Things as They Are

A unique new history of contemporary photojournalism to mark the 50th anniversary of World Press Photo ‘Things As They Are’ tells the story of modern photojournalism, from The Family of Man and the heyday of Life magazine in 1955 to the era of the camera-phone in the present day. With 120 picture essays shown as they were first seen – on the pages of newspapers and magazines, ‘Things As They Are’ reveals how the events of the world, the art of photographers, and the interests of the press have converged on the printed page. It traces how photojournalism has developed over time alongside changing technology, media, fashions in photography – and a changing world.
Including landmark photo essays by photographers such as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Nan Goldin, W Eugene Smith, Wolfgang Tillmans, Mary Ellen Mark, Sebastião Salgado and James Nachtwey, as shown on the pages of publications including Life, Paris Match, National Geographic, Stern, i-D and the Sunday Times, each is accompanied by an expert commentary. The book includes a introductory essay by Mary Panzer, a timeline of the last 50 years illustrated by the iconic winners of the annual World Press Photo awards, and an afterword essay by Christian Caujolle that looks to the future of photojournalism.