Eyewitness: 150 Years of Photojournalism

by Richard Lacayo, George Russell

Since the invention of photography, the camera's eye has reported, chronicled and even influenced history. A new kind of journalism—photojournalism—reinvented reality, allowing the public for the first time to witness events just as they happened. Time, the pre-eminent newsmagazine for more than 70 years, has helped shaped that process. Eyewitness celebrates some of the most important and memorable images of photojournalism from the insider's perspective of the editors of Time.

Genres: Photography, History, Nonfiction, Reference, Coffee Table Books, Art, Journalism

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading about the development of photojournalism and the art vs. non-art debate. Would have liked a little more background on some of the photos though.

[Kyra Conroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

large bodies of text for each era were uninviting and there could have been more context for individual photos instead. also, many photographs chosen were not of the photographers known style which was an interesting choice, but plenty of great photojournalism

[Lurple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of depressing pictures!

[Brian Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am almost reluctant to admit that I found Eyewitness: 150 Years of Photojournalism by Richard Lacayo and George Russell to be surprisingly good. These sorts of collections tend to be superficial surveys, throwing together a bunch of Pulitzer Prize photos with a bunch of sketchy captions. This book is not of that ilk at all. Lacayo and Russell are well informed, and the text shows it. Indeed, the text really is a history of photojournalism and not merely an accessory to the images. They mix in lots of obscure facts (when the flash bulb was invented in 1929, it was called the “Vacu-Blitz”); but also address the evolving philosophical and ethical issues. Lacayo & Russell also recognize the role of photo editors as they came to largely steer the profession of photojournalism in the mid-20th century.

The photographs in the collection are varied & interesting; quite a few of which I had not seen before. Even if you’ve been a student of photojournalism for decades, you may still find something new in this book.

[Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

To begin with, the book Time Eyewitness shows the beginning of photography and how photojournalism developed through all the different stages. This book is really informative which is what I really liked. The pictures on this book are like a time capsule of history. Something that stood out for me from the book was the picture of the "breaker boys" which are young kids between the age of 12-15 that work 12 hours daily. I recommend this book to people that are into history, and would want to learn more about history. Over all, this book is really interesting to read and you will for sure learn something about it if you read it.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing images bring history to life. You have to grab this one, besides great information, the pictures are astounding. Tim Life has done it again with a book to keep handy and look at again and again.

[MaryLee Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of photojournalism. Amazing pictures.

[Mauricio Muñoz Quiroz]

lo encontré en una feria libre en santiago de chile por $1.000 pesos unos US 1.5 aprox., me sorprende la calidad del libro., sus imagines hablan por si solas.., una verdadera pieza coleccionable.

[Asif · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is something which is a must on your shelve. You can take a deep dive into the historical moments, which shaped our world, in which we live now.

[Tabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a history buff, this book is for you

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well done. It's your typical picture book of history, but it is great for the younger ages.

[Cws]

RefYA4

[Fishface · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful stuff in here. Covers a lot of territory in the history of photojournalism, and gives you a sense of how much they were forced, for reasons of limited space, to leave out.