Press Photography vs. Art Photography- Victory and Defeat

While art photography and press photography both share a similarity in that they are meant to convey a message, they both convey messages for different reasons and in different ways.  They both capture moments, thoughts or ideas, but both mean different things.

Photographers who take art photographs are creating images that are meant to be in line with their own creative vision (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_photography).   These photographs can be conveyed in many different ways, including shots of people, places, and things. Press photography (or journalism) uses photos to supplement a story that is being told.  It is the use of photographs in conjunction with the reporting news in media such as magazines, television shows, newspapers and the internet (http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm).   A code of ethics exists within photography/photojournalism, one of them being that the photo taken accurately represents the story that goes along with it(http://www.nppa.org/).  Press photography also has the following qualities:

è Timeliness: the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_photography).

è Objectivity: the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both context and tone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_photography).

è Narrative: the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the view or reader on a cultural level (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_photography).

The above is not always the case for art photography.  It most often is simply an expression of the photographer’s thoughts, imagination, and vision.  The following will compare and contrast the similarities and differences in press photography and art photography.  I have grouped them in what I feel is considered "victory" and "defeat".

Victory in Press Photography

The following is a photograph of track athlete Usain Bolt.  This photograph was taken by photographer Thomas Kienzle. This photograph  shows  Usain Bolt celebrating his record breaking 100m win in Beijing in 2008.  

Usain Bolt - Taken by Thomas Kienzle
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/08/21/jamaica-lightning-strikes-twice-at-beijing-olympics/

 Victory in Art Photography

This picture struck me immediately when I saw it.  I found this picture on the website of photographer Nigel Barker.  While this photo bore no title, description, or explanation, I think the purpose of this photo is clear.  The photo depicts a woman who has/is suffering from cancer.  She has beaten cancer, and is now pregnant with a child.  She has persevered. 




Untitled - Taken by Nigel Barker
http://www.studionb.com/

  While both of these photos, in my opinion, depict something positive, or "victorious", they both have very different purposes.  The photo of Usain Bolt is clearly meant to depict the winner and new record holder of the 100m dash.  Usain Bolt is flashy, proud, and perhaps even a tad bit cocky.  The other photo, on the other hand, depicts another type of winner.  It depicts someone who ran a different 100m dash. In fact, I'd say that the photo of the pregnant woman depicts someone who ran a marathon.  She has crossed the finish line...and is vindicated.

Defeat in Press Photography

I found the following photo on a website that awards photographers for their work.  This particular photo depicts a Georgian man mourning over his brother's lifeless body after a bombardment in Georgia.  This photo was taken in August of 2008 by Gleb Garanich.



Man in Mourning- Taken by Gleb Garanich
http://www.mirror.co.uk/2009/02/16/world-press-photo-competition-115875-21129076

 Defeat in Art Photography

The next photograph was taken by Andrzej Dragan.  I look at this photo and see a young model with a pretty face, but with a body that looks aged, frail, and quite obviously overly thin.  This young female has obviously gone through many struggles.  As a young model, she has fell victim to the idea that thin is beautiful, something that is all too common in the modeling industry.  This young model is now in therapy recovering (http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?m=200804&paged=12 ).



Model with Anorexia - Taken by Andrzej Dragan
http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?m=200804&paged=12

These photos are similar in that they both depict a struggle.  Both of these photos show people that are hurting, albeit for two very different reasons.  The photo of the man mourning the loss of his brother shows a man who is broken.  He has just lost his brother and is overcome with grief.  In the photo of the young model, there is hurt in her eyes.  She has perhaps lost a part of herself.  While the Georgian man will eventually move on from the loss of his brother, and the young model will hopefully get over her illness and be able to heal over time, the scars will remain for both of them.


Works Cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_photography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_photography

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/08/21/jamaica-lightning-strikes-twice-at-beijing-olympics/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/2009/02/16/world-press-photo-competition-115875-21129076

http://www.nppa.org

http://www.photography-schools.com/photojournalismhistory.htm

http://www.studionb.com/

http://www.sweet-station.com/blog/?m=200804&paged=12