Class Ex C

How is documentary photography different from photojournalism?
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To “document” means to record the details of an event, a process, etc (Cambridge Dictionary). The key word is record. The purpose of documentary photography (DP) is to let the photos elevate an understanding of a certain subject matter, usually a topic not being commonly thought about by the public or a facet of life not brought to light. It is like a form of storytelling using powerful visuals, whereby the photographer conveys this story he sees to viewers by capturing it within the camera’s viewfinder. It involves a series of photos, or a photo essay that are usually taken candid.
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This portrayal would be more effective if the photographer has lived and been immersed in that culture or environment for a period of time long enough to feel more about the subject matter and identify with it more accurately. I believe that with the photographer’s deeper understanding, the emotions can better be reflected in photos he takes. However, the photos should remain objective and non-myopic.
Photojournalism (PJ), on the other hand, has different objective. It serves to tell news through images. Visuals are the first to capture reader’s attention in a piece of news, therefore they play an important role in supporting other news element to provide the context of the news. The photos should be able to “sell”.
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Both DP and PJ require prior research on the subject matter. In comparison, PJ needs less time commitment on the scene than DP. A photojournalist may rush to a particular situation to cover the breaking news and leaves after a few shots. For most of the time, the news ends when that million-dollar moment has passed.
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To me, DP is more like a project, whereas PJ is like a task. PJ is not meant so much as an art but rather, to meet the editor’s demand. However, we should also not discount the fact that photojournalists also take such great photos that they are exhibited in galleries and museums too, thus blurring the line between DP and PJ.
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P.S. I couldnt load the podcast at all, thus reflection is not based on that but I took a pointer from its slides to write on.