2008 Woodie Awards
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Photography or photojournalism?
By Ryan Johnston
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Features
Originally published: 10/4/07 at 3:37 PM CSTLast update: 10/4/07 at 4:19 PM CST
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Continued throughout that Sunday paper, the image of multiple dead horses dangling in the air and workers covered in blood from the slaughterhouse where the horses were killed were published.
These horses were some of the 30,000 American horses shipped to Mexican slaughterhouses this year because of the court rulings that shut down horse slaughter operations in the United States.
This is a perfect example of the power of photojournalism, and an illustration of how it differs from photography.
"The biggest difference is that in photography you can do anything you want. You can set things up and move people around," San Antonio Express-News staff photographer William Luther said.
Luther compared photography with wedding pictures. He said that a wedding photographer can move people around, set the scene and take multiple similar photographs.
"With photojournalism, you document what's happening in front of the camera," Luther said. "You're not supposed to manipulate what's happening in front of you."
Along with the written story of the method used to kill horses in Sunday's paper, the pictures taken by staff photographer Jerry Lara were an important aspect of what brought so much outrage from the public.
"The main fundamental distinction is that you have to record what happens in front of you," Luther said. "You shouldn't alter or manipulate, just like a reporter shouldn't alter a quote in a story."
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