Lament for a Dying Field - Photojournalism

[beepy]

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/business/media/10photo.html">NY Times article</a> on the crisis in the business of photojournalism.<br>

My only concern about its potential professional demise is the increasing chance of manipulated images without editorial watch dogs and process. Immediacy is good, but some control and review on what happened (an image depicts) is useful...</p>

[huperetes]

<p>I believe news oriented web sites can do as good of a job at "control and review on what happened" as New York Times does.</p>

[crow0806]

<p>I see pro and con in the demise. <br>

The con is that we will lose the professionals who instantly know when a great shot presents itself and how to take the shot, and what story that shot will tell. They have the financial backing to go where others cannot, as well as the guts to go into danger. They have the quality equipment and the contacts to find out where to go for the story.<br>

The pro for the demise is that there are millions of people out there taking photos everywhere and they can provide the image instantly. Although the quality may be poor, the story in the photo is being told when it wouldn't have otherwise if a professional isn't around. It also goes around the editors of the big media institutions that have a political or cultural bias to keep the public from getting the photo/story.</p>