Citizens as Photographers

Fred Ritchin discusses the topic of “citizen Journalism” vs. professional photography. Ritchin defines “citizen journalism” as ordinary people taking photographs of historic and world changing events. Professionals are hired to photograph historic/world changing events and select a “poster” image for the world to view. Ritchin touches on the controversial issue of mixing the two types of photography for not only the photographer but for the viewer as well. The dilemma between the two types of photography is such that when citizens are taking photographs it becomes much more difficult for professionals to take photographs for money. One other conflict Ritchin discusses is the difficulty “citizen journal” photographs have depicting the content of different photographs. Professional photographs are given specific contextual meanings by the photographers themselves or a team of media specialists directed to do so. Sharing the digital media world with two different types of photographers may be challenging but all in all I think it is important.

I think it is important to have both types of photographs attainable by human beings. I think the photographs taken by professionals should be used for media or propaganda issues. For example the cover of magazines or the front pages of newspapers. This shows the importance of the image and its significance to the historical event at hand. On the other hand, the myriad of images displayed on the internet and other social sites gives people more opportunities to view different images. It may be the case that with only a few specific images from professional photographers the world is only shown what the media wants us to see. With “citizen journalism” there is no way to hide the “truth” and realness of the historical events, or any event, taking place in the world. Because of this there may not be a need for filters or decisions to only show the world what the photographer wants. This leaves little room for interpretation to be made by society and culture rather than a specific group of people. I don’t think it is the case that one type of photograph diminishes the other.