An Instagram photo on the front page of The New York Times

On March 31, the well-known American newspaper The New York Times, managed to be news itself for doing something that no newspaper had ever done before: publishing in its print version an edited or retouched photo with the well-known application Instagram A fact that has traveled quickly Internet, asking if it is about a professional act, a milestone in the world of photojournalism, or a vulgarization of photography

The photograph in question was taken by a professional sports photographer named Nick Laham , who decided to take several snapshots making portraits of several players from the baseball team New York Yankees in the dressing room itself. The result was a series of photographs with an aspect intimate, classic and elegant that the photographer himself has published on his blog, and which he decided to send to the newsroom of the newspaper to publish An election that has given much to talk about because of the photograph of Alex Rodríguez, the player that finally made it to the front page.

Nick Laham himself Nick Lahamexplains on his blog that not he had a choice, since he did not have the adequate work environmentSo he decided to use his iPhone and touch up the images with the very popular editing tool Although he didn't posted which filter you used, the vintage look and touch purple suggests that it is Mayfair, the last contribution made to InstagramThus, with a neutral background and some lighting, he has achieved these portraits.

The question now is whether one of the world's largest newspapers publishes a photograph of Instagram is a step in the evolution of photojournalism or not. The move from classic to digital editing with programs like Photoshop was a complete revolution, reducing work times and greatly facilitating the process. So much so that it has become another necessary tool for any media outlet, and not just for modifying or falsifying images

However, in this case it is an application for smartphones Specifically, a social network where any iPhone or Android user can access editing tools, although has no comparison with Photoshop On Instagram only possiblecrop an image, apply an effect to intensify the highlights and shadows (Lux), the effect blur to guide the viewer's attention and its numerous filters and frames Can it be considered a process professional?

According to what we have seen, there is no doubt that the image published in The New York Times has had a lot to do with the professional photographer, both in composition and lighting.Undoubtedly, a fact that could open the doors for more newspapers to decide to include among their sources the social network Instagram, at least as a way of portraying reality with a different touch Until now, only one other photograph taken with a mobile phone had made it to the front page of this newspaper. This is a snapshot taken in Afghanistan in 2010.