Discussion 11 Response

Sarah and group, great assignment! Your choices in picture really helped retaliate what each artist was trying to achieve when taking the pictures. 
In my opinion, photojournalism is all about the natural element that occurs when the picture is taken. With Eugene Smith and Sabasito Salgado editing their pictures into what they believe is better for the viewer, it defeats the whole purpose of capturing the moment. In the example picture that was included, 'The Walk to Paradise Garden', I think Smith developed the photo to be much darker than what the reality of it was. As a result, it made the overall image have a darker, gloomier feel to it. Ironically with the title hinting at a happier place of Paradise Gardens. 
In a way, it can be seen as an artistic tweak in the photos, however that is the opposite of what photojournalism is. It takes away the candid moment that people are expecting to see from these specific type of pictures. It's kind of like, taking a picture in a storm, but changing the lighting of it so you can see the lightning bolts clearer. It takes away from what is real. 

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this assignment and your opinions between the two takes of photojournalism! 

Discussion 9 Response

I really enjoyed reading this presentation because I never really saw photojournalism as the reality of how things were happening. To me, photos were just seen as a picture that told a story; never realizing that there was a difference between a picture taken just because, and a picture taken to describe an event. With photojournalism, it is basically news bought to the viewers in an image form. I would've never thought that there would be actual ethnics when taking these certain photographs, but it makes a lot of sense of have. For example, with the picture that was provided along with presentation, the photographer must have had a hard time taking a picture without being able to change the naturalness of the situation. It seems like a moral thing, but at the same time it is the job description. Also, the point about editing pictures really stood out. Depending on some situations, it would be hard not to change the lighting or adjusting a few things with the camera. But in the end, does that mean the picture isn't 100% realistic? I think that if there needs to be changes made to help the viewers see a better quality image, that there should be two pictures taken; one with and one without editing. Overall, I enjoyed reading the presentation and was able to learn a lot about being a photojournalist.

Discussion 6 Response

The presentation about the Great Depression was very enlightening; I especially liked the photos that you provided as examples of the photojournalism projects taken place during that time. If it weren't for these photos, it would have been hard to be able to imagine the depression if it was described by only words. The caption that was provided with the "Migrant Mother" photograph really told the story of the subject in the picture and what they were going through at the time. The image itself already resembles the heartbreaks and hard times, but the caption lets us explore more into the situation. It's hard to imagine what life would have been during that time, and it shows just how much we take things for granted in present day. I think these pictures were taken as a historical factor as well as a reminder for us to be thankful for what we have.