Can you believe photos..?

Picture stories, was the “headline” for lecture number 4 (19 March 2012). The first thought that came into my mind when I read the word, was a children’s book. Of course, the lecture was about something that was more in depth and related to journalism. There are many different picture stories, in fact, they are everywhere in our lives. They are on TV, magazines, phones, computers, billboards, movies and many more. Many facts about photos were discussed in the lecture including the basic history and the developments. In the past, photo was a way of communicating or telling a story as the people with the ability to read were limited. In the modern society, however, photo is used to support or to add more aspects to the story. Most of all, photo can be changed through programmes such as, photo shop to manipulate the audience. The fact that a photo can be changed, personally, seemed to be a downside of the development as false stories can be told through it. So, the question is, ‘is this development of photo journalism, good or evil?’

The second major aspect of photo journalism discussed in the lecture was “What makes a great photo.” There were many elements that made a “good” photo, such as, framing, focus, angle and point of view, exposure, timing and capturing ‘the moment.’ Personally, however, a quote by Eetu Sillanpää was stuck in my mind. The quote states, “A picture has no meaning at all if it can’t tell a story.” It made me think about how a picture could effectively tell a story. Well, taking a photo using the above elements would create a “good” picture, but would it necessarily tell a good story?

 
I have been trying to answer these two questions and it hasn’t been fully answered it yet. I, however, believe the development of the photo journalism is a positive factor and that it is a new opportunity to many journalists. Also, I believe that when a picture holds the ‘truth,’ it tells a good story, thus, as a journalist we should try and manipulate audiences to believe the "truth" not attracts them the most. Well, nothing would ever have a meaning if it isn't true.