It’s 1968. Edward “Eddie” Adams walked through the dusty streets of Saigon, Vietnam with his camera in hand. Nearby, Brigadier Gen. Nguyen Ngoe Loan stood, a look of indifference in his trained expression. In front of Loan was a young man with a look of intensely anticipated pain on his face. He was a young Viet Cong captive. Loan raised his gun while Adams raised his camera and prepared for the shot as Loan pulled the trigger.
This is a normal day in the life for some photojournalist who must travel beyond the safety of home to capture the moments of genuine raw emotion in unknown lands. “If it makes you laugh. If it makes you cry. It’s a good photo. You look at a film and you see it’s over and it goes on the shelf. But a still is in front of you all the time,” Adams said once. “…The most powerful weapon that we have is still the photograph.”
Not all photojournalism jobs take you to far away locations where a war is brewing or there is danger in the midst. Some of the photographs were taken to expose you to a new way of life and culture, such is the case with John White. He documented African-Americans as they contributed to America in ways of the church, employment, education, and entertainment. “It’s a front seat to history,” White said.
Both Adams and White have been awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Adams has received the award once and White twice. Both have been presented with a number of other awards for their work in photography.
Many talented journalist have been awarded but what is the Pulitzer Prize exactly? According to the official Pulitzer Prize website, it is an achievement award in American journalism, music, or literature. It is also the highest award one can receive in journalism. The prizes are awarded each year in different categories. There is no official criteria for a person to win the prize as long as they fit within the definition of each category.
In one photo by White, it shows a child bent over backwards. The only thing keeping him up is the support of two sets of adult hands on each side of his head. Rain pelts down from the sky and the boy’s eyes are clenched shut. He is gritting his teeth and droplets of rain fall onto his mouth. They slide around his dark colored skin. From one viewpoint, the boy appears to be in pain. From another, he appears to be full of pure joy. Perhaps he is being baptized. The photo is completely up to interpretation. White’s style relies on capturing the human spirit in moments of unfiltered emotion.
“Everyone has a story. And we sing their song. If we don’t do it—if the journalist doesn’t do it—who’s going to do it?” Said White.
Everybody hopes to be successful in their career. For some, however, it’s more of a calling than anything else. For most photojournalist, it’s something that they feel in their heart and aren’t just searching for the photograph, but the story.
“Someone once told me that empathy was not imagining how you would feel in a particular situation, but actually feeling what the other person is feeling,” three time Pulitzer Prize winner Carol Guzy said. Guzy often captures the moments after a disaster strikes on a community of people. “You rage inside at the helplessness. To try to deal with it, you seek out elements of humanity and courage.”
Journalism is a not just a career for most, it’s a way of life. Those who are interested in science might gravitate towards such just as a girl or a boy with a dream and a camera might gravitate towards photojournalism. Most do it because it is something that feels right and often gives them the ability to express themselves. Like a writer, a photographer is a storyteller but through visual means. They can show the authentic sides of nature or the powerful emotions of war and famine as it affects the people of the lands. It’s something that is very diverse and is not contained with a certain perimeter of rules. Many do it for the need to tell the story and let people know what needs to be known.
