Who is the photojournalist and what the difference with a photographer is: studies, training, and characteristics to become a reporter using images. The photojournalist is a professional figure born in the last century to tell reality and its meanings through images. Unlike a story written in words, in which the writer expresses an emotion or a fact with expressions mediated by his thought, in the case of the photojournalist, the transport of the author is expressed with a different, often preferred means: an image.
How do you become a journalist photographer?
This is usually the starting point, passion. On the other hand, who would not want to match their passion for an activity or a sector with their work? So let’s see who the photojournalist is, what he does, and how he becomes one.
Photographer or photojournalist?
The difference is not only linguistic but lies in the essence of the profession. Photography is now considered an art form. Some photographers can capture images of memorable beauty like the great painters of history. However, a photographer tends to specialize in a particular sector in which he expresses his art and ability: photographers are specializing in the field of fashion, travel, nature, or photographers who take care of capturing every moment of an event such as weddings or conventions. But the photojournalist’s job is another: to tell an event through one or more photographic shots. It is a job that goes hand in hand with that of the journalist when it does not even match.
The journalist and photojournalist
In the USA, there is no register of photographers or photojournalists. The only distinction, so to speak, “bureaucratic” that can be made between the two categories is that of registration in the register of journalists. A photojournalist can work independently, therefore be a so-called “freelance,” support a journalist in the field or collaborate with a newspaper to provide services consisting exclusively or mainly of photos, but what can change is his qualification. A photojournalist can therefore also be a journalist. For this reason, he is also called a photoresist. In this case, it will be necessary to follow the procedure provided by the regional professional associations for registration in the register of professionals or publicists.
Get courses to become a photojournalist
To become a photojournalist, it is necessary to have mastery of the medium. Therefore, passion alone is not enough. An in-depth study of the camera and the techniques and history of the sector is essential to reach a high level of preparation.
There are specific courses to train in the profession, some with a more technical vocation on the use of the camera, on the shots, or post-production. Others are more oriented to creating a photographic reportage from a journalistic point of view oriented to the story of a fact, through images.
Becoming a photojournalist, training in the field
In addition to technical studies, it will then be necessary to test one’s attitude in the field. You don’t need to go overseas or to war zones to test your skills and skills. There is a lot to tell in each territory, even the closest ones. The important thing is to take the field and try, try, try.
The study of the lights, the search for the best shot, the elimination of the “noise” studied at the desk are very different matters when you find yourself having to capture the perfect moment, the one that tells the essence of the event. This activity is essential to define your style, “sign” the photo without putting your name. That is to make a shot unique and immediately recognizable and traceable to the hand of the photojournalist who took it.
Technique, study, and experience in the field will then be an excellent business card to apply to collaborate with a newspaper or, why not, sell your shots independently.
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