Photojournalism and Documentary Photography: What’s the Difference?

A Short-Term Reporting Tool and a Photographic Archive

Photography, an art form born in 1822, has undergone remarkable transformations, both in terms of technological innovations and creative purpose. Photography in the 19th century was a life-changing invention, allowing one to capture a subject in the most authentic way with the single click of a button. Over the years as the technology continued to develop, so did the ways in which cameras were used. Similar to how the medium of painting stretched in different directions, giving rise to more expressive styles (abstract, impressionism, etc.), as did photography. Among the many genres of photography, two are often intertwined yet possess distinct purposes: photojournalism and documentary photography. Often the terms are used interchangeably - but to truly understand and analyze a photograph it is important to discern between the two.  

The Purpose of the Photograph

Photojournalism: The Instant Reporting Tool

The main differentiating factor between photojournalism is in the purpose of the photograph. Photojournalism, defined by Britannia, is ‘the job or activity of using photographs to report news stories in magazines or newspapers’. Photojournalists are often on the ground working alongside journalists to capture untamed moments with no direction to the subject and no alterations to the final image. The pictures represent a single moment frozen in time, presented to the world through the media to support what is being sold as truth. The photographer doesn’t have time to play with compositions, angles and lighting, and is merely a reporting tool, following strict guidelines monitored by the World Press Photo Foundation in order to ensure authenticity across the medium. 

Documentary Photography: The Photographic Archive

Although both photojournalism and documentary photography document world events and contemporary issues of the time, their purposes and methodology are distinct. Contrary to photojournalism, documentary photography is often taken for the purpose of documenting a moment for the long-term audience, as a photographic archive. As it does not have a formal governing body like Photojournalism, documentary photography has the ability to be stretched into a form of art. Often not pressed for deadlines or in a fast paced shooting environment, these photographers are able to get close to the subject, capturing unfettered emotions while considering compositions and lighting. These works aim to tell the why and the how behind the subject. When presented to the viewer, they evoke emotion and make the viewer pull from their own experiences, to relate to the image, whereas the viewer of a photograph in a newspaper will briefly glance, relate it to the article, and move on. 

Documentary Photography as an Art Form

Many art critics may argue that documentary photography leans more towards journalism, while journalists would debate it leans towards an art form, especially if the work includes any ‘staging’ or manipulation of the subject. As documentary photography experiments with artistry, there are many conflicting definitions and expectations for whether ‘truth’ in the image remains, and how ‘truth’ is defined.

American photographer and photojournalist Walker Evans (1903-1975): “My thought is that the term ‘documentary’ is inexact,vague, and even grammatically weak, as used to describe a style in photography, which happens to be my style… what I believe is really good in the so-called documentary approach in photography is the addition of lyricism.”

American photographer and photojournalist Dorothea Lange (1895-1965): “For me documentary photography is less a matter of subject and more a matter of approach. The important thing is not what’s photographed, but how… My own approach is based on three considerations. First… hands off! Whatever I photograph, I do not molest or tamper with or arrange. Second - a sense of place. Whatever I photograph I try to picture as part of its surroundings, as having roots. Third - a sense of time. Whatever I photograph, I try to show as having its position in the past or in the present.”

However, a contemporary narrative is that documentary photography does not have to be defined as one or the other.  Although varying definitions of the style, the following theme remains, as summarized by photography historian Olivier Lugon (b. 1962):

“The very general requirement to respect the subject matter, the desire to reveal ‘things as they are’, to provide reliable authentic information about them, avoiding any embellishment that might alter the reality”