 Danielle E. Rutter |
getting started with photojournalism Hey! I am interested in photojournalism and am wondering about ways to get started other than going to photography school (though I'll probably take a class here). I had somebody tell me I should get a police scanner, go the the scene of whatever, take photos, and sell them to the papers. Has anybody ever done this? Is it even allowed for somebody without a press pass? I know nothing about this. I'd be very curious to hear about how some other photojournalists on here got started. Thanks!!
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Angela Wilson |
As a former photojournalist, I will tell you that my experience was you're more likely to get published shooting high school sporting events in your area than chasing ambulances. You may get some really emotional shots at accident/fire/crime scenes but depending on your market they may be scarce 9and therefore the actual shooter for the paper is already on scene) or such mundane news that no paper is really interested. Talk to your local papers - dailies, weeklies, etc and find out what they need to have shot. I started out in high school shooting houses for the weekly real estate guides, high school football and basketball games (I live in the midwest) and then stringing at a number of different events from governor's visits to the summer production of Alice In Wonderland. That's a good way to meet other photogs, to compare shots and to sell some prints if your paper allows you to. As far as having a press pass, it's a well-kept secret that the press has no more right to access to events than anyone else. The first amendment applies to EVERYONE not just the members of the paid press. Now, if you're expecting special access with a press pass you'd need to make special arrangements with your local law enforcement. I've been out of the business since the mid 90's so I don't know what the digital revolution has done to the industry. Join the NPPA (national press photographers association) and learn from them. The annual "best of" book is simply incredible.
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you go work for a paper and do lots of mundane stuff for years, until they finally send you out to war, and you win a pulizter...at least that's how it's worked out for a few pj's I can think of.
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Mark Feldstein |
Beyond Angela's sage wisdom, since I'm still active in this biz full-time, I'll offer the following: First the bad news: There are no short cuts. Chasing ambulances or fire rigs is more likely to either get you in an accident or cited for interfering with the police/or fire departments performing their duties. A press pass isn't really a press pass at all. Rather it's a Police pass issued by the local police dept. that may, in some circumstances, allow you past police lines as a member of the news media, i.e., employed by the news media. And, btw, press credentials don't get you into events like ball games and concerts for free. They only serve to identify you as the person whose name is on the list they have at the gate to allow media members in. Shooting sports for local papers helps you build your style and technique as well as your credibility with editors. I started essentially the same as Angela, shooting for weekly papers in Chicago, then stringing sports for the Sun Times, then on assignment for the Sun Times shooting the 1968 Democratic Convention there. Build your portfolio and edit it. Learn to produce your own assignments and storyboard them. Yep, join as a student member of NPPA and/or as an associate member of the American Society of Media Photographers. http://www.asmp.org Lastly, shoot as much as you can, anywhere you can, carry a camera with you nearly everywhere. AND know the rules that apply to photographers. Keep in touch. Let us know how you're doing.
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Mark Feldstein |
Forgot to mention Danielle, that not withstanding your desires to do this kind of work, I'll tell you (and I think Angela will agree) that photojournalism is NOT an easy profession. It's a lot of hard work, sometimes heartbreaking. It requires a lot of ethics, hard work to get established and to stay established, and it's one of the most highly competitive fields of work there is. On the other hand, it can also be one of the most rewarding, even if most of the time, the pay is cah cah doo doo. LOL !!!
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Angela Wilson |
I WOULD agree - which is part of the reason I left the profession - still not sure that I made the "right" decision some days but I do treasure the time I spent as a photojournalist. Remember other PJ's and editors are BRUTAL and you have to develop a thick skin yet not lose a soft enough heart to find the good shots. I suggest for possible reading and inspiration Photojournalism: a professional's approach by Kenneth Kobre - it was used in my PJ class when I was in college. There could be five more editions out since then, but it is a good text. I agree with Mark that the college angle may be very important - even if just for the networking. But don't underestimate the amount of information that is shared in college. Any shooter is also going to have to write to some degree - and there is some "book learnin'" that is just crucial for a successful career.
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Danielle E. Rutter |
Thanks everybody! I wish there was a way for me to be assured that this is the photography path that I most want to do. It just makes the most sense to me... although almost all of my experience is in studio photography. Going to high schools and shooting the games sounds like a good idea. Are you guys saying I do it alone or contact the local paper and have them send me? Or do it alone first so I have something to show the paper so they can see that I'll take good pictures for them? Anyway... I'm not sure I've got the best lens for this. I've got the standard lens that came with my camera and a zoom lens but it's not a fast zoom that I know I need for a lot of situations. Can anybody recommend any sports that I can shoot with the ones I've got? I can't afford anything new right now. I've actually already gone to college, though, not for photojournalism. I did take a photography course in which I had to learn to develop my own prints... but that's the most experience I have there. Currently, I'm not interested in going back. If I did, it would be for a masters. Thanks again everybody!
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Mark Feldstein |
I guess when I was about 14 Danielle, I started going to practice and photographing the track team. That helped me build my skills. And, by all means, get your writing skills together. Nothing turns an editor off more than a cover letter with crummy grammar, punctuation errors and bad spelling. You can be the greatest photographic talent since W. Eugene Smith yet if you can't write worth a damn, most editors won't even give your cover letter a second glance. Anyhway, some time later, about a year or so, I guess due to popular demand, I started selling prints to team members and the coach. Then I worked on yearbook and the school paper. With a bit of persuasion from a sponsor on the school paper, I took my work to the local weekly. While they didn't actually hire me or give me an assignment at that point, the sports editor asked me to bring more work but by Tuesday at noon, which happened to be deadline for Thursday publication. That turned into a fairly regular deal and from that first Tuesday, I was paid for each photo they used. Not much mind ya, but something AND got a byline. For a 15 year old, THAT was a big deal. Along the lines of what Angela said, back when we started, there were more publications, more editors, and when they liked you and your work, they tended to mentor you along. Perhaps one reason was because photojournalism programs at the university level were few and far between. Nowadays, there are far fewer publications, less editors, and the mentoring program as informal as it was then, is even less available now. I think the reason for that is because these days, not many kids want to pay their dues but look for a quick fix or magical solution to obtain what they want. The other reason is probably because there aren't as many guys/gals around these days who actually came up through the ranks the way photogs. like Angela and I did, so there are less mentors available. I was lucky to meet a photojournalist named Declan when I was 16. Declan had just returned from the deep south and documenting the civils rights movement. We became friends, he taught me things about the biz that schools couldn't. We became great friends and later Declan went on to be one of the photo editors at National Geographic. As Angela said, networking is invaluable as is a formal education coupled with informal. Funny, Ken Kobre who wrote the book Angela mentioned, still teaches at San Francisco State where I guest speak from time-to-time. Oh, and if you're looking for inspiration, take a look at the Time-Life series book on Photojournalism, look at the work of photographers like Cartier Breson, W. Eugene Smith (I mentioned) Philippe Halsman, Yosef Karsh, and Bill Allard, among others. Take it light.
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Sean Ronters |
It sounds as if you're more interested in the photographer part than in journalism. I'll take a contrarian view and point out with the rise of 24-hour cable newsfeeds, the weekly/daily print media, which by far hire the largest number of still photographers, are having a very rough time. I'm not so sure but that Time and Newsweek will even be around much longer. Other more specialized print media tend to hold onto their staff for a long time, and there is much less jumping around these days. Sports and wildlife photographers probably have a few more opportunities, but their equipment/costs are some of the highest of any in photography. Times have really changed since the '60s. A few people have gotten into this line via the 'paparazzi' line, be it car accidents or celebrities, but not many. Many of the younger photographers I've seen were not still photographers but videophotographers. Most start at a small TV station and earn a reputation, then move up to network or cable news. The international assignments are usually the most competitive, along with sports. Your opportunities for still photography are likely to be much better once you're 'in'. You might find it cheaper to 'break into' fields like action and combat photography by initially considering a a path in the military, who employ loads of still and video photographers and train them from scratch, free equipment of course. They even pay for college.
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Just spent a week with David Leeson, and some limited time with Cheryl Diaz Meyer. WOW! Not only are they PJ extrodinaires, but their philosophy on life and art is amazing to hear. Try to hook up with some real PJ photographers at a workshop or something. they can really open your eyes.
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Angela Wilson |
As far as direct response to question - what can you shoot with the lenses you have - stuff in the daylight. So track is a good suggestion, as would be soccer, anything that's going to let you shoot at 1/500 or if you're really steady 1/250 at your largest aperature. You're going to need a 2.8 or a 2.0 telephoto to shoot basketball or night football. I used to shoot a FM2 with a 135mm 2.8 which was the best I could afford. My boss at the paper had a 300 2.8 which was just a beautiful piece of glass.... Of course now there are a lot of folks who can drop a lot of dough and get some nice set ups - and to set yourself apart getting the shot is a lot more about learning where to shoot, what to anticipate, how to appreciate the game/sport than the sheer numbers of what you're doing. Still, if you're not stopping the action you're not going to sell prints. So, fast shutter speeds, fast focus. I still never have found a camera that auto-focused sports fast enough for me, so I would suggest to turn off the autofocus and work on getting sharp shots manually. If you're using film learn how to push the heck out of it without getting too much grain, at least until you can get a faster lens. You might be able to find something used after you get some clips and some money coming in. can't say I completely disagree that video-graphy is taking over the industry to some degree, but I think that's where mark's suggestion that you've got to be able to process film comes in - and make your images something that isn't just a still frame from the video of the event.
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Douglas Easton |
Hi Danielle, I haven't read all the threads, but as a 20 year old who started as a freelance for the local papers when he was 17, then got offered a full time contract job with the paper, it sounds as if our situations are simular! The best way to get started is to see what sports teams your local paper covers. Buy them and see what type of picture they are looking for. Go to as many matches as you can, and take action pics using a 75-200mm lens. Remember, the editor will only use about 2-3 pics if you're lucky so you don't neccessarly need to stay for the whole match. Sports jobs are easy becasue there is no setting up involved. The action is what you need, and happens without any involvemtnt from you. Once you're known to the papers, they may start asking you to goto other jobs that require a bit more setting up and compositional skill, impress them then, and you're in! You are unlikely to get paid very much at all when you first start. The rate I initially got was £5 (pounds) about $7.50 (dollars) but now I'm on a full time wage! You also need a digital SLR camera like the Canon 300/350D or Nikon D70. The only training I have in photography is an A-Level (college course) in it which I got an A grade in. The rest was from studying other works, buying as many local papers as I could and trying to guess how the picture was composed. Hope this helps!
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Danielle E. Rutter |
Thanks again everybody! Doug - I do have a Nikon D50. My question for you is... when you first started going to the games, did you go at the request of a paper giving you a chance? Or did you just go on your own and contact them later with your photos? And how did you go about contacting them? Thanks!
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Anthony Soares |
Danielle, You have the camera body,you might consider renting the lense you need for the basketball and night football.I have looked into this and the prices seem reasonable if you have access to a shop that offers this.....Tony
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Douglas Easton |
Well I went to them at the request of the paper, but I really don't think that you actually need to. As long as you choose a bigger team that the paper covers a lot, all you need to do is to go down to it. I don't know how advanced the teams are where you live, where I am, most of the teams play on an open field on a public space, so they don't mind people just wandering on with cameras to photograph them. If the team is a bigger one, then you will have to ring up the media department and say you are a freelance photographer/student and most of them will let you in with the other photographers who are there. Even if you don't manage to sell your pics to the papers, at least they will know your name, which will be one step higher than the position you are in at the moment! And then the one time (hopefully more) will come when you are the only photographer to capture that magic moment (becasue all the others are off drinking in the press lounge!) and you get to sell your pics to all the papers in the area. To contact them, I actually set up a website at www.easternphoto.co.uk to display my pictures. I then actually went into the office with some pictures I had taken asking if they wanted them for the paper, they said no, but were prepared to offer me work experiance. This was a major thing for me. But I had to ask first! The most important thing is to show dedication if you want to succseed (spelling skills are optional!). I was known to the papers in the area for a couple of years before I started professionally. I also asked for as much work experiance as I could possibly get using every oportunity/contact I had to get close to the papers. I also became involved in local groups and photographed them whenever I could. Maybe volunteering for a local organisation might help. You will know about all the exciting events that go on first, and you can photograph them and bring your pics in to display. There are plenty of oportunities out there, you just need to go looking for them. If you want something enough, you should be prepared to do everything it takes to get there. (and have quite a friendly, smiley personality so everyone gets on well with you. The most important thing anyone ever said to me was: "Don't ever make enemies, you never know when you might need their help."
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Rebecca A. Steed |
Danielle, I am currently a Department of Defense (civilian) public affairs specialist and a military newspaper staff writer. I've done this work for several years since I joined the army. The basics will apply probably wherever you try to go in this business. So here are my suggestions: Wait to submit your photos to a newspaper until you have a portfolio of events you have covered or photographed instead of sending one shot and asking if they'll publish it. Stick with a theme just like with stock photography agency submissions. but if you are not into sports, try other big events happening in your area: concerts, politics, severe weather in your area such as flash floods, etc. Since most newspapers use Associated Press style guide, I suggest hunting one down and studying it. I'm not sure how to obtain one if you don't already work for a newspaper, so you may want to look into that. If you have any questions or wish to talk 'offline' as we say, please e-mail me.
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