Kayla's Take On Photojournalism

What Motivates Me      Motivation is the internal drive or the reason behind a person's actions and behavior, pushing them to act in a way that pursues a goal. Such a simple, easy word carries a much deeper meaning. Motivation can mean life or death depending on where an individual is in their life. It could mean pushing yourself until payday to finally eat a proper meal, or working hard to get that bonus that could possibly lift your family from poverty to a comfortable lifestyle. Motivation- By Kayla Peterkin 11/22 Content Connection Photojournalists like, Jocelyne Benzakin, Ed Kashi, and Gordon Parks show how some passion and purpose can be shaped into a fulling career. Benzakin started young, building spaces that supported creativity. Kashi used photography to expose injustice and inspire change, even in the most dangerous environments. Parks overcame poverty and segregation, using his camera to fight racism and document social issues.Their stories remind me why I wan...

“Going Home” — Photo by Ed Clark When I look at Ed Clark’s Going Home, I feel the weight of the national grief hit me, but also I see how my own background shapes what and I think. The meaning of this image is that grief can be so personaly deep, while it can also represent a moment that is emotional across a whole nation. How are images are constructed realities, and that photographers always make choices about composition and framing. This image reminds me that my view is shaped by my own experiences with loss, culture, and perspective. Assessment Principles Emotion: The sorrow on the accordion player’s face becomes the main message and immediately communicates the emotions going on in this moment. Framing: Clark’s chose to make this man the main focus of this focus, causeing the meaing behind the photo to deepen Lighting: Natural light highlights his expression, drawing all attention to the subject’s face and emphasizing the emotional impact.            ...

I created my ethics map that centers around four main values: Respect, Honesty, Kindness, and Accountability. I live my day to day life based on these core values. -Respect: I believe in treating all people with dignity, protecting their privacy, and their opinions. In the photography world, this means being mindful of how my images may affect the subjects thats being capture. -Honesty: This may be the biggest ethic I go by. I strive to avoid misrepresentation, manipulation, or staged photos. This ensures that the stories I tell through images remain real and true. -Kindness: I prioritize the well-being all people I come across, especially those in vulnerable situations. For example, I would ensure that someone in danger or distress receives help before capturing an image. -Accountability: I take responsibility for the actions that may follow my choices. Every photo has the potential to impact viewers and subjects alike, so I carefully consider the ethical implications of what I publi...

The individual of choice for this blog for female photojournalists is Ruby Washington . She was the first African American woman staff photographer at The New York Times in the mid-1970s. In 1952, on a farm in Patterson, Georgia, Washington was born with a passion for photojournalism. From her youth, she had a personal passion, her family’s spiritual beliefs, and that burning desire to document and report important events with her own touch, which became her drive for entering such a profound field. Photo by: Rudy Washington/New York Times While having such an ambition, there were also many hindrances that raised doubts if she should proceed with such a career. Dealing with racism and segregation for not just her race, but her gender as well. Growing up, she went to school in a hostile environment where she had to be escorted to and from school each day by federal marshals due to the violence she endured. Rejection and social isolation were soon to follow; nevertheless, Washingto...

Is AI really the new reality Artificial Intelligence is really making a big splash in the way we look at photography. AI is whipping up photos that look as real as can be, even if they never actually happened, which is getting pretty confusing when trying to figure out the difference between what's real or not. In this blog I'm going to take a closer look at how AI is changing photojournalism, the headaches it can bring, and what it all might mean for the future of photojournalism. Photo by: David Carson In Seeing is no longer believing: Atifical Intelligence impact on photojournalism by David Carson, on During the 2024 election had a major impact on how individuals see photojournalism, for example Kamala Harris’s crowd, was accused of being AI generated. The article states, that while AI imagery may not have significantly impacted voters, it displayed authentic visuals, thats shows the audience that similar...

AI is the "new" reality By Chat GPT 10/20/25 For my Contemporary Photojournalism Issues Project, I plan to make a digital photo essay that shows the fine line between what’s real and what’s not in today’s photojournalism. My focus will be on how AI and editing tools such as filters and effects used in the real world in. addition to making people believe pictures that they see could misinterpreted or mis-guide  By: Kayla 10/19/25 I want to use original photos I take and then make AI or digitally edited versions of the same thing. I’ll put them side by side in a slideshow format and add short captions that talk about what tools I used, what the difference is, and how it feels compared to the real one. Now you don’t even need photographers to take pictures, AI can do it all and you wouldn't even know. I will showcase the use of AI and how it displays how easy it is to manipulate photos to create false truths and that humans aren't able to  Photo by Chat GPT 10...