The photojournalism of Big Picture: news told by photographs

Abstract

Studying photography is important because it is related to the development of society and because it is suitable for various disciplines, such as history, sociology, anthropology, architecture, among others. We see the world through different optical and realize it is photography as a communication device.
The article aimed to study the field of communication, more specifically of the Photojournalism and Visual Culture, through reflection and analysis for the object still understudied, photojournalistic images that are propagated by a virtual support. Was made ​​ by a clipping site's Big Picture photos, which aims to tell stories through photographs, with the function of producing imagery information on the Internet.
The site Big Picture is an example of how the current pictorial devices must be observed as they seek to produce a new sensory experience for the viewer. The exploration of mechanisms that contribute to this new way makes the dialogues with other media or even with the baggage the viewer to multiply. The photograph is part of this case. She's strong presence in the expansion of the contemporary manifestations, where increasingly the images become experiences of interaction between the device and the observer.
From there, we can mention the differential site boston.com / big picture, whose name, "Big picture", metaphorically explains its intention. The images here are not only accompaniments, they are the news. They are mostly digital images in high resolution now shown full size and function as information devices, since they have the intention to draw readers' attention to them and not necessarily for the texts. These are images from various Internet sites, such as photos of the international news agency Reuters and GettyImage site. Every day we see a selection of approximately 30 photographs that narrate the events that marked that built and news. Urban wars, natural events, festivals, popular figures, all this in order to try to innovate in new support, but grounded in the tradition of photojournalism.
Accordingly a study was developed covering Visual Culture and the new information age, represented by the Internet, in order to verify the impact of this new medium of communication in the scenario, and especially how is the placement of journalistic images in this medium.
Through this research, we believe it was possible to reflect on the role of image as a builder of a new culture in our society that paves the way for new systems of meanings that are present within globalization and hence the information society. Reflection allows increasing the theoretical space in relation to image analysis and media reception within a historical and cultural context. The imaging study is therefore necessary to understand the representations in the present and for the growth of new theoretical proposals on the agenda that have this type of research.