Chapter 9- Motivation of Photojournalists

Everyone in life, it doesn't matter who you are, has something that motivates them. Someone may have multiple motivations. Not everyone has the same exact motivations in life either. When I think of the word motivation, I think of what makes me happy, what makes me inspired to keep going and to keep doing what I love to keep me happy. The question of what motivates you is not something many people think about on a daily basis, but it's always something that one should think about from time to time: What motivates you?

One photojournalist that I researched is Steve Coleman. In his article titled "Why Photography", Coleman states, "For some reason, my search has taken me down a path of photographing landscapes, sharing what I learn and writing about the journey."  He continues by saying "For me, I know that photographing a landscape brings a sense of balance into my life. It for fills many needs in me, a need to build and create something." This makes me think that nature and enjoying the outdoors and traveling is what inspires and motivates Coleman the most as a photojournalist. I in fact agree with Coleman in a way. I love nature and photographing landscapes because I think these types of photographs show the beauty of life and for me, nature gives me a sense of peace. "When I find these rare moments I like to make a photograph of what I see, so that it lasts forever."

Steve Coleman 

Image By: Digital Citizen 

Image Source: http://www.digitalcitizen.life/uncovering-artists-through-windows-7-themes-steve-coleman

Image by: Steve Coleman 

Image Source: http://www.lightinframeblog.com/evolution-of-self-and-the-frustration-of-photography/#more-5358

The next Photojournalist I researched was award-winning humanitarian photojournalist Karl Grobl. In his photojournalism, Grobl photographs the human side of issues faced by people across the globe. His images highlight those basic human elements that comprise the fabric binding all cultures together in our rapidly homogenizing, yet sometimes divided, global community. Not only is Grobl motivated by this type of photojournalism but he also hopes that his photographs will motivate and educate others as well. Grobl enjoys capturing photographs that capture emotion. As Ruth Prieto Arenas states, "Through these images I go beyond the public scenario offering a deeper knowledge of the living conditions of one of the major labor forces in the US." I feel like Grobl and Arenas have the same type of motivation when explaining what types of photographs they take.

Karl Grobl

Image by: Unknown

Image Source http://www.karlgrobl.com/karl.htm

Image by: Karl Grobl

Image Source: http://www.karlgrobl.com/Itipini/indexBW.htm

Lastly, the third photojournalist I researched was Kenyan photojournalist, Felix Masi. Masi states in an interview with InFocus, "what inspired me was watching TV in a social hall because we never had a TV." "I used to see a lot of war and I thought I could do well as a war photographer," Masi continued. Eventually, Masi realized that was not his calling but he knew he still wanted to be a photographer. He then got inspired to capture photographs of people suffering in Africa so that he could spread the message that there are in fact people suffering.in poverty. "How well can I tell the story of these folks that are really just working hard so they can get out of this poverty?" The same motivation that Masi had that lead him to have a successful career in photography is very inspiring for those who want to chase their dreams and to be successful in life. Masi is all about capturing and telling a story in his work and so is former United States Air Force combat photojournalist Stacy Pearsall who was injured on the job and now takes photographs of veterans. "I thought, if I can't be a combat photographer, maybe I can at least share their stories 'cause their so extraordinary."

Felix Masi

Image By: radaris.com

Image Source http://www.konnectafrica.net/felix-masi/

Image By: Felix Masi 

Image Source: https://felixmasi.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/img_1/ 

My motivations with these photojournalists are very similar. Just like Steve Coleman, I enjoy nature and capturing images of nature and landscapes. As Coleman probably thinks himself, I find nature to be very peaceful and calming. For me, being out in nature is very stress relieving, As for Karl Grobl, I can relate to his motivations because just like Grobl, I enjoy learning about different cultures and would love to one day work with or come in contact with people from different cultures. I also care a lot for different humanity issues that people all around the world face, just like Grobl. Felix Masi inspires me to never give up on following my dreams for the future. 

Although I have similar motivations with these photojournalists, I still have a lot of bigger motivations in life that keep me going. Thinking about my future and my future career motivates me and keeps excited about where the future will take me. My family and friends also motivate me when they tell me they're proud of me. Being a student leader and being a leader in clubs and organizations motivates me to meet new people and to give me as much experience as possible that will help me succeed in the future. Seeing my name published publicly somewhere like the YellowJacket Newspaper also motivates me just like it motivates Professor Nordell when he sees his name published next to one of his images. My religion also motivates me to be the best I can possibly be. Finally, seeing how much I have personally grown mentally motivates me every single day to keep going and I know I will continue growing.

My Motivation Map

Image By: Allison Gavin 

Chapter 8-Photojournalism and Bias.

What is bias? According to the Free Dictionary, bias is a preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment."

Photo by: Ed Clark 

Image Source: http://www.thegreatleapsideways.com/?p=209

In this photograph, I see a navy shipman playing the according which appears to be at the White House. This photograph was taking at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s funeral. This image captures a lot of emotion. I see people in the background and the shipman clearly upset over the loss of Roosevelt. This image is a clear example of truth in photojournalism. As Professor Nordell stated, photojournalists' goal is "opening doors opening minds for photographs and ideas of viewpoint of photographers from developing nations while at the same time opening the minds of others from other nations."

Subject's expression: From the second of looking at this image, you can tell that the subject is very distraught and very emotional about what is going on at that very moment the photograph was taken. 

Rule of Thirds: For this image, Clark followed the Rule of Thirds by positioning himself so the main subject is not in the center of the photograph but off to the side. This image is a great example of what Rule of Thirds is.

In Focus: The main subject of the image is completely in focus. The sharpness of the image really brings out the subject and makes him stand out. The background is out of focus just enough to compliment the image.

Image A:Truth

Image by: Daily Mail

Image Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2293364/Revealed-How-Sandy-Hook-shooter-Adam-Lanza-passed-classroom-children--empty.html 

This image is an example in truth photojournalism because this photograph was not at all posed. This image was taken by a photojournalist on the day of the tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This image shows the emotion of a girl waiting to hear whether or not her sister is okay. I have a feeling that maybe this girl did not want to be photographed at this moment. I agree with Professor Nordell when he says "I wouldn't want to photograph somebody in a way where I wouldn't want to be photographed".  I myself would not want to be photographed in any way that somebody else wouldn't want to be photographed. As a photojournalist, that;s the exact question you have to ask yourself. Photojournalist Shahidul Alam states we "live in a very unequal world. While that is the case we need to be very conscious about where we position ourselves." This again brings us to the point that as a photojournalist or a photographer, you need to be very conscious about what you are about to photograph and ask yourself, is this ethical. 

Subject's Expression: Again, the subject of this photo is clearly distraught and doesn't know what to do with herself at that moment in time. It also appears that it is hard for her to breathe because she is holding her chest as she is trying to talk on the phone. 

Depth of Field: The photojournalist that captured this image used shallow depth of field with the subject in focus and the background out of focus. This technique was a good one to use to make the subject stand out more and to bring out more emotion. 

Keep it Simple: There are no distractions in the image to steer the viewer away from the subject. The background is simple with only vehicles and it helps that the vehicles are blurred. 

Image B: Not Truth

Image by: Chicago Tribune 

Image Source: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/assignment-chicago/2012/07/hipstamatic-photojournalism.html

This image is an example of untruthful photojournalism because it seems like the photographer asked the subject to look to the side and not directly at the camera. The subject also looks like he was positioned to stand off to the side. Professor Nordell made a good point in Photojournalism Pt. 2 in saying that it depends on your viewpoint and your bias in understanding whether or not an image is staged or it is the truth. According to the article The Rules of Photojournalism Are Keeping Us From the Truth, "A technically proficient image may trick the viewer into thinking he or she is seeing something of substance, of what is commonly referred to as truthful."

Rule of Thirds: The main subject of the image is positioned to the side and not directly in the center of the camera. 

In or Out of Focus: The image is not quite in focus and a little out of focus, The main subject also could be in a little more focus. Using the technique of shallow depth of field could have possibly made this image better. 

Keep it Simple: There are absolutely no distractions to steer away from the subject. The image is very simple with only what looks to be pillars in the background. 

Ch. 7- Ethics in Photojournalism

Every so often, we see photographs of people being killed and laying on the street not breathing. With controversial images, such as ones like these, there is a code set by NPPA that states that as a photographer or photojournalist, “you should treat all subjects with respect and dignity."

One photograph that ended up becoming controversial was of fifteen-year-old, Fabienne Cherisma from Port Au Prince who was shot down on the street by police officers for stealing. Many photographers surrounded around this girl’s dead body to capture this tragic event. None of the photographers thought their photographs would soon go viral in the moment as the photographers were all capturing their shots. Before capturing any type of photo, photographers and photojournalists must ask themselves if the photo they are about to take is ethical or unethical. Any type of photography that is involved in some type of tragedy is unethical. These photographs show lack of privacy and respect to the loved ones involved. For example, the parents of this fifteen-year-old girl were most likely upset when seeing this photograph go viral. 

Although images like the one of Fabienne Charisma’s death come off as controversial, some viewers, including the photographers and photojournalists, think that people need to see these types of images. One photographer that shot the image of the young girl’s death was Paul Hansen. Hansen backed up his point of view on taking this photograph in saying “For me, Fabienne’s death and her story is a poignant reminder of the need for a society to have basic security – with or without a disaster.”  If I was the photographer put in this type of situation and I saw this kind of tragic scene, I wouldn’t take the photo. Yes, it is any photographer’s job to capture any type of scene or any type of situation that comes their way, but when it comes to any type of tragic event, it is unethical to stop and take a picture. This article titled Is Photography Ethical or Unethical lists nine different tips on how to be an ethical photographer.

To have ethics basically means to have moral principles and values. Just to name a few, ethical values include kindness, respect, helpfulness, integrity, truthfulness. In my opinion, this photo of the fifteen-year-old girl taken by not one, but multiple photographers at once, was not at all ethical. These photographers did not show any respect to the young girl or to her parents, loved ones, and friends. Yes, these photographs do show the true everyday life that happens in Haiti and yes, it is always a good idea that people all around the world are aware of what goes on in other countries, but I still don’t think that it was appropriate nor necessary to take this photo.

Photo by: Paul Hansen 

                                                        Image Source: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/04/07/is-this-photo-ethical/ 

Photo by: Nathan Weber 

                                                        Image Source: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/04/07/is-this-photo-ethical/

Ethics Map

Photo by: Allison Gavin