Documentary Photography vs Photojournalism

Here, the main goal is to establish a more solid concept for each genre and leave us with a clear understanding of what documentary photography and photojournalism are and are not. The line that divides both genres has become extremely thin for people who are not plugged into photography. That’s why this topic deserves a deeper dive.

Before starting to talk about each of them, we need to acknowledge that these genres usually get along very well with each other and are not mutually exclusive. They simply encompass certain things to different degrees, hence the confusion in defining them both.

What is documentary photography?

This is the genre of photography that includes all photographic work that aims to chronicle events and circumstances relevant not only to history, but also for us as human beings. The purposes for pursuing a documentary photography project are quite broad, and include:

• Complaints
• Research
• Awareness
• Entertainment

Some of the most iconic works of documentary photography stem from an initiative led by Roy Stryker and the Farm Security Administration of the United States during the Great Depression. Popularly known as “New Deal Photography”, this project was able to demonstrate…