The Power of an Image: Recognizing AP Photojournalist Jae C. Hong By a former AP Television Bureau Chief.
Having served as The Associated Press’ New York City Television Bureau Chief beginning in 1999, I know firsthand the demands of journalism and the importance of getting the story right. I took early retirement in 2005, but my appreciation for the work of AP journalists has never diminished.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Jae C. Hong, an AP staff photojournalist based in Los Angeles. But his extraordinary work deserves recognition, and a recent photograph from Long Beach, California, is a compelling example of why.
Hong documented powerful ocean waves battering beachfront homes after days of relentless pounding associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel. The damage was becoming increasingly apparent, with sand washed away and the foundations of the homes left vulnerable to the advancing surf.
What distinguishes the photograph is not simply the drama of the waves. It is the perspective.
Hong used a drone to position his camera close to the level of the homes, rather than looking straight down from above. The resulting image conveys the force of the ocean as waves crash against the buildings and makes the homes’ vulnerability immediately apparent.
That perspective required both technical judgment and an understanding of the story he wanted the photograph to tell. Hong had to maintain enough distance from the waves and ocean spray to protect his equipment while capturing the scene in a way that conveyed its full impact.
As Hong explained in his account of the assignment, the waves were not necessarily the largest he had seen. What mattered was the cumulative effect of days of relentless pounding. The photograph captures that distinction: Nature’s power is measured not only by the size of a single wave, but also by the damage caused when the assault continues.
This is photojournalism at its best. A powerful image can communicate urgency, vulnerability and consequence in an instant, often conveying what paragraphs of description cannot.
The Associated Press has a long tradition of visual journalism that documents breaking news, human hardship, triumph and the defining moments of our time. Photographers such as Hong carry that tradition forward through skill, persistence and an instinct for finding the perspective that brings a story into focus.
I may never have worked alongside Hong, but I recognize the quality of the work. His photograph is a reminder that outstanding journalism deserves acknowledgment wherever we encounter it — and that behind every memorable image is a journalist who made deliberate choices to help the rest of us see.
For that, Jae C. Hong deserves our appreciation.
