How to Evaluate the Press Photography?

The press photography is a work consisting of many signs affecting the recipient. The press photography is a source of information about the present and the past, which may be – due to the richness of the included signs and codes – re-constructed in a recipient’s mind.
The value of photojournalism is determined by the information content and the aesthetic feature. The process of evaluation and recognition of this type of photography should include some important indicators such as the definition of sub-genre (e.g. press photography, photo reportage, photo essay); the veracity of photography (image compatibility with actuality); the degree of information (the extent to which the image enriches the recipient’s knowledge); iconicity (conceptual association between an image and the established symbols); the image composition (the ability to connect individual elements of the photograph into coherent unity); the degree of positive or negative emotions (what impression a photography exerts on a recipient).
The evaluation criteria presented in this article converge together and give an idea of the truthful imitation of reality, because the aim of the photojournalism is not only the mimetic likeness of objects, but, above all, the remembrance of what a photojournalist has seen.
 

The press photography is a work consisting of many signs affecting the recipient. The press photography is a source of information about the present and the past, which may be – due to the richness of the included signs and codes – re-constructed in a recipient’s mind.
The value of photojournalism is determined by the information content and the aesthetic feature. The process of evaluation and recognition of this type of photography should include some important indicators such as the definition of sub-genre (e.g. press photography, photo reportage, photo essay); the veracity of photography (image compatibility with actuality); the degree of information (the extent to which the image enriches the recipient’s knowledge); iconicity (conceptual association between an image and the established symbols); the image composition (the ability to connect individual elements of the photograph into coherent unity); the degree of positive or negative emotions (what impression a photography exerts on a recipient).
The evaluation criteria presented in this article converge together and give an idea of the truthful imitation of reality, because the aim of the photojournalism is not only the mimetic likeness of objects, but, above all, the remembrance of what a photojournalist has seen.