At First Glance | On Photography and Truth

This exhibition invites visitors into the world of photojournalists, individuals who do not shy away from danger but place themselves at the scene of events, however harrowing or unsettling they may be.

Over the years, many photojournalists from around the world have come to document the Middle East, and Israel and the city of Haifa in particular. These historical photographs, some dating as far back as the 1920s, are now part of the Haifa City Museum’s collection. The exhibition brings these images together with work by contemporary photojournalists, whose primary focus in recent years has been northern Israel. The encounter between historical photographs and present-day images raises questions about the role of the photojournalist: the choices they make, the intense reality in which they operate, the way they frame events, and their power to tell stories through photography.

The photographs on display demonstrate the medium's remarkable ability to capture a fleeting moment of emotional chaos and transform it into an image of enduring resonance. Each frame contains an entire world: a visual record of a time, a place, a historical moment, and a culture.

Photojournalists witness moments of crisis, often arriving just minutes after dramatic events have unfolded. What they see and experience stays with them long after they leave. Yet they are also present at moments of joy and excitement, capturing history in the making. Whatever the circumstances, the photojournalist’s fundamental role remains the same: to document and preserve the moment.

Today, when almost everyone carries a camera and produces a constant stream of images, new questions arise. Did an event truly happen if it was never photographed? Can a single photograph tell the whole truth? How far does the photojournalist’s influence extend, and what is their role in an age when agreement on objective reality is increasingly difficult to reach?

The contemporary photographs featured in the exhibition were chosen by the photographers who took them, allowing them to tell not only the story of each event but also their personal experience of it. Each photograph captures a particular moment in time, while also reflecting an individual perspective, a deliberate choice, and often a moral dilemma.

Photojournalists carry considerable responsibility. In a split second, they must decide where to position themselves, what to include in the frame, and what to leave out. The resulting image may endure long after the event itself. Memories may fade or change over time, but the photograph stands as lasting testimony. Through their choice of timing, angle, and composition, photographers shape how a story will be remembered.

On the exhibition’s second floor, works examining photographic technology and the act of documentation enter into dialogue with the Haifa City Museum’s photography collection. Together, they invite viewers to consider the significance of photography and the role of photojournalists in an age when the distinctions between truth, interpretation, and representation are increasingly difficult to draw.

Yifat Ashkenazi
Curator of the Haifa City Museum