What Motivates Photojournalists

 What Motivates Photojournalists??

 It was really nice to watch the videos and listen to the different videos of the photojournalists and what motivated each of them. Even though each photojournalist took photos of different areas and aspects of life in different areas of the world there was something that motivated each of them. The video of Stacy Pearsall stood out because she was a female who had that inner bravery was party of the army and a photojournalist. She was a combat photographer but eventually was injured and due to her injuries that army decided she could no long be a photographer for them. However, despite she was faced with obstacles and one chapter in her life was closing she still had the love for photography. The love she had for photography and the fight she had within her to continue despite her injuries her story and the stories of so many other veterans gave her the motivation to continue to do what she loved. She began to take photos of many veterans male and female, from each race, no matter there appearance and began taking portraits of them. It was lovely to see the faces of so many who have been in the war and also by her taking a photo of them just showed that they were still appreciated for what they have done for their country. One thing she said that stood out to me, "to never focus on the things that people tell you, you can't do but rather focus on the ones you can still accomplish"(Stacy Pearsall). 


   Sally Mann is a very unique photojournalists and based on some of the videos I have seen she is very in touch with her husband, her children and what she loves to do. Based on her video you get  a sense of what motivates her and drives her to continue to take pictures. She is known for taking large photos, and also pictures of landscapes, her kids, and dead bodies. The images she have are incredible and you can tell she sees life completely different through the lens. Basically by seeing videos and  understanding her journey through life and what she experienced you see that reflected through images. Many of her photos are in black and white and the angle and the way it was taken it just draws you into the image. Sally has a very artistic way of taking her images and at the same time making some of them look fun with lasting long memories. By listening to her kids and husband speak of her you get a sense of how much she loved what she did and the hours she put into what she loved. Part of the video she speaks about the way she was raised and that in a sense played a part in how she raised her family as well. Her father gave her, her first 6 cameras and he teach her how to take images until eventually she developed her sense of self. 

 http://vimeo.com/25115631

 Photo By: Sally Mann
Image Source: http://121clicks.com/inspirations/sally-mann-inspiration-from-masters-of-photography

 Photo By: Sally Mann
Image Source: http://121clicks.com/inspirations/sally-mann-inspiration-from-masters-of-photography




 Annie Liebovitz like many other photographers had many different reasons as to what motivated them to start taking images. Annie actually studied painting before she started taking pictures and eventually she start taking a night photography class and her love for images changed completely. Her job took off tremendously when she started working for the Rolling Stone and she eventually developed wonderful skills for photography. Annie was known for taking portraits of many celebrities since her career has started and it is also what has made her memorable currently in our times. The way she took photos of celebrities were memorable, unique, creative and much more. Annie was a photographer who like to push demands and take it over the edge and in doing so it worked and she has been successful. Annie knew what she needed to do to make the person she was working with comfortable and still able to push the limit and have a great photo.

 http://vimeo.com/19995922

Photo By: Annie Liebovitz
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pavlunka/1676003727/

Photo By: Annie Liebovitz
Image source: http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/2011/06/over-weekend-i-watched-annie-leibovitz.html



MY MOTIVATION MAP

Photo By: Angelique Husbands

Everyone in life are raised differently, have different morals and values, go through different experiences and simply view the world absolutely different. What motivates another individual would not motivates other or myself the same way. We see the views of life different and sometimes our inner strengths to keep going motivates us to be continue on no matter what. Annie Liebovitz motivation is completely different from mine, my child and my personal experiences are what has driven me to continue unlike Annie who had a love for painting at first. Different things motivate people because overall we are different individuals viewing the world in our own way.

Photojournalism and Bias

Photojournalism and Bias

Photo By:  Ed Clark

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

This is a beautiful image taken in a moment of history during the time that the president Franklin Roosevelt has passed away. It shows a black man who is crying uncontrollable and playing his instrument at the same time. Most probably would say he is crying because the president has passed however we may never know exactly why he is because we were not there. In the background we see others who seem to sad, distraught and clearly no one is happy, but they are not crying hysterically like the black man. Just by looking at the picture many questions would arise why is he crying so much and  everybody clearly is sad but not as sad as the guy. Also, even though he is really sad he is still playing his instrument and it makes you wonder why is he standing crying with an instrument in his had. 

Principle 1:  Subject’s Expression - The subject clearly does not looked relaxed, he seems very sad based on his facial expression and the tears on his face. You can definitely tell that something is hurting him however we can tell what is is but it seems to be affecting him in a big way. He is definitely not looking at the camera or trying to pose for the camera, he may not even know his picture has been taken. He is not posing for the picture because he is crying but what is odd he is still playing an instrument. It seems more of a bitter sweet moment because as much as he probably would like to cry he has to still play an instrument.

Principle 2:  What feelings does the image create? - This image creates feelings of sadness, hurt, sympathy because just looking at the subject you don't know why he is crying but you just feel sympathetic. It makes you want to just give him a hug and let him know all will be well because most people don't like to see others crying especially if it is not tears of joy. 

Principle 3: Is the image black & white or color?- Yes this image is black and white, during this era black and white photos were popular at this time. Even though the picture is in black and white it speaks volume. 

 Photo By: Unknown Source

 Image Source: http://www.wildolive.co.uk/mediabias.htm 

 This image shows a male who is severely wounded and a police offer with a knife in his hand and based on the image it seems as though the police officer did this to the male. This image speaks untruth after I read the actually story about this image. Many must remember a picture can create a lot of damage and portray something that is untrue. This image was sent to the press stating that an Israeli policeman severely wounded a Palestinian boy and made the press believe they Israeli policeman were attacking Palestinians. After being contacted by the victim he was actually Jewish from Chicago and he was studying abroad. He was actually attacked and beaten by Palestinians however it was the Israeli policeman that save him. He was yelling at the Palestinians to back off however by the images that were taken it made it same as though the Israeli attacked him and he was Palestinian.  This is to show how the press can create friction and tension by an image which is untrue. Just looking at a picture many can form their own opinions on what is going on in the image without actually having facts. 

Principle 1: Obvious main subject, about ¼ to 2/3 of image area. The main subjects in the picture are pretty big and we know exactly who were are looking at. It is more concentrated on the male sitting down because he is wounded and the main topic but the male standing up is also important. The main subject does not crowd the edges at it is still a decent size. It all depends on which certain subjects were taken out.. however if everything besides the two males are still there the image would still have the same impact.  

Principle 2:  Texture. The image seems smooth, a bit blurry but still clear enough to see exactly what is going. Based on the image it probably creates feelings of anger, hurt, also worry because you will start to wonder what is going? why is he bleeding? why is he on the ground?  Then you basically become inquisitive because you want to know everything in detail.

Principle 3: Quality of Light   The light seems to be flat, bland and uninteresting. Based on the image you can clearly see smoke which maybe the cause of the dull look and the time of the day that it was. Also, based on the photographer's camera can be another reason the image came out the way it did. In the article it was said it was freelancers taking images so the person could have been an amateur or the way the camera was angled. 

 Photo By: Bartek Witek
Image Source:  http://flyawaybride.com/category/special_offers/

This image of these two individuals speak truth and it shows the strong affection between these two individuals. It shows general love and affection they have for one another and you can see it coming through on there faces. This is a lovely couple who took pictures after they were engaged and it looks wonderful. Based on there faces you see love and warmth that is felt through the image. It shows general expression of what they feel inside and it shows in the image. 

 Principle 1: What in the image helped to create that feeling?  This is a quiet image that has a lasting impact and it makes you feel the love that is portraying through the image. It gives you that joy to see two people in love with one another and the joy they bring to each other. Just the smiles on there face and looking at one another says it all. 

Principle 2:  Use of lines The lines in this image are curvy, slanted, diagonals, converging all over the image but it a light way and it has this romantic affect. The lines take you towards the subject because right in the middle between the two main subjects look like a bright space without lines. The lines in the image draw you into the image and creates a beautiful effect.

Principle 3:  KEEP IT SIMPLE   The composition is simple and it is not clustered in any format. It has two main subjects and a clean clear background and even the basic lines does not make it look clustered. The 2 images and the clarity of the photo is what makes the photo simple and the black and white as well.