Things as They Are presents the story of photojournalism over fifty years, from 1955 until today. It takes us from the golden era of the illustrated press-the heyday of Life magazine and Picture Post, and the moment of the Museum of Modern Art's defining Family of Man exhibition-to the explosion of digital media in the twenty-first century.

This history is told through the presentation of 125 photojournalism features shot and published throughout the world. These stories are presented in context-shown on the pages of newspapers and magazines, as the public originally experienced them. In this way, Things as They Are reveals how the events of the world, the art of photographers, and the interests of publishers and the press converged on the printed page. It traces how photojournalism has developed over time alongside changing technology, media, fashions in photography-and a changing world. It includes landmark photo-essays by photographers such as W. Eugene Smith, Sebastião Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark, and James Nachtwey, each accompanied by expert commentary.