Past and Present of a Photojournalist

By now most photographers have embraced the world of digital photography in some form or another, leaving behind the days of darkrooms and film spools altogether. Despite the changing of the times, however, there are still photographers who prefer to work with the analog medium and you might even be surprised to learn that at least one photojournalist is still using film. In the half hour presentation below, professional photographer David Burnett shares with viewers a portfolio of nothing but film photographs ranging in time from the Vietnam War all the way to the London Olympics. Take a peek inside the life of a working film photographer right here:

While all the other lucky photographers assigned to cover 2012’s London Olympic Games were seen toting some of the most modern digital technology available, Burnett caught the attention of many when he showed up to photograph the women’s gymnastics event wielding nothing else but a very heavy, if not clunky, Speed Graphic large format camera. He shot over 350 black and white 4 x 5s at the games using the camera, in between explaining to curious individuals that there’s no such thing frames per second with the speed graphic. In fact, there’s nothing really speedy about the Speed Graphic at all. You get one shot at capturing the perfect image, or, as what Burnett affectionately refers to as a single frame-per-minute.

sports photography

Fencing at the Beijing Olympics

fine art photography

A flooded carcass of a home post Hurricane Katrina.

natural light portraits

Senator Barack Obama on the 2008 Presidential Campaign.

photojournalism

A group of AP photojournalists rallying to help Korean children injured during the war.

The above images are just a sampling of what can be seen in the clip. Don’t let the length of the video deter you from watching as all of the images and accompanying stories which can be found throughout its duration are clearly the work of a talent photographer and no doubt a source of inspiration to many.

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