“Well, my first day as a documentary photographer, I wondered what to do. Nothing (news) was going on. I made a profound discovery. There are a lot of interesting things happening outside of news.”
– Tom Hubbard on working for Documerica in Cincinnati, 1973
In the spring and summer of 1973, American photojournalist Tom Hubbard (1931–2022) was on assignment for the DOCUMERICA project in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. He focused on life around Fountain Square. Founded in 1871, the square was renovated for its centennial in 1971.
Tom Hubbard on photojournalism
Tom Hubbard began his photography career in Atlanta, working in television at WLWA and as a still photographer before joining the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1966. In 1979 he became a professor at The Ohio State University, where he taught for 16 years.
In 2003, he told all, sharing his thoughts on photojournalism:
I voluntarily retired from daily photojournalism early. I was 48. I burned out. Here’s why.
One factor was the three photo directors, one a year for three years. Until then, I was fairly autonomous. I did assignments and had time to do things on my own. I marketed my self-originated stuff in the newsroom. I knew which editor liked what so I did pretty well.
The photo directors changed that. Everything went through them. My initiative was transferred to them. And, each photo editor wanted a different style. I felt like a chameleon, expected to change colors every year.
And, I thought too much. I figured out that the essence of good photojournalism is the interaction of a empathetic photographer with the scene. I know most people must operate within organizations, but EVERYTHING beyond the photographer and the scene detracts from the integrity of that interaction.
I’ve always thought of photojournalism as a creative thing. I didn’t think of myself as a catcher of news, like a butterfly collector with a net. I thought the world deserved more than, “This happened.” I tried to satisfy the last of the five W’s, “why,” in my photos. The “why” takes personal reflection, so journalists respect “why” but ignore it. I didn’t think of myself as an order taker or assignment doer. It was me and the subject and, “May I tell the truth this time.” Anything else offended me.
…
During my final years as a photojournalist, I did two Documerica assignments. This was a national environmental project by the Environmental Protection Agency. This project had a lot of detractors but it did document the environment in the 1970s. It’s a prized possession of the National Archives. Well, my first day as a documentary photographer, I wondered what to do. Nothing (news) was going on. I made a profound discovery. There are a lot of interesting things happening outside of news. I was never completely satisfied with news after that.
“Our culture is noisy and needs a little time for reflection. I’m hoping a piece of my art on a wall will give people time for reflection…”
– Tom Hubbard
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