Putting the journalism in photojournalism
Pictures are famously loquacious, and they play a prominent role in today’s print journalism, perhaps more prominent than you may think.
Yes, those of us in the word end of the business may grudgingly acknowledge that many readers don’t get much farther into a story than the headline and picture that accompany it. And almost everyone can think of news or feature photographs so dynamic and compelling that they stay in the memory always.
Yet all too often, when people think of “journalism,” they think in terms of “words” or “stories” and not so much of “images.” Those who do are missing something important and rewarding.
The topic comes to mind for me this week as I page through a growing array of pictures we publish of students returning to schools throughout the suburbs. Children and the emotions of getting back to school — or attending for the first time — make a combination inherently suited for compelling photography. The excitement bubbles off the page (or if you’re looking online, the screen) Tuesday in pictures like Brian Hill’s front-page shot of teachers at James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates greeting students with red-white-and-blue school colored leis. That same day, John Starks’ picture of a Barrington High School player taking a snap silhouetted against the early-evening sky captures the unique mood of a high school football practice. Today’s front-page of a Wiesbrook Elementary School teacher in Wheaton comforting an incoming student has a Rockwellian charm.
These are not easy photos to take. There is, to be sure, an element of luck in grabbing hold of that fleeting moment in time that has something special to say. But, as the famous saying goes, the more you practice and the harder you work, the luckier you get. And that is certainly true for Daily Herald photographers. Whether the call is for the main image on the front page or a photo accompanying a news story inside the paper or a small package of pictures portraying the atmosphere of a community festival, photographers know that they are not being dispatched to point their cameras, snap and see what happens.
They will have to work the assignment.
That mentality produces pictures that don’t just draw your attention so you will read the words of a story, though they certainly may serve that function. Such images don’t just “illustrate” a story being told in words. They complement the story. They may tell it in a way words cannot. Sometimes, they may tell their own separate story altogether.
If you want a regular sampling of their work, scroll down to the Photo Galleries section of our online homepage, www.dailyherald.com, and marvel at the depth and variety of images they show of the people and events making things happen in the suburbs. The “Week in Pictures” gallery alone will give you a uniquely comprehensive view of the activities, events and people of the suburbs.
That our photographers do this well is reinforced by their routine appearance on lists of news and feature journalism contests. Just this week, Paul Valade, our director of visual journalism, noted that our photojournalists have taken five first place honors among a total of 16 citations in the monthly clip contest from the National Press Photographers Association for March, April and May. In one category, pictures by John Starks won each of first, second and third place.
This kind of work is of course a source of pride for us here at the paper. But more than that, it is a fundamental component of our journalism. It deserves to be recognized in its own right.
• Jim Slusher, jslusher@dailyherald.com, is managing editor for opinion at the Daily Herald. Follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jim.slusher1 and on X at @JimSlusher. His coming book “Conversations, community and the role of local news” is available for pre-order at eckhartzpress.com.