Documentary Photo and Photojournalism: Differences

PHOTOGRAPHY DOCUMENTARY AND PHOTOPERIODISM SUELEN TO CONFUSE

It is not surprising that the press has always drunk from it to complete the reports. Many times an image alone says more than can be said with a complete article. However, for some time photojournalism has been confused with documentary photography. The line between one discipline and another is blurred very easily. But what are the differences between one and the other? Photojournalism does not stop being a journalistic genre like any other. The graphic reporters are those who seek to portray a specific news with an image. Ever since in 1880 a snapshot appeared in the Daily Graphic for the first time the newspapers have not stopped adding them to their information to complete them. However, they do not tell you anything beyond the specific moment. It does not explain the context or the consequences of that event.

From political conflicts to sporting events, journalists have accompanied their words to the most remarkable images. Photojournalism is based more on today. It is what is happening at that moment, in the news that will shock the population. One of the clearest examples of today is the photograph of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy who was lying on a beach in Turkey. The image was tremendously impressive and toured the entire world serving as a reflection of one of the most serious situations that hit the world right now. It is the perfect example that a single image can speak of many things, but with it you can not see what is behind it.

However, documentary photography goes further, this is one of the main differences. It has a depth that photojournalism lacks. It is a series of photographs that portray a social situation of a certain group and their ways of life. It is to document the day to day of someone or something with a specific purpose. Find the causes and consequences of what you are portraying. It does not stay in the news. It does not stop being the subjective reflection of the author of the images what guides a photographic story. An example would be this series of images by Michael Christopher Brown that reflect the daily life of the Mbuti tribe of pygmies in the Ituri forest.

Documentary photography is one that does not simply remain at the moment. Capture the before, the after, the life of the people, the daily moments, the day to day ... Different elements that make up a set, a common history.

Be that as it may, both seek to illustrate the reality that is being lived. They show the population what is happening outside the bubble in which they live: open their eyes to the people. Sometimes what is achieved is that it becomes viral, that every person in the world has seen that image. Other times they are forgotten, despite the fact that they have an equally hard situation. Be that as it may, it is a very necessary art to retrace the things that are happening, not to have the population inopia that, otherwise, would have no way of knowing what is happening.

To get the best pictures in conflict situations, it is essential, of course, to have a correct training. If you are interested in this professional field, you must be prepared.
To obtain the best images in situations of conflict, it is essential to have the correct training and to be psychologically prepared for the risks of the trade.