As professional and amateur cameras reveal more of the world
at an increasingly rapid pace, the field of photojournalism is becoming a
harder place to make a living. Yet many young photographers are pursuing
careers as visual storytellers, despite a market in transition. Some study
the craft at universities, others carve their own path. While building
their portfolios, they have the luxury of time to explore intimate stories
about relevant issues and develop a personal vision. Without the pressures
of the 24-hour news cycle, these photographers are learning to make images
that shout rather than whisper. Covering issues near and far,
often out-of-pocket and on their own time, they posses a deep affection
for people and a common goal of building a better understanding of our
world. The future of photojournalism may be uncertain, but this generation
of photographers will have a hand in writing the new rulebook. The
following are images from students of photojournalism and photographers aged 25
and under. The featured images are peak moments captured through eager
eyes, personal visions, or intimate glimpses into long-term projects about
topics that matter to the photographers and their community. -- Tamir Kalifa [ Editor's
note: Tamir Kalifa was the Boston Globe's summer photography intern in 2012.
Offered the opportunity to create a Big Picture post, he chose the theme of
photojournalists under 25. His search took him to a few international
photography schools, the College Photographer of the Year contest, and the
Eddie Adams Workshop Facebook group, among other sources. The result, while
yielding some fantastic pictures, is as yet incomplete. I'd like to use the
occasion of this post to solicit photographs for another "photojournalists
under 25" post, hopefully attracting more photographers outside Europe and
North America. If you're a photojournalist under 25 and want to display your
work on The Big Picture, post your picture on our Facebook page,
along with full caption information. We'll gather the best of the submissions
and publish the post sometime later this year. For those over 25 who'd like to
contribute to The Big Picture, we'll announce a theme soon for a future
readers-only post. (40 photos total)
A man pilots a boat through a flock of birds on the Ganges River near the city of Varanasi in India. (Zach Gibson)
Indiana University Police officers prevent junior Morgan Eldridge from helping her friends as they were arrested during a sit in to protest a J.P. Morgan recruitment meeting at the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, Indiana on Tuesday, November, 26, 2011. Protesters chanted "shame," at police officers during the arrest of other students. This image was awarded a Gold medal in the Spot News category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Mark Felix) #
Tom Hatfield smokes a cigarette as he and friend Bonnie McMullen leave before another storm rolls in after trying to salvage photos and clothes at Hatfield's mother's house after a tornado destroyed it in Joplin, Mo., May 23, 2011. The twister, which touched down Sunday evening, killed 161 people - spreading its destruction over a wide swath of the town, ripping apart buildings and cars and touching off fires. (Patrick T. Fallon) #
A diver has a very personal moment of dejection at the bottom of the pool during the 2012 CCCA Swimming and Diving State Championships at East Los Angeles College Swim Stadium on Thursday, April 26, 2012 in Monterey Park, CA. This image was awarded a Gold medal in the Sports Feature category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Suzanne Tylander) #
Girls from Copper Hills High School make last minute checks on costumes and props before their performance in front of hundreds of family members and friends at the 4A-5A State Drill Team competition Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, at the UCCU Center in Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Copper Hills finished second place in the 5A competition to Bingham High. (Jordan Stead) #
A group of third-graders at a very high-end private school in northern Tehran play 'Sangsar' (stoning), a similar game to dodgeball, except that kids would line up against the ball and one person would shoot out the ball at others on November 13, 2011. According to Islamic Shi’a law in Iran, when a girl turns nine years old she is considered to be mature enough to take on life and her religious responsibilities. But the definition of these responsibilities varies throughout the country. (Kiana Hayeri) #
Eighteen-year-old Cem Aydin was beaten to death near his home. On the way to the grave, the coffin passes the spot of the killing. A relative says her last goodbye to the young man. Cem's killers have not yet been found, and the reason for his death is still unknown. This image was awarded a Gold medal in the General News category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Bjarke Bo Olsen) #
"God, save my children," cried Donesha Pitts, as she prayed for a way to get to Chesapeake, Virginia to attend her youngest son's custody hearing, which took place the following morning, on the night of February 21, 2012. Pitts lost custody of four out of her five children when she became homeless 11 years ago. Last fall, she was placed in public housing. Her oldest son, who had recently turned 18, came home to live with her at that time. She continued fighting for custody of her youngest son, who came home in June. (Michelle Tessier) #
Spc. Matthew Slaughter pauses for fresh air after shoveling marijuana for at least three hours on Jan. 4, 2012 in Kanahar Province, Afghanistan. A significant amount of processed marijuana was found in a compound during an eight-hour patrol conducted by soldiers from the Afghan National Army and soldiers from 3rd Platoon of the 1st Battalion 5th Infantry Regiment. Slaughter and two other American soldiers assisted the ANA in transporting the cache outdoors. The illegal substance was then burned by the ANA. The American soldiers serve with the 1st Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division deployed from Fort Wainwright, Alaska. (JR Ancheta) #
Two astronauts walk across the gantry and away from the space shuttle Discovery during a routine practice evacuation in March 2010 for the STS-131 mission. Seven astronauts would ultimately lift off aboard Discovery from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the following month. (Philip Andrews) #
From is reunited with his skateboard, which has been lying in Danny's back yard for the past 6 months. This image is part of the story "The Wild Boys," winner of a Gold medal in the Domestic Picture Story category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Tobias Nørgaard Pedersen) #
Hassan Hamzeh, 21 year old poet from Esfehan, Iran. He is pictured here waiting for the dye he has put on his hair, eyebrows and moustache to take affect. He dyes them blonde in an effort not to conform in a country he feels represses all individuality. In 2009, Hassan was arrested for leading demonstrations against the government in protests that followed the disputed re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Tom Jamieson) #
A Yemeni family stands near their village Kupbagan, about thirty minutes outside Aden, Yemen on August 20, 2012. "We have nothing here," said Muhammad Annas, in the background. "No water, no electricity. I want my daughters to go to school, but we have no teacher." Families in rural Yemen are especially susceptible to the short-comings of the state following the revolution. (Alex Potter) #
Men's elite racers compete in the points race during the USA Cycling Elite Omnium Track National Championships in Rock Hill, SC. Racers compete in multiple races to determine the overall track champion. The image is part of a larger project on cycling as a whole, encompassing everything from cycling related deaths, bike polo, messengers, road racing, track cycling, mountain biking, and cyclocross. (Ryan Stone) #
Historically reserved for sharp shoot'n cowboys and outlaws, now the pool room at Doc Holliday's Saloon in Glenwood Springs, Colorado is occasionally dominated by Mennonite women who drop in to take a few shots of their own, while on holiday at the nearby hot springs and spa. This image received an Award of Excellence in the Feature category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Beth White) #
Sydni, 11, watches the popular television show, Dance Moms, while jumping rope in her living room after school. "Topless Showgirls" was Dance Moms highest rated episode on Lifetime, with 2.7 million viewers. The episode featured 13 year-old dancers performing a simulated nude fan dance. That episode only aired once, although most are repeated. (Ariana McLaughlin) #
Sonya lays on her bed with a bag covering her head. Sonya suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after living with her mother in shambles and being abused by her mother's boyfriends. Lorrie, her grandmother, does the best she can to deal with it. "Sometimes she's just too much to handle and I get mad at her," Lorrie says. "But I can't. This isn't her fault. She didn't ask for that abuse." (Maddie Magarvey) #
John told Rene he loved her before she passed away on Monday, September 19. These were his last words to her before she passed away later that night. This image is part of the story, "Goodbye Home, Goodbye John, Goodbye Life," winner of a Gold medal in the Interpretive Project category from the 2012 College Photographer of the Year competition. (Kristin Bauer) #
A photograph of Christian Martinez, taken by the photographer, is held up during the singing of "Happy Birthday" at what would have been Martinez's 15th birthday as his mother, Maricela Juarez, watches. July 16, 2010 in Austin, Texas. Martinez came from a family riddled with crime and incarceration and was no stranger to the penitentiary himself when, at 14, he was killed in a car accident returning home from a late night trip to Houston. (Jeffrey McWhorter) #
Solimar, 14, and Aramis, 13, embrace shortly after finding out they are going to have a child in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico on January 24, 2012. Forty eight percent of Puerto Ricans live under the federal poverty line, many in public housing projects like Manuel A. Perez where Solimar and Aramis live. Since their creation, sparse access to quality education and lack of proper parenting have led to broken family cycles hard for residents to escape. (Christopher Gregory) #
Steven Colbert, host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" collects money from supporters outside the Federal Election Commission building following the FEC hearing, granting him approval to form the "Colbert Super PAC" on Thursday June 30, 2011 in Washington, DC. The ruling enables Colbert to fundraise and accept unlimited amounts from the general public or corporations to contribute toward political campaigns. (Madeleine Meyer)#
Chris VonBargen works in solitude as he mounts a deer head for a customer at his shop, Wild Reflections Taxidermy, in Nelsonville, Ohio on January 6, 2012. “I treat taxidermy like any other art form out there,” said VonBargen. “It’s not all about killing the animals, in fact I don’t really hunt. I don’t get the urges to anymore. I hope that people realize I respect the animals, and that’s why I like to preserve them.” (Sam Owens)#
