one of the women ministers that was cropped out of the photo.

Photo by: Daily Mail

Image source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1167063/Now-you-dont-Orthodox-Israeli-newspapers-Photo-shop-female-Cabinet-ministers.html

 

In my opinion the actions of this photographer were unfair, unkind and would not follow my personal ethics. Especially for me being from the United States and living in the kind of country, and times I do that would totally not be excepted here, by anyone. People have fought for many years and still are for women’s rights. To me, the action of taking these women out of the photo is discriminatory and is hurtful which violates ethical codes in general. Though, I do understand that Israel is a very different place and being ultra- orthodox is something totally different then what I know and am used to. I’m sure to them it made sense and is even part of how they normally act so it isn’t totally out of the norm for them, which I can understand. Though I do feel like it could have been handled differently without totally changing and photo shopping a photo.

Based on my personal ethics I would have approached the situation totally differently. I think I would have just not included that photo in that newspaper to begin with. If that newspaper was unaccepting of women being photographed I would have not put the photo at all. If they wanted a photo of the cabinet in there, it still would have been even better to take a photo with just the men then to crop the women out and replace them in my opinion.

Though I think it still would have been discriminatory to leave the women out, trying to understand that religious groups personal ethics I would have at least done that. I feel like by cropping those women out and replacing them it made a fake photo, and made them look bad. I would have approached the situation in the most kind and fair way possible to all people involved. This includes the women, the ultra-orthodox Jewish people, and everyone involved. I think doing one of the two things I suggested would have been the fairest to everyone.

 

 

  

Women in photojournalism

                Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson was a very famous “American photojournalist, cinematographer, and philanthropist. She used her middle name, Marvin, both professionally and personally to distinguish herself from her cousin Mary Breckinridge and to avoid the prejudice against women prevalent at the time.” As said by library of congress in their biography of Marvin. She attended Milton Academy in Milton, MA, and went to Vassor for college, and this is where she finally started to learn new things, learn about herself and learn what she enjoyed to do. Marvin’s life from here on out was going to be filled with new adventures and opportunity’s.  The Vassar encyclopedia stated about Marvin, that her “interest in college included history, and photography courses, herding cattle and more". In college, Marvin and some friends went to Copenhagen, Denmark, as observers to the International Confederation of Students. They joined with students at Princeton to organize the 1925 Princeton Conference, trying to encourage United States participation in the World Court system. 

 The conference led to the National Student Federation of America (NSFA), and Marvin became president of it in 1927-1928, after her graduation from Vassar, as the Vassar encyclopedia added. Also in this time, she qualified for a pilot’s license to joining New York City social life, And Marvin became the first female courier for her cousin Mary’s Frontearing Service, and went on to travel across Africa with a friend. Their journey, was later shown in a book, Olivia’s African Diary: Cape Town to Cairo, which presented photos from the trip, beginning the start of her photojournalistic career.

From here, Marvin was a freelance photographer and when world war two broke out in 1939 she took the first pictures of a London air-raid shelter. And after this, though new to radio, her friend Edward R Murrow, hired her as the first female staff broadcaster in Europe for CBS. Being the first female broadcaster meant she had to prove herself and the men in the company were very bias towards her. Many didn't think she was capable and would often make rude remarks at her, but she kept going and was very good at her job as well. As professor Nordell talks about in the module nine content, regarding women in photojournalism he says, "The roles and opportunities for women have shifted dramatically in some areas of the world since photography was invented." And Marvin taking the broadcasting job, and being a photojournalist was a start for women getting these opportunity’s. After this, her life was full of amazing photojournalistic, and broadcasting opportunities from traveling to Norway, Amsterdam, France and many more places to excel her career. Vassar encyclopedia said after this, in 1958 is when she started to devote herself to philanthropy after marrying, having kids and starting her family. She worked for many community organizations, community boards and more. She lived a long and fulfilled live, dying at the age of ninety-seven in 2010.

 

 

 

 

Photo of Marvin

 

Image source: https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0009.html

photo by: library of congress

Year taken:1940

Black and white: Makes this image feel more old and artistic I think then if it were in color. This photo being in black and white accentuates her smile and her body movement. It also makes it look more genuine and explains the times she was in, from being in black and white.

Feelings the image creates: This image creates a feeling for me of warmth and maybe even happiness. She isn't quite smiling but it looks like she may be smirking a little bit and looks like she is probably on the job. She looks well put together and not mad ,so for me this photo gives a good feeling based on these aspects.

Obvious main subject: In this photo Marvin is clearly the main subject. she takes up pretty much the whole frame, besides the little things around her but right away you can clearly tell she is the main subject. The light looks like it is coming from the side, and being mainly focused on her also shows she is the obvious main subject.

 

Why I chose this image: I chose this image because Marvin seemed like a very sweet, loving and interesting women. I think this picture portrays that what a great woman she was, and shows what a hard worker she was, as she is working it looks like in this photo. It also looks very genuine and not staged based on the look on her face. I also like this photo because I liked what she is wearing, how it’s in black and white, and just the overall feel I get from the photo



 

                 I think women have faced some sort of discrimination in the workplace in one way or another just about everywhere. We hear all the time different statistics and facts of women getting paid less than men who are doing the exact same job, or jobs that women in the past were never allowed to do at all. We hear about criticism, and rude remarks women receive and the continuous bias they experience in the work place. One comment talked about by American journalism review, was a remark made at Mimi Fuller when she "walked into the Cincinnati Post's photo department in 1972, she was greeted with, 'You must be the reason we had to take the Playboy calendars off the wall." proving that women face bias all the time. On top of this, there is the unseen bias against women in the workplace as well. Though there are rules and regulations, women still get mistreated or even not hired for being a woman in many situations, though that isn’t the reason the employer will claim. 
               In another study done by university of Colorado Denver, they discovered that beautiful women were discriminated more in certain jobs. The study found that “Attractive women were discriminated against when applying for jobs considered "masculine" and for which appearance was not seen as important to the job.” Some jobs included manager of research and development, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor all showed discriminatory action towards women, Science Daily added. 

                 Sure, men have problem experiences some sort of bias in different jobs as well, but I don’t think it compares to what women have gone through just to be able to have jobs and a place in society. As professor Nordell talks about in his introductory video, on women in photojournalism “women in photojournalism, along with women in many other professions have encountered barriers unlike any male counterpart ever endured.” Men haven’t felt quite the extent of discrimination in the work place as women have, because they have always been known as “the workers” while women had to fight for this role and still do in many work environments today.

 

 

 

Image source: http://singlemindedwomen.com/blog/domestic-violence-in-the-workplace/

 

Photo by: Single Minded women

 

Year taken:2012

 

 



 

Keep it simple: This photograph takes the approach of "keeping it simple". It is not cluttered, there isn't a lot going on at all and there isn't even a background to it. The main subjects are obviously the two people because there is nothing else in the photo. it is also very simple because there isn't a lot of colors or craziness but is just a very basic photo.

  

Subjects expression: I think the subject’s expressions and body language are a little over posed but for this photo it works because it’s to prove a point. Based on this photo you can easily tell both aren't happy, and are most likely even angry based on the looks on their faces. the body language also gives you an expression as to how there feeling so the body language matches the facial expression very well.

 

Quality of light: It’s hard to tell what is the light source in this photo because the whole photo is an even amount of brightness and contrast. With the background being all white also makes the quality of light brighter and draws you in more. The quality of light is good and bright but not knowing what kind of light, or what is the light in the photo makes it dramatic and interesting. 

 

Why I chose this image: I chose this image because I think it represents how women feel sometimes in the workplace. Just based on this one photo, this one facial expression, and body movement makes you feel angry and even uncomfortable. This is the way you should feel from the photo and makes you feel how people can feel all the time in jobs, or even elsewhere when bullied or not treated equally to other. I like this photo for the strong feelings it gives off.

 

 

Milton academy- the school Marvin went to

 

Photo by: Milton academy

Image source: http://www.ivyboost.com/%E7%B1%B3%E5%B0%94%E9%A1%BF%E9%AB%98%E4%B8%ADmilton-academy/

Year taken: 2005

 

 

Rule of Thirds: This photo places the students off to the right side, using rule of thirds. It does this to show the school in the background but still draws focus to the students as well. It works good for this photo because the point is to show off the school, and the kids who go there so using rule of thirds it shows both aspects very well.


Depth of field: This photo uses maximum depth of field to its advantage. The school is far away and the people are close, but both subjects are still very clear. It uses depth of field to show the school, and the school is still in good focus even though it’s a far distance away in the photo.


Background compliments the composition: Though you could say maybe the school and the children are the focus, I don't think one takes away from another. I think the school in the background compliments the children, and the children compliment the school as well. The background is in good focus, and both subjects work together well in this photo.
 
 
Why I chose this image: I chose this image because it makes Milton Academy look like a great school to go to. From the picture, it looks like a great campus, and has happy kids. Based on these aspects it looks like a good school that people enjoy, and represents Marvin’s childhood well. This photo make it look like a great place its bright, exciting, and beautiful and gives a lot of feelings just based off this one photo and that why I enjoy it.

Working in the Digital Age

 Drones are the new big talked about technology and it seems like everyone is jumping to get one. The purpose of the drone was first for military use. And though that is still there main purpose, now many average people have them as well, and love what they can do. Drones are basically like mini video cameras that can cruise at extremely high altitudes. As stated in a BBC news article, Drones are equipped with different state of the art technology such as infra-red cameras (military UAV), GPS and laser (militaryUAV). The smaller drones, are typically controlled by a remote control system and the person on land sends it into the air and controls it this way, but attaching the remote control to their phone and seeing the image of what the drone I capturing on their home, and controlling where it moves too. Exceeding the control range of the remote control will trigger ‘Return-to-Home’, meaning that it will automatically fly back to its takeoff point and land safely. Therefore if your flying your drone over sea, and it dies it won’t just drop in the water it will return back to you safely.

 
Photo by: Jack Brown

Image source: http://mydronelab.com/best-pick/professional-drones.html
 

There are a couple different size Drones available including the ones most average people get which are sold at Costco’s, or stores like that. These range anywhere from 100-800 dollars and these go less than a mile in distance. Then the next one up goes for a couple thousand dollars and goes a mile high and about two miles out taking clear, and super cool videos and pictures. A friend of mine has had both of these, and loves the newer one, though it was more money is does a lot more, and isn’t so loud like the smaller one that’s goes for cheaper. Then the biggest of the drones is the military Drone. These ones look like mini planes that can fly very far distances and shoot off missiles and can take extremely high quality pictures and videos. These go for about a couple million and are only used for the military. These aren't sent off so easy like the smaller ones, and require short runways to take off.

This technology has affected photojournalists and photography because using the drone they are able to take super cool photos/videos like they could not previously. Now photojournalists with drones can get videos from high altitudes, of wars, or pretty much any event. The drone can also get a different view on things to take cool photographs whether it be on the move, or staying still it has helped in many ways, mainly to make cooler, clearer photos. The things photojournalists would have to go through previously to get an image quality like the drone can produce was a ridiculous amount of work and probably still couldn’t match up. Like it talks about in the Drone photojournalism interview video with Jason Bache he says “it’s definitely going to make journalists lives easier, it’s very difficult for a crane to be deployed purely for a camera” and believes it will lead to a new era for photojournalists.

Photo by: Eric Cheng

Image source: http://www.popphoto.com/Cheng
 

Digital photographic technology has also effected photojournalists in that it has made things a lot easier for them in many ways. Back in the day when wire service photography was used, there were a lot of requirements photojournalists or photographers needed to be able meet in order to get the job, and be good at it. Though you would think the most important skill for the job was probably to be able to take good photos, this wasn’t necessarily the case. It talks about these requirements in the article Photojournalists or Pack Mule? A look back at the good old days of wire service photography. It says “the most important job requirements 16 years ago was a strong back. The ability to lift and travel with case after case of equipment, often weighing around 80 pounds each, was a necessity.” Now with all the digital technology we have, this is no longer this issue of having to carry 80 pounds on your back.  This has made things a lot easier for photojournalists. Now they have to carry maybe a simple backpack which has helped them be able to move around quicker, more efficiently, and get the pictures they need without having to worry about this extra weight holding them back from getting a great shot.

When I compare this new digital technology with the old technology I studied before, speed graphic cameras it is remarkable to look at how far photographic technology has come. Even the amount of change within the last 20 years or so  has been so extensive it’s incredible. Like Nordell says in his Working in the Digital Age part one video, “from looking at 1990 to the present the amount of change in that period is astronomical it almost dwarfs the amount of the change from, the 1840’s to 1890’s.” Meaning there were so many new advancements in technology just in those years from 1990-now while all the many years before that there really weren’t huge changes among the technology. Yes, there were changes from using plates to take photos, to being able to actually move around with a camera, and cameras using film instead of plates, but not much change occurred if you compare it to the amount of developments in more recent years. Like the drone, for example, also going digital with pretty much everything, new advanced cameras coming out all the time, everything has gotten so advanced in such a short time. Nordell talks about this in his The Digital mindset video. He notes this drastic change in technology and comments on it. He talks about the change from doing things with our hands, and records and cd players and things like that to everything being digital. He says, “Music has become digital, photography has become digital, its all about the web and the webs capabilities.” I think this idea can be kind of scary if you ask me. Though the technological advances have been great in many ways, making our lives easier in certain aspects, it can also be nerve-racking to realize we rely on the digital network for pretty much everything we do. And we also know, digital things can still be flawed. Computers, digital cameras, everything digital can all crash, it can lose all of your information with the wrong click of a button which can be scary when thinking about the new technology we have and how it is taking over.

 

The Art of Photojournalism

             

 

Image source: Alexander Gardner

 

Photo source: http://rps.org/events/2015/october/02/the-invention-of-photojournalism-brady-gardner-and-the-american-civil-war

 

Year Created: 1852

 

Depth of Field

 This photo shows a great depth of field. And you can still clearly see the great depth of field in pretty good focus. The depth draws your attention because you see just how far this line of dead bodies goes, instead of just seeing a couple close up. It shows the extent of how fatal the war was.

 

Black and white

 This photo is in black and white, because at the time that was all that was possible. This lets you see how old this photo is, and shows you what the times were like then with the quality of this black and white photo. Though the photographer didn’t have a choice to use color, the black and white helps feel the depth and feeling behind this photo. I think if the photo were in color, it wouldn’t make you feel the same kind of way.

 

Use of lines

 This photo uses lines to its advantage. You can see the people laying in a curved line which really helps to show the rule of thirds, and the depth of field of just how many people there are. And the line and curve draws your attention to the main subject, which is the people.

 

Why did I choose this image?

I chose this image because it is an image from the civil war. The civil war was the first war where photos were captured on the battle field, making it a memorable time in photojournalism, and American history. The civil war was a big moment for photojournalism and was a fatal war .That is why I decided to choose this graphic photo from civil war.

 

 

 

 

Photo by: Margaret Bourke White

 

Image source: https://www.digitalphotomentor.com/25-iconic-photographers-in-history/

 

Year created: 1940

 

Rule of Thirds

The photographer placed him to the side of the frame instead of the middle, putting him in one of the thirds. Placing him in this part of the photo gives us a view at what he is actually doing, instead of just looking at him. It looks like he is using a cotton gin to potentially make clothes making this photojournalistic.

 

Exposure time

It looks like this picture could possibly be using a quick shutter speed to capture his movement. It looks like it could be capturing him opening the book, and what looks like the cotton gin moving. It is a little blurry though near the book, so it could have been maybe an exposure time that was quick, but not the quickest. Maybe a speed in the middle of fastest and slowest.

 

Direction of Light

I think the direction of light is interesting in this photo. It looks like the light is behind him, maybe coming through a window or something. It doesn’t look like a strong amount of light, but it looks good with the photo because it is just enough to see what is going on in the photo, but also gives it a mysterious kind of interesting feel which I enjoy about this photo.

 

Why did I choose this image?

I chose this image because Gandhi was an icon and is still very well known today. He was a famous humanitarian and was famous for protesting the British occupation and rule. Gandhi was unique in the way that he fought with peace and love, not war.

Photo by: Phillip Jones Griffiths

 

Photo source: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-photojournalists.php

 

Year created: 1968

 

Obvious main subject

 This photo shows who the obvious main subjects are which is the injured guy  and the soldiers around him. You can tell these are the main subjects of the picture because they take up most of the picture. The background is only show slightly, so your attention goes right to the main subject(s).

 

Subjects Expression

 I think the subjects expression is what really makes this photo what it is. Looking at the man’s face laying down looks like he is in pain, or injured maybe being helped by the soldiers. This represents the Vietnam war and it doesn't look staged at all, but is genuine.



Feelings the Image Created:

This image shows deep feelings just by looking at the subjects face; the man laying on the ground. I think this image expresses a lot of feelings, and emotions. The image kind of makes you ache a little bit, and at least for me, makes me wonder about this war and what It was really like for them. Just based on their facial expressions, and body language creates a lot of feelings in this photo.

 

Why did I choose this photo?

I chose this photo because it is a memorable photo from the Vietnam War. I like this photo specifically because there is so much emotion captured in just one picture, and really helps you to understand the Vietnam War. I think, just based on one moment caught in time explains what they were feeling, and what was going on making it an awesome photojournalistic image.

 

 

 

Speed Graphic Cameras

Jesica Callahan

        Speed graphic cameras were one of the first big “press” cameras, Manufactured by Graflex, a Rochester, New York based camera producer it was the dominant portable professional camera from the 1930's through the end of the 1950's. Photos were so important at this time because they were rare and cool to see. Back then in the newspapers only a few pages in a newspaper would have photographs, and those sold faster as opposed to ones without photographs. This is another reason why this camera became so popular, for its clearer photos. Though it wasn’t popular as a press camera until the 30’s, it was created at the start of the 1900’s and introduced the idea of having two separate shutters. Though they couldn’t be used at the same time, they were both very useful and the most skilled photographers knew how to change, and when to use both. The Speed Graphics camera had 7 different versions, like the Crown Graphic and Century Graphic. These were great cameras capable of the best quality of work, and still are known as great cameras today as one was even used by a professional photographer at the 2012 Olympics.

        The Speed Graphic was originally made for general purpose commercial photography such as wedding, portrait, advertising and landscape photography. The Speed Graphic looks complicated, due to its size, and everything going on, but is one of the simplest cameras made and was a miraculous camera of the time. Every version of the camera had new and improved lenses, shutter speeds and more. The biggest innovations about this camera though, was that first and most importantly, it could be used onthe go but also that the lenses were interchangeable, it accepted sheet film,it has a viewfinder, came equipped with an optical and has a ground glass focusing screen. Though this camera wasn’t the only kind of “press camera” and there were other portable cameras, this one was the most popular for its picture quality, and how easy it was to use, and offered for an affordable price.

            Before the press cameras like this one, just to take one simple photo took a lot of time, work, and bulky equipment. In order to take a photo, the photographer needed a whole van full of equipment. Photographers had to cut the plates, put different chemicals on a plate, then put the wet plate into the camera, take the picture, then put the plate back in to chemicals to make them useable as real photos. And if this process isn't done right, and photos aren't processed carefully and correctly, they will be ruined and it will all be a waste. And not only is it a process, but the subject of the photo had to stay completely still, sometimes even for 8 minutes to get the exposure right to take the picture. Sometimes they would even have a brace to hold up the persons head. Also with these cameras photojournalism was difficult because you couldn’t move around or take action shots. Many said this wasn’t even considered photojournalism because you had to take a still photo. Like the picture Professor Nordell posted, taken by Roger Fenton, in 1855 had to be taken with the subject staying still. The  Speed graphic camera was a revolutionary device specifically for photojournalists because now photojournalists actually had a good portable camera so they could move around without an issue.

            When taking my digital photograph and comparing it with photographs taken with the speed graphic camera, there are some very obvious differences. First off the speed graphic camera only took black and white images, while cameras today can not only take color photos, but they can take high definition colored photos, with lots of graphic detail. Today’s cameras can takes pictures in all sorts of different modes, and different colors like sepia, or darkened, lightened, or pretty much anything you want. Also this camera didn’t make a great view camera like the professional cameras made today, and still nothing in the camera was automated. Everything had to be set by hand so the photographer had to know what they were doing. This could take a lot of time and effort, especially if you were a photojournalist on the move because that meant you had to change these things every time you moved the camera, to different brightness, settings, everything. One photographer who got the concept down was Weegee Feelig, a great photographer who's philosophy was “f/8 and be there”, "so simple, yet so elegant. It’s a window into the mind of a great photojournalist, and it nearly gives away all of his secrets in just five syllables." He made f/8 his standard to go by to always get a good, high quality photo. Like this photo below taken by him using a speed graphic camera.

photo by: Weegee Feelig

image source: getty images

         Today even the most unskilled photographer could click one button on their digital camera and get a way better picture then they did with the speed graphic. This is because the aperture, shutter speed, everything had to be set by hand to even get a picture you could see. Though this camera did have some great aspects and additions, making it able to still create a cool and interesting photo today, it isn’t nearly like the technology we have today.  Now with digital cameras, there is faster shutter speeds, a lot less work behind taking the photo, and a better result. I personally felt taking my photo on my cell phone with just the click of a button and getting a clear, bright, detailed photo was a lot less work for a clearer photo then what people had to go through with the speed graphic cameras. As you can see in my photo taken below, I just used my digital camera without really having to adjust anything and using auto focus I was able to get a clear colored photo of my dog Patty without many adjustments.

 

Photo by: Jessica Callahan