The Role of the Photojournalist: Combining the Camera with the Typewriter

As a free-lance photographer for the last four years, and as a journalism student in the Communicative Arts Department at Pembroke State University, I have learned the challenges that the job of a top-notch photojournalism entails. I chose the topic of photojournalism for my Directed Studies Seminar (CMA 455), and then I conducted interviews with three area photographers. (Harvey Burgess, The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C.; Dan Biser, The News Reporter, Whiteville, N.C.; and Donald Hilburn, Columbus County News, Chadbourn, N.C.) I compared their experiences with books and a variety of magazine articles on photojournalism. The purpose of this paper is to explain the duties and skills of photojournalism especially to P.S.U. journalism students, as well as other students, who may be thinking of pursuing this career