Become a Photojournalist - study by Distance Learning.

• This course teaches you the skills necessary to become a photojournalist.
• A broad based, practically oriented training course that will develop the essential skills required to work in this field.
• The student will develop a variety of written and photographic work that can be used as the basis for a professional portfolio.
• Students study 19 Core Modules, plus 1 Elective Module, and a Workplace Project.

THE COURSE STRUCTURE

What is Photojournalism?

Photojournalism is slightly different to other forms of professional photography in that it adheres to the principles of journalism, which are –

• Accuracy
• Timeliness
• Fair representation of the context of events 
• Reporting of facts
• Accountability

For example, a portrait photographer is also documenting an event, but their responsibility is to the client and what the client wants to see. A journalist, on the other hand produces news for the public, and should be accurate. A photojournalist also has a responsibility to put things into context.

Modern photojournalism began in Germany in 1925, when the first 35mm camera – the Leica, was invented. Prior to this, a photographer would have to carry bulky equipment, but with this new camera, the photographer could take photos unobtrusively and without carrying lots of bulky cameras and tripods.  This allowed for photos to become more natural and show how people really lived, rather than the mainly posed photographs taken previously.

Another important invention in the mid-1920s, also in Germany, was the first photojournalism magazine. Rather than the odd photo or illustration, these magazines told stories with pictures and words.  The photographer would shoot more photos than needed. The editor would then examine the contact sheets (these are sheets of photographs in miniature form). The editor would then choose those that he/she believed told the story. The layout was important and the written story was kept to a minimum.

Newspapers and magazines continue to make heavy use of photographs. One photograph can tell so much more than words. Nowadays newspapers and magazines will often not rely so heavily on just photographs - they will also make use of words and images to add more to their content.

Technology has dramatically changed photography. With the advent of digital cameras, photography changed rapidly. Most photographers used colour photographs without needing to print them all. A photographer could now take many images of the same event, then choose the best ones. This has led to a rapid improvement in the quality of images presented.