Life As Art:Impact of Photojournalism

It’s challenging to focus on topics like art, interior design, and pop culture in light of last Saturday’s Pennsylvania political rally and the attempted assassination of former President Trump. I vividly remember the attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life—it happened on March 30, my birthday. I remember emotions of being scared, having just returned home from school to an empty house, watching the news alone. Back then, we lacked social media, video games were less intense, and the more violent TV shows were relegated to late-night slots. Fast forward to today, and it seems we, as a society, have become desensitized to violence, which is deeply concerning.

In such times, what type of art genre makes the most impact? Photojournalism is certainly at the forefront. Capturing the initial moments of historical events allows us to freeze time, analyze, and process what has happened. The scenes, expressions, and body language captured in photos help us navigate, communicate stories, and, crucially, educate ourselves to move forward. Photography has always played a vital role in narrating stories and events, providing visual evidence that can immortalize moments for decades. Typically one particular photo will emerge as the time card, which is shown over and over again of the historical event.

Thanks to smartphones and advancements in technology, photographers today can capture angles and moments previously impossible. The 1981 attempt on Reagan’s life had limited photojournalistic coverage compared to last week’s incident involving Trump, a change brought about by modern technology and the ubiquity of smartphone cameras and other high technology digital camera equipment. Perhaps, on a small scale without any formal training, we are all photo journalists.

Ron Edmonds, working for the associated press, won a Pulitzer Prize for his dramatic 1981 sequence of photos showing President Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassination, while three others fell wounded. The still images of the assassination attempt of former president Donald J. Trump, were taken by Doug Mills of the New York Times and by photographers from the associated press and Reuters. Doug Mills captured image of Trump’s raising his fist in the air, will no doubt go down in history as the time card photo documenting this time in history.

Today and everyday, remember that life can change dramatically at any moment, for better or worse. Often circumstances don’t “make us” but simply reveal us and our capacity for empathy, respect  and compassion.  These are times to be grateful and to cherish our family, friends and loved ones even more.We indeed live in interesting and remarkable time.