1. Photojournalism
• Purpose: To report news events quickly and truthfully, often for newspapers, magazines, or online outlets.
• Subject matter: Anything newsworthy — political events, disasters, sports, crime, human interest.
• Approach: Fast, reactive, fact-driven. Captions must be accurate, time-specific, and verifiable.
• Ethics: Strong emphasis on truth — no staging, no altering the scene, minimal editing beyond technical corrections.
• Typical output: Single impactful images or short series that illustrate a specific news story.
• Example: Bert Hardy covering the Korean War for Picture Post.

Key idea: Photojournalism is “photography as news”.

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2. Documentary Photography
• Purpose: To tell a deeper, long-form visual story about social, cultural, or environmental issues.
• Subject matter: Often everyday life, social conditions, or long-term changes — not necessarily “breaking news”.
• Approach: Slower, more immersive. Photographers may spend months or years with a community or topic.
• Ethics: Still factual and honest, but may allow more interpretive composition or narrative sequencing.
• Typical output: Photo essays, books, exhibitions, or long-term projects.
• Example: Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother project documenting the Great Depression.

Key idea: Documentary is “photography as social record”.

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3. Street Photography
• Purpose: To capture candid moments in public spaces, often exploring human behaviour, visual coincidences, or urban life.
• Subject matter: People, streets, architecture, everyday interactions — not necessarily tied to news or a social issue.
• Approach: Spontaneous, unposed, often shot without subjects’ awareness to preserve authenticity.
• Ethics: Less bound by journalism codes, but still values honesty of the moment. Can be more artistic or abstract.
• Typical output: Individual images or thematic series for artistic or personal expression.
• Example: Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment” photographs.

Key idea: Street photography is “photography as candid observation”.

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Where They Overlap
• Documentary vs. Photojournalism: Both aim for truth, but documentary tends to be slower and more thematic; photojournalism is faster and more event-driven.
• Street vs. Documentary: Street photography can become documentary if it’s sustained on a theme over time.
• Street vs. Photojournalism: Street photography may overlap with photojournalism when a candid public shot happens to be newsworthy.

photojournalism emerged in the mid-to-late 19th century when advances in cameras, printing, and transportation made it possible to capture and publish timely images of news events.
Some of the key pioneers include:

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📜 Early Foundations (Mid–Late 1800s)
• Roger Fenton (UK) – Covered the Crimean War in 1855; one of the first war photographers, though his images were carefully staged for public consumption.
• Mathew Brady & Alexander Gardner (USA) – Documented the American Civil War in the 1860s; brought the reality of war into public view.
• Felice Beato (Italian–British) – Photographed wars and conflicts in Asia, including the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Second Opium War; among the first to photograph in East Asia.

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📰 Birth of the Illustrated Press (Early 1900s)
• Jacob Riis (Denmark/USA) – Used flash photography to expose New York’s slum conditions in How the Other Half Lives (1890).
• Lewis Hine (USA) – Social reformer who photographed child labor, immigrants, and workers to support progressive legislation.
• Erich Salomon (Germany) – Master of candid “available light” photography in political and diplomatic circles during the 1920s.

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📷 Golden Age of Photojournalism (1920s–40s)
• Henri Cartier-Bresson (France) – Co-founder of Magnum Photos; refined the “decisive moment” approach, blending reportage and artistry.
• Robert Capa (Hungary) – Covered five wars, including the Spanish Civil War and D-Day; famous for frontline bravery.
• Margaret Bourke-White (USA) – LIFE magazine’s first female photographer; documented industry, the Great Depression, and WWII.
• Dorothea Lange (USA) – FSA photographer during the Great Depression; iconic Migrant Mother image.
• W. Eugene Smith (USA) – Known for deep, humanistic photo essays for LIFE, including coverage of Minamata disease in Japan.

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🌍 Pioneering Agencies
• Magnum Photos (founded 1947 by Cartier-Bresson, Capa, George Rodger, David “Chim” Seymour) – Helped establish photojournalism as a collaborative, independent profession.

Here’s a timeline of photojournalism’s pioneers and milestones, showing how the craft evolved from the 1850s to the mid-20th century:

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📍 1850s–1870s | Birth of War Photography & Documentary Work
• 1855 – Roger Fenton (UK) photographs the Crimean War — carefully posed to avoid disturbing the Victorian public.
• 1860s – Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner (USA) photograph the American Civil War, bringing stark images of battlefields to the public.
• 1860s–1870s – Felice Beato (Italian–British) photographs the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and conflicts in Asia — among the first to capture the aftermath of battle.

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📍 1880s–1910s | Social Reform & Early Candid Work
• 1890 – Jacob Riis publishes How the Other Half Lives, using flash to reveal New York’s slum conditions.
• 1900s–1910s – Lewis Hine documents child labor and immigrant workers, influencing U.S. labor laws.
• 1910s – Early picture magazines like Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung begin pairing timely news with photographs.

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📍 1920s–1930s | The Rise of the Illustrated Press
• Erich Salomon (Germany) perfects candid political photography using small cameras and available light.
• André Kertész (Hungary/France) experiments with personal reportage that blends art and journalism.
• LIFE Magazine (1936) launches in the U.S., making photo essays central to news storytelling.

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📍 1930s–1940s | The Golden Age of Photojournalism
• Henri Cartier-Bresson develops the “decisive moment” approach; co-founds Magnum Photos (1947).
• Robert Capa covers the Spanish Civil War, WWII (including D-Day), and later conflicts.
• Margaret Bourke-White becomes LIFE’s first female staff photographer; documents industry, war, and the Partition of India.
• Dorothea Lange creates enduring Depression-era images for the FSA (Migrant Mother, 1936).
• W. Eugene Smith produces deeply humanistic photo essays for LIFE in the 1940s and beyond.

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📍 1947 | Magnum Photos
• Founded by Cartier-Bresson, Capa, George Rodger, and David “Chim” Seymour — a turning point where photographers gained more control over their work and distribution.

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If we move past the “Golden Age” of LIFE and Magnum, there’s a later wave of pioneers from the 1970s onward who reshaped photojournalism to fit new wars, new media, and new audiences.
Here’s a breakdown by era:

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📍 1970s–1980s | From Vietnam to Global Human Rights
• Don McCullin (UK) – Iconic war photographer covering Vietnam, Biafra, Lebanon; known for unflinching depictions of suffering.
• James Nachtwey (USA) – Covered nearly every major conflict from the 1980s onward; deeply humanistic approach to war and famine.
• Susan Meiselas (USA) – Magnum member; documented the Nicaraguan revolution and human rights issues across Latin America.
• Philip Jones Griffiths (Wales) – His book Vietnam Inc. influenced U.S. public opinion on the war.

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📍 1990s–2000s | Conflict, Crisis, and the Digital Transition
• Lynsey Addario (USA) – Reports on war, refugees, and women’s issues in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur.
• Tim Hetherington (UK) – Co-directed Restrepo; combined stills and film to capture soldiers’ lives in Afghanistan.
• Gary Knight (UK) – Co-founder of the VII Photo Agency, which gave photographers independence from big media outlets.
• Sebastião Salgado (Brazil) – Known for epic, long-term projects like Workers and Genesis, blending journalism with environmental and social themes.

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📍 2010s–Present | New Voices & Multimedia Storytelling
• Damon Winter (USA) – NYT photographer known for intimate political and human stories; Pulitzer Prize for Afghanistan coverage.
• Carol Guzy (USA) – One of the few four-time Pulitzer winners; covers humanitarian crises worldwide.
• Marcus Bleasdale (UK) – Uses photojournalism to campaign against conflict minerals and human rights abuses in Africa.
• Moises Saman (Spain/USA) – Blends documentary and fine art to cover the Arab Spring and Middle East conflicts.

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💡 What’s Changed
• Independence: Many recent pioneers formed their own agencies (e.g., VII, Noor, Panos) to control distribution and ethics.
• Multimedia: Short films, audio, and interactive pieces are now common tools.
• Long-form projects: Photographers often spend years on a single issue rather than chasing daily news.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of early pioneers vs. modern pioneers of photojournalism, showing how the craft, tools, and approaches evolved.