Studies On Press Photography Pages

Since its birth, photography has kept a record of all momentous events in every corner of the world. As an observer of history and a participant in social life, it has united with the mass media bringing about a brand new way of visual narration and social observation in dialogue with ordinary people. Photography plays an important role not only in recording the course of development but also in remodeling the thought and society. Therefore, the studies on press photography, such as its visual impact, social value and further development exert a huge influence on future practice and bear undetermined value on academic research under the trend of newspaper visualization.Targeting the press photography pages (2005-2008) of South Weekly as the samples in case study, this dissertation elaborates on the author's research on press photography, mainly facilitated by means of content analysis.The first press photography pages in Chinese newspaper took shape in the early 1990s with a noticeable imprint of foreign influence. Led by documentary photography, the horizon of photojournalism has been continuously enlarged, which gave birth to a large number of representative photo-reportages. By the end of 1990s, press photography pages had blossomed in Chinese newspaper. From 2000, keeping pace with the reform of the press, press photography pages undergone a period of adjustment. Some of them like the one in South Weekly remain in function and show new vigor.Press photography pages are the combination of photography and the mass media, achieving its worth in four aspects. That is to say, for press-photographers, they serve as a platform to show beauty in life, explore the stories in deep, express inner emotions and take down social developments; for people shown in the photo, it is a channel to call up the attention and realize their wishes through media; for newspaper editors, it is a method of passing the media viewpoint and attitude when carrying out its social function; for the readers, it is a carrier which can help them to understand the human world, get a sense of belonging and express the love and concern.Press photography has a promising future thanks to the factors such as its influence—the penetration and remodeling of contemporary society, the popularization of photography equipment and technology, and the extending power of the media. However, as what has been shown in the data analysis for press photography pages of South Weekly in the last four years, their quality is on the decline. So Press photography pages still need to fight for survival by means of innovation in face with constant challenges. Based on analysis and comparison, some suggestions are given in conclusion for future.