Bending the Frame: Photojournalism, Documentary, and the Citizen

Description

In "Bending the Frame," Fred Ritchin--Professor of Photography & Imaging at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and author of "After Photography"--examines the complex relations between social justice and photojournalism in today's oversaturated political and media climates. Is visual journalism even effective at all, given the ease with which so many of us can simply record events? And how can the impact of iconic images from the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War be compared to, say, the consequences of leaked images from Abu Ghraib? Do changes in strategy imply changes in accountability and responsibility for visual journalism as a whole? Ritchin intends his discussion--which ranges across new media but also includes uses of video as well as a wide range of books and exhibitions--to provide critical tools with which to approach the various efforts of today's visual (and "citizen") journalists and documentary photographers. He also examines the historical uses of photography and related media to inspire social change, the better to pose the critical question that lies at the heart of his book: How can images promote new thinking and make a difference in the world?

Fred Ritchin picture editor of The New York Times Magazine from 1978 to 1982 and executive editor of Camera Arts magazine from 1982 to 1983, and founding director of the Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Program at the International Center of Photography. He is now associate professor of photography and communications at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and a new media consultant to news and photo organizations.

This volume takes readers through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole into the surrealistic world of photojournalism and its history, uses, effects, and possibly its future.--L.L. Scarth"Choice" (12/01/2013) Does photojournalism matter? By Richin's account, its role has shifted but not shrunk in our media - saturated world.--Jack Crager"American Photo" (11/01/2013)