A brief sketch of the beginnings of photojournalism

Photography has been used to document the visual world right from its beginnings in 1839, but photographs did not appear in newspapers until the 1890s. Two primary elements are generally credited with making press photography possible.

First were huge technical improvements in photographic supplies. Smaller cameras were produced that could now be hand-held rather than always placed on a tripod. Dry plates and roll film were introduced and could be bought commercially rather than coated individually; they were also more sensitive to light, allowing shorter exposure times. Dry plates and roll film replaced the previous wet plate technology where the photographer had to coat the glass plate and then immediately take the photograph and process it. This obviously made photography outside the studio quite difficult and cumbersome, although many did use this technique in challenging situations. Both Crimean War (mid-1850's) and American Civil War (early 1860's) photographs were made this way.

The second element that made press photography possible was the emergence of half-tone screen technology that enabled newspapers to publish reproductions of photographs, rather than relying on the traditional method of using woodcuts which were hand-drawn. There was a widespread belief in the inherent "truth" of the photographic process that endowed these images with greater persuasive power than could be gained through hand-made, subjective drawings. Photographs of an event seemed to prove that it happened the way the newspaper described it, both visually and verbally. Newspapers still use photographs to lend legitimacy to their reporting, but there is now a greater awareness among the general public that photographs are as easy to manipulate as drawings. Newspapers also found that they could sell more copies if they used more pictures, often the more sensational the better.

By 1900 picture agencies that distributed photographs to many newspapers at once were being established in the US and Europe. Around this time the institutionalized figure of the professional news photographer also became a fixture in journalism. Previously, photographs were often taken by the reporters themselves.

In briefly describing the beginnings of photojournalism I have focused mainly on technological factors in the emergence of press photography. However, it's important to remember that social, political, and cultural forces were also at work promoting certain styles and norms for journalism, newspapers, and press photography. These stylistic conventions change over time and are also worthy of investigation.

 

For more information on the history of photojournalism, see the Resources page.