An elderly man makes his way along a road leading to a beach along the Oregon Coast.
Our second annual high school journalism workshop hit the ground running today and it is always amazing how much enthusiasm I find in young people when it comes to making pictures. Perhaps part of the excitement is that photography affords people greater access to the lives of others. The camera is like a key to opening new doors for learning about life. There is also the feelings of instant gratification when everything seems to come together for the student.
I remember the excitement of seeing my first roll of film come out of the wash more than 30 years ago. It seemed to me such a magical process. Today, even though we no longer wait as long for the results, the sense of anticipation is still pretty much the same. I can see the same expression on students' faces as they discover the power of this medium.
In the workshop tomorrow I hope to speak about why I believe so deeply in the promise of photography as a way of opening up our hearts and eyes to the world.
Many people get into photojournalism because they believe that images can make a difference in the world. Here are some reasons why people do photojournalism:
- To help other people care about the things we care about.
- To help other people become more informed about their communities and the world.
- To help other people act or respond to the problems we see in the world, but may not be able to change by ourselves.
- Because a picture, just one picture can bring a problem, an issue, and a moment forward into our collective consciousness.
- Because the photojournalist believes, sometimes beyond hope, that images can change the world.