The exhibition of Montenegrin photojournalists, “Frame to Frame: Stories About Journalism”, was officially opened at the KIC “Budo Tomović” ahead of Montenegro’s Journalists’ Day.
Visitors will have the opportunity to view photographs by 11 prominent Montenegrin photojournalists who responded to the invitation of the Montenegro Media Union (TUMM) to participate in the exhibition, which will be open until February 1st.
Photo: SMCG,Boris Pejović
The visitors will be able to see photographs of Boris Pejović, Stevo Vasiljević, Dobrilo Malidžan, Filip Filipović, Jovan Radulović, Lazar Ružić, Luka Zeković, Risto Božović, Savo Prelević.
Photo: SMCG,Boris Pejović
Montenegro has 230 media, and only 15 photographers
TUMM’s Vice President Marijana Camović Veličković reminded at the exhibition’s official opening that Montenegro has around 230 media outlets, with new ones emerging almost daily, yet all these media employ no more than 15 photojournalists.
Photo: Boris Pejović
According to her, these photojournalists work for three daily newspapers and a few agencies, mostly foreign, while only one web portal employs a photojournalist.
“We often hear that our profession is dying out. Fast and cheap news, which has never been more accessible yet more superficial, is eroding journalism segment by segment. Some formats have almost disappeared. When was the last time you read a good feature story, for example? Given the current trends, news photography faces the same fate. It will be replaced by lifeless illustrations and photos taken with mobile phones. Thanks to online portals, there are more photos than ever, but their quality has never been worse. This is already the dominant trend, and it is likely to remain so,” stated Camović Veličković.
Photo: SMCG,Boris Pejović
She stated that, for all these reasons, the Media Union decided to dedicate this Journalist’s Day to news photography and Montenegrin photojournalists.
“We reached out to each of them, and 11 colleagues sent us a total of 197 works, even though we requested up to five photos each. The oldest is from 2008, while the newest was taken just a month ago. We have displayed 30 of them to showcase not only their working conditions but also what the trained eye of a master can notice, focus on, and capture while everything around them is burning or collapsing. Do you think anyone with a mobile phone, capable of taking nice landscape or portrait shots, could do the same?” she asked.
Camović Veličković emphasized that not everyone can be equally skilled in photography, writing, and video, even though multitasking is increasingly demanded and often performed by journalists.
“Our photojournalists excel in photography, regularly win international awards, and have been documenting history daily for decades. Yet, they are rarely talked about and are often the first to be considered redundant by employers,” she noted.
“There are few photojournalists, but they are tough and refuse to give up.”
According to her, when the Media Union (SMCG) in 2020 demanded that their salaries be at least equal to those of journalists—whose wages were and still are unacceptably low—photojournalists were earning slightly more than twice the minimum wage. However, in 2025, they cannot even reach the new minimum wage of 800 euros.
Photo: SMCG,Boris Pejović
“They have every right to feel discriminated against and threatened. That is why those who are not dismissed as redundant by employers are leaving the profession. Their vulnerability also comes from another source—the massive violation and misuse of copyright, which further reduces their earnings and devalues them as creators. This is another issue that is rarely, if ever, discussed, and this exhibition, along with Journalist’s Day, is an attempt to change that practice,” she stated.
Camović Veličković believes that journalism as a profession is often taken too lightly, allowing significant events and moments to slip by unnoticed.
“That is why I invite you to pause and pay attention to what our photojournalists have to say, as their timeless photographs speak volumes. There may be few of them, but they are resilient and refuse to give up,” she concluded.
Note: The photographs in the gallery are subject to copyright, and their use or distribution is prohibited without the photographer’s permission!
