Info on becoming a Photojournalist?:)

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Dirck Halstead : One Thread

I've dabbled some in the professional photography arena in years past. I've earned income from my photography via word of mouth and my "silver tongue" salesmanship. I have spent many years (too many) years attending college and am not interested in schools.

I'm tired of school and the promises of high pay. I've come to realize high pay is a "come on" used to entice students into the educational business stream.

I enjoy photography and am not afraid of hard work. I've spent 30 years in the logging industry and worked as a horseshoer (farrier) as a side job. Ten too sixteen hour days are common in those professions.

I'd like to get some info (books, articles, web sites) that would provide me with some help in establishing a direction to proceed with earning additional, if not sole source of income in the field of photojournalism.

Please, no more schools!

-- Robert Patterson (robdp@jps.net), October 11, 1999

Answers

Well you are already prepared for photojournalism!

You know how to work long hours......

And you know the promises of high pay are untrue!

It's a tough world out here. The commercial and advertising side of the camera is where the money is, but photojournalism is where the heart is. Good luck. Try to get on with a small local paper. Start wherever you can.

-- Zack Arias (zack@usedfilm.com), December 07, 1999.


Dont give up

-- Melissa T. (frightful_spectal@hotmail.com), September 28, 2001.

Listen, dude, I'm not even out of high school yet but I have some advice for you, you have to know all the right people to get the job you want in this field. I'm writing a research paper for my senior project and I had to interview a person in the field I'm writing about, and he'll be teh first to tell you, we don't get paid good money. So pretty much you're going to have to get up to where you want the hard way. There is one thing that can somewhat simplify it; internships. If you can show employers you can do it through an internship, there's a good chance they might hire you. Don't quit, and never always strive.

-- Jose D. Ramirez (definit284@yahoo.com), May 18, 2002.

You need to realize that going to a photojournalism school would get you the info you need. You can't get places in photojournalism without training and a good school.

-- Kristen Reeves (juggle@jps.net), January 12, 2003.

Having experience in professional photography is a plus, but do you have the right experience? Being able to tell a story through a picture itself is an art. Can you do that? If not, you need to learn how. One way is to study the photos of well-known photojournalists, and their biographies as well. Books and articles on becoming a photojournalist will also answer a lot of questions. More importantly, practice that type of photography. Create photos that tell a story and create a mood.

Secondly, photography will only get you half way there. Can you write? To many people, including myself, this half is more difficult than snapping the shutter release on a camera. You have to be able to hold your audiences attention if you plan to be successful in this career, and journalism has its own rules too. There are also books on this, as well as many sources of news media. Read, study how other writers use words, and ask yourself why certain articles held your attention more than others.

It doesn´t matter what field you want to go into, there is going to be some kind of schooling required, whether it´s a class, a college, or your own self-taught school. The success of any of them depend only on how passionate you are about learning, practicing, and applying what you´ve learned.

-- Larry Curless (LRCurless@yahoo.com), February 08, 2003.



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