Every modern war has produced its own set of photographic icons and in that specific sense the Iraq War has been no different. But in the past month, it seems that an unusual number of the images that define our understanding of this war have been shot by amateurs, not professionals. It began first with the publication of photographs of coffins being flown back to the United States and has moved on to the more recent images from the Abu Ghraib Prison.
Keith W. Jenkins, photo editor of the Washington Post Magazine, tells the AP "With the technology now, the amateur photographer is as capable as a professional journalist and is operating with the same tools: Digital camera, laptop and an Internet connection."
We had a short discussion on the APAD list on Friday, where it was said rather simply that "a notepad and pencil has been around for a lot longer than digital cameras and for a lot less money." And with that I think we could probably end the discussion.
Let's be clear here, there will always be a place for the professional photographer. But Vin Crosbie at Poynter says we are seeing evidence of how the pervasiveness of cameras may radically alter the photojournalism landscape.
He writes in his column, "Throughout last autumn, I disagreed with postings by my compatriot here [at Poynter], Steve Outing, that consumer use of camera phones and digital cameras could revolutionize photojournalism. Yet, I now think he may be right and I was wrong."
Posted by aengblom at May 9, 2004 02:51 AM | TrackBack