Undervalued Photojournalism

Heather Zweifel | Writer

It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” As a student pursuing photography, I need to be aware that photojournalism is another option for my career. Photojournalism and photography go hand in hand. You’re probably wondering what photojournalism is and what it has to do with photography.

Photojournalism is described as a way to convey a story through the use of pictures. Just like on television, you have a reporter and a journalist. It’s the same for photographers. Photojournalists are in charge of traveling around the world to capture global events. These events include, but are not limited to, war zones, crime scenes, and any other newsworthy event.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS,-), an increase of 9% in employment is foreseen for photographers. On the flip side, they expect a decline of at least 9% for journalists. This statement is saying that the photography industry is growing but the photojournalism industry isn’t growing due to not being thought of as an option.

While being a college student, I learned that there is more than one area within photography. Photojournalism is another avenue to explore as a photographer. To me, photojournalism is another avenue that I could pursue if I wanted to tell a story.