Understanding Photojournalism

by Jennifer Good, Paul Lowe, Robert Hariman (Contributor)

Understanding Photojournalism explores the interface between theory and practice at the heart of photojournalism, mapping out the critical questions that photojournalists and picture editors consider in their daily practice and placing these in context. Outlining the history and theory of photojournalism, this textbook explains its historical and contemporary development; who creates, selects and circulates images; and the ethics, aesthetics and politics of the practice. Carefully chosen, international case studies represent a cross section of key photographers, practices and periods within photojournalism, enabling students to understand the central questions and critical concepts. Illustrated with a range of photographs and case material, including interviews with contemporary photojournalists, this book is essential reading for students taking university and college courses on photography within a wide range of disciplines and includes an annotated guide to further reading and a glossary of terms to further expand your studies.

Genres: Photography

208 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2017

Reviews

[Brian Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

PJ undergrads who have this as a textbook will be miserable. Experienced PJs, in graduate study, will find something of value, as the authors state in the Preface, “the book is designed to act as a stimulus for further discussion and reading,” but you’ll have to wade through the academic jargon. If, when you get together with journalism buddies, you toss around terms like indexicality, locative, iconicity, disintermediation, intersectionality, and discuss photographs relative to Hegel conception of beauty, then this is the book for you. Authors Jennifer Good and Paul Lowe begin by dissecting the terms photojournalism, documentary, news, and art. That’s a tip off that the discussions involve a lot of navel gazing. Here’s a taste: “When a higher, abstracted and timeless metaphysical interpretation is foregrounded in place of this historical reality, its political urgency can be reduced and the focus taken away from any imperative to redress the specific injustice.” (p. 52) Make no mistake, Dr. Good & Dr. Lowe have aimed Understanding Photojournalism at other journalism professors under the guise of producing an introductory text. To really benefit from this book requires a much deeper understanding of photojournalism’s entire history plus a good grasp of who’s who in the field today. The laughable glossary at the end underscores that the book is intended as entry-level. The first entry is “35mm.” No student ready to engage “in a critique of iconic imagery as historically reductive and ideologically suspect” should need to look up the meaning of 35mm.

These criticisms are unfortunate because their intent is good and the topics are relevant to photojournalism education. While I can’t say that I enjoyed this book, I did find points to ponder and even fresh aspects to consider such as, for instance, whether work carried out by photojournalists working for humanitarian organizations carries more moral weight than the same work carried out for a news organization. Nevertheless, there are other better resources for every topic covered in this book.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huvitab viis kuidas fotoajakirjandust ja dokumentaalfotograafiat vaadata (ba-dum-tss). Mõtteid oli palju, eriti raamatu esimeses pooles. Kuid mida lähemale teose lõpule jõudsin, seda aeglasemaks ja pinnapealsemaks muutus Good'i ja Lowe mõttelend??

Sellele vaatamata on Good (kes on muideks mu õppejõud!) ja Lowe priima töö teinud, ning nende kahe teos on üheks tüvitekstiks ka mu enda lõputöös c: