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There are few single works of art that have changed the direction of their medium. In 1959, one book dramatically altered how photographers looked through their viewfinders and the way Americans saw themselves. The Americans was the work of Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank, and the National Gallery of Art is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the book's American debut with an exhibition. Curator Sarah Greenough says The Americans was actually reviled when it was first published in the United States. "Popular Photography asked a number of writers to critique the book and almost all of them were very negative," Greenough says. "It was described as a sad poem by a very sick person."

"In the third of a series of articles on photojournalism Adrian Evans, Director of Panos Pictures, suggests that photojournalists should cast off the past and look to new models of funding. "Working in photojournalism it sometimes feels as though industry commentators are circling like vultures waiting to pick over the corpse of our industry. "They misguidedly link the fortunes of photojournalists to that of newspapers and magazines, referring to an almost mythical past, a golden age when newspapers were the champions and supporters of photojournalism. Whether this era ever really existed is debatable. What is undeniably true is that newspapers ceased being the paymasters of photojournalists a long time ago. Quality photojournalism is expensive - researching the story, gaining access, spending time with your subjects, post production and editing - there are no short cuts. Newspapers and magazines spend a tiny proportion of their income on content and they certainly don't want to spend it on photography."

"Michael Kamber is an award winning photographer who currently works for the New York Times, here he outlines his view of the state of photojournalism today. This is the first in a series of articles to be published this week, each one by a different author looking at the world of photojournalism from a number of angles."

« Previous | Main | Next » Photojournalism today Phil Coomes | 09:20 UK time, Friday, 14 August 2009 Phnom Penh, Cambodia by Christine Spengler / Sygma / CorbisThe world of photojournalism is in a state of flux. In recent times, two of the industry's most respected agencies have run into trouble. Last week, the financial problems at the Gamma photo agency in Paris came to light and another one-time giant of the industry, Sygma, also closed its doors to new photographers a few years ago following its acquisition by Corbis.