It may be a well-worn adage, but to a photojournalist a picture is worth every one of a beautifully-crafted thousand words. And in a digital age where that picture can be moved from one side of the world to the other in a matter of seconds, the impact can be immense.
The power of the lens can capture raw human emotion: fear, anger, love, desperation and sorrow. It can also capture the urgency and poignancy of a situation, one that may require an immediate response from the international community. International news made local.
In the age of Covid-19 and a worsening climate change crisis, the role of photojournalists is proving essential. One of those on the frontline is Yen Duong (pictured below) - shortlisted for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award in 2018 - who spent time in 2020 covering the aftermath of unprecedented flooding and landslides in the central region of Vietnam.
According to a report by the International Panel on Climate Change, Vietnam is among the world's most vulnerable nations. Its diverse geography means it is hit by typhoons, landslides, flooding and droughts, weather events expected to worsen in coming years. These threaten food security, livelihoods and lives for millions of Vietnamese. It is a state of affairs being replicated worldwide.
Yen, who originally trained and worked as a news reporter, is sympathetic to the plight of those whose lives she documents - in this case for the IFRC (the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) - and has a strong ethical mindset. To this end, she recommends the Thomson Foundation's Journalism Now course: Awareness, Authenticity, Accuracy - for photojournalists wanting to explore the ethics of their practice.
-- Play
-- --
According to a report by the International Panel on Climate Change, Vietnam is among the world's most vulnerable nations.
I see photographs as a medium to storytelling, Yen says. It helps that originally I was an investigative journalist because I had a lot of story ideas and knew how to interview people. I could then come up with my own visual stories.
It is not easy to photograph people in distress. It is best if you can hear their stories before you take the pictures. It is important to build their trust. A lot of times, I depend on my own instincts and past experiences to assess whether I should be talking to a person if theyre in a traumatised state. You dont want to put them in situations where they are being exploited.
What I always try to do as a photojournalist is to inform the people I talk to carefully about how the stories are going to be used, where they are going to appear and that they dont have to share anything with me.
Theres a certain power relation at play there. Very often, these people actually feel obliged to answer to your interview. I try to inform people about my intentions and let them decide if they want to speak to me or not.
Vietnam s diverse geography means it is hit by typhoons, landslides, flooding and droughts, weather events expected to worsen in coming years.
-- Play
-- --
Yen is also acutely aware of personal safety when covering natural disasters and has five tips for fellow photojournalists:
Have a checklist of vital supplies before setting off on any assignment
Keep in close contact with either your editor or supervisor
Try to avoid travelling at night time or in risky areas during heavy rainfall
Be respectful of interviewees, many of whom are likely to be traumatised
Always trust your instincts
As with news reporting, Yen feels it is important to be balanced, fair and accurate in coverage: Most of us rely on visual media these days, she says. A lot of media is now putting photography or photojournalism as a priority.
You can certainly fabricate a story through your images, which is why it is important to start with the storytellers and to educate them from the very beginning.
-- Play
-- --
Climate change The deepening climate change crisis will be at the centre of global attention in 2021 when world leaders, experts and campaigners meet at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (Cop26) in Glasgow, Scotland in November, 2021.
Countries such as Vietnam are most affected by the climate emergency. Yen Duong, has been documenting the impact of global warming in her home country since 2018. We are proud that she will be involved in our work as part of our commitment to the climate crisis debate.
All images photographed by Yen Duong for IFRC
Free online courses
Environmental journalism | Why local matters: Sources
Investigating local environmental stories and how they are linked to the biggest issue facing the planet: climate change
Environmental journalism | Why local matters: Storytelling
Helping journalists cover environmental stories and address climate change in a way that engages their audience
Environmental journalism | Why local matters: Safety and security
Helping journalists stay safe when facing not only physical threats, but also natural disasters
Explore our projects across the globe
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
21/04/2026
Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...
21/04/2026
The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...
21/04/2026
5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...
21/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...
21/04/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...
21/04/2026
Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...
21/04/2026
Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...
21/04/2026
Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...
21/04/2026
Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...
21/04/2026
Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...
21/04/2026
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...
21/04/2026
Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...
21/04/2026
Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...
21/04/2026
Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...
21/04/2026
FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...
21/04/2026
Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...
21/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...
21/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
21/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...
21/04/2026
Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...
21/04/2026
Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...
21/04/2026
Five years ago, Spotify arrived in Pakistan, opening a new chapter in the country's music scene. Since then, local listeners have explored across genres, ge...
21/04/2026
Since its launch in 2020, RADAR has been our program for spotlighting emerging artists around the world. This year marks the sixth edition of RADAR Spain, our o...
21/04/2026
Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards
Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...
21/04/2026
Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives
Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...
21/04/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host Power Electronics Online Conference From Design to Vali...
21/04/2026
MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....
21/04/2026
Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...
21/04/2026
On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026
Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...
21/04/2026
London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...
21/04/2026
Motion Design Tools - April 2026
Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...
21/04/2026
Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
It may be a well-worn adage, but to a photojournalist a picture is worth every one of a beautifully-crafted thousand words. And in a digital age where that picture can be moved from one side of the world to the other in a matter of seconds, the impact can be immense.
