Zoriah: "Subject matter is what affects us, not the technology used to capture it!"

Throughout my posts on this blog, I have continued to state that photojournalism is not about the photographer and his equipment, but rather, photojournalism is about the subject that is being photographed and the story that is being told. Despite the photographers who carry around a camera that cost more than a luxury vehicle while photographing starving children who could be fed for mere pennies a day, there are photographers who also believe that the purpose of photojournalism is to tell stories and to raise awareness. 

One of these photographers is ZORIAH. Zoriah refers to himself as a “humanitarian photojournalist,” and his work has been featured in hundreds of magazines, publications and news outlets including Newsweek, BBC News, The Wall Street Journal and CNN. He specializes in photographing war-torn countries, disaster-affected areas and poverty-stricken villages. While he is not overseas for assignments, Zoriah travels across the country lecturing at universities, art schools and museums.

In a recent post on his photojournalism blog, Zoriah urges those considering entering photography to focus on a subject not a camera. He says, “if you want to be a photographer or photojournalist, or just take better pictures, your camera should not be your main focus.  Honestly, it has very, very little part in the equation.  You see photography and photojournalism are about the subject matter, and that is what you should focus on.” 

Similar claims are spewed across photojournalism blogs daily. Zoriah, however, proved his point by conducting a test. Before a trip to Africa for an assignment on child prostitution and poverty, he picked up a “point and shoot” camera. Point and shoot cameras have been developed for consumers rather than professional photographers, and are highly looked down upon by elite photographers. He purchased a camera that retails for $150 for a mere $70 from a Craigslist seller, and kept it in his shirt pocket while he was shooting in Africa. He produced all of the images featured in this blog post with a camera that has no manual shooting modes, no ability to change aperture, shutter speed, white balance or any of the settings that professional photographers have been trained to master.

Although these images are taken with a camera that even hobby photographers would be reluctant to use, the story is still there. Zoriah still raised awareness about child prostitution and drug use in African villages. While he raised awareness, he also proved that a compelling story is not told through the lens of a fancy camera, but rather in the eyes of young girl whose life has been ruined through child prostitution and drugs.

Zoriah urges burgeoning photographers to “be inspired, go out and shoot and quit thinking about what your camera can’t do and remember all the things it can” is a welcome departure from the idea that good photographs can only be produced with cameras that cost upward of $10,000. His final plea is to "buy yourself a plane ticket to some exotic place you have always wanted to go and then photograph the hell out of it!" So now, go and pick up your point and shoot camera, your iPhone or your DSLR and find something that you are passionate about. Take pictures of your passion and tell stories through your photographs.