What is Photojournalism?

Photojournalist Manu Brabo on the history of photojournalism and its defining features

Manu Brabo (@manubrabo) is an independent photojournalist who formed part of the team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for coverage of the Syrian civil war. Since 2007, he has captured uprisings, rebellions and civil wars in such countries as Haiti, Honduras, Kosovo, Palestine, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine. He is a regular collaborator to the Associated Press agency and has seen his stories published by some of the most widely-read media titles around the world.

Here, Manu talks about the history of photojournalism and its current rulebook.

A record of history

Since the beginning of culture, art has captured historic moments in different visual and literary formats.

Manu Brabo reminds us that man’s first graphic works captured important events, such as the first-ever hunting expeditions and wars. The purpose of these works was to glorify military victories and teach others about historical events.

Throughout art history, Manu is able to identify the origins of modern-day reporting in works of art and sculpture, right up until the arrival of photography. This new medium caused a shift in our visual language–no longer did we rely on an artist’s interpretation because we had photographic documentation of what happened.

The arrival of photography

Photography immediately became an essential medium for newspapers, not just enhancing the way news was communicated but also fuelling new stories.

However, years would pass before photojournalism would appear as a discipline. Only then would photographers find a way to document conflicts without having to defend only one particular side.

Over time, photojournalism agencies started to appear and, for the first time, captured raw moments from armed conflicts such as the suffering of civilians and other integral scenes that would help us see a wider picture of what was happening. After the second half of the 20th century, the aesthetic and narratives of photojournalism became more varied and a rulebook was established. As a profession, it evolved with technology and the media.

Contemporary photojournalism

Manu Brabo shares some of the characteristics of contemporary photojournalism.

Capture events

Photojournalism is about witnessing a newsworthy event and transmitting it to those who aren’t present through the medium of photography. The photojournalist is an intermediary between the people who experience events and the people they are informing about them.

It’s a form of journalism

Being a form of journalism, it adheres to certain rules concerning aesthetic, technique, and ethics. Photographs have to provide information, and the photojournalist has to treat those they are photographing with great respect. The information needs to be transmitted with total honesty; there cannot be any trace of bias or subjectivity.

It’s informative

The objective of the images is to inform the public about events that are happening around the world and make them look at them with a critical eye. Seeing these images could bring about change.

Reality over beauty

Although the images might be pretty, fascinating, or spectacular, the photojournalist knows that they must be faithful to reality and not influenced by their personal taste.

If you want to learn more about Manu Brabo’s extraordinary work as well as how to create your own photographic report of a current event, sign up to his course, Photo Journalism and Social Photography.

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