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Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Photojournalism 

Brian Brake: Lens on the world

 

Experience the life's work of New Zealand's internationally renowned photographer

This is a particular form of journalism that tells a news story through images. It is now usually understood to refer to still images only, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism.  

What makes photojournalism different from other similar branches of photography – such as documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography, or celebrity photography?  

Photojournalism is characterised by: 

  • Timeliness – the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events.
  • Objectivity – the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone.
  • Narrative – the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.

A sequence of events that tells a story 

 

JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.
JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.

 

JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.
JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.

 

JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.
JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.

 

 JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010. 
JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.

 JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.
JA Larsen, Ta Moko, Norm Heke, 2010.

See how some of Brake’s images tell part of a story about a girl who fell down a well.

 

Dr Hoeck 1956, Brake, Brian (1927–1988). Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa
Dr Hoeck 1956, Brake, Brian (1927–1988). Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

A single image that tells a news story

 

Pasifika Concert, Auckland, 2009, courtesy of Norm Heke 
Pasifika Concert, Auckland, 2009, courtesy of Norm Heke

See a single Brake image that tells a news story.

 

Soviet head of state Kliment Voroshilov and Chairman Mao Zedong, Beijing 1957, Brake, Brian (1927–1988), Beijing. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa
Soviet head of state Kliment Voroshilov and Chairman Mao Zedong, Beijing 1957, Brake, Brian (1927–1988), Beijing. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa



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