The constant image. The challenges of an integral phorojournalist

Abstract

For decades, photojournalism has been experiencing a permanent process of adaptation to new technological possibilities in the processes of image capture and design, in addition to the demands of the public. Among them, the digitalisation and the large production of photographs in social networks have led to a new panorama that communication groups and professionals have to face. This article reviews how these continuous changes influence the work routines of photojournalists. To do this, we opt for an approach that encompasses European and Latin American contexts and a qualitative methodology with the technique of in-depth interviewing professionals in the sector with different profiles (from coordinators of the photography area to free-lance photographers). The results reveal that these changes have shown positive influences, such as the facilities to send the photographs to the editorial immediately after their capture; But also negative ones, such as the need for more multi-purpose professional profiles with greater workload and no salary increase; And others whose consequences are still to be seen, such as the birth of a new competitor in the day to day of graphic reporters: the citizen with the camera of his mobile and the insatiable appetite for images by users of social networks.