A desire to start photojournalism, where to start?

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jaimiepeeters

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Hi

After having shot fashion for about 8 years on and off, I finally had the courage to follow my heart; quit fashion photography and aim for documentary and photojournalism.

Currently I make a living of off portrait photography, weddings, love shoots, a little bit of events, artists etc. My personal free work is street photography.

Having chosen this road really made me a lot happier photographing. Everything I shoot is reality, real emotions, real settings, no hair and make up or styling involved. It really makes me enjoy photography again.

But, my ultimate dream is to do photojournalism/ documentary photography. Every time, and it's often, I watch the "Picture Perfect" videos I really feel this huge desire to do what they do. To document intriguing people, situations, the pain and the love of these people.

Mind you, I have travelled to almost every continent as a music artist, so I've seen how beautiful and impressive the world is. It just took me a very long time to realize what I want to do regarding photography.

And now I'm stuck. I have no idea how to get into that field of work. Obviously I'm not after big money, I wouldn't even mind mixing photojournalism with work I'm making money with now. But I could really use some advise on where to start. Do I pick a project? and if I shoot it, what do I do with the images? Do I pick a current event or something that is close to me, even though it may not have current value? I'm a bit in the dark here. Any advise is appreciated.
 
Are you looking for self-directed work, directed content, or work as part of a larger team?

If you are looking for self directed work (ie do it, then sell it) I have no suggestions.

If you are looking for directed work (such as magazine or large website, they've really overlapped recently, or even local community news papers), contact the photo editors and see if they have any tasks in your area. If you've done any fashion for magazines, you already have some contacts who know your work. Your first job may be playing to what they know you can do, such as portraits, but now editorial portraits to run alongside articles.

If you want to work as part of a larger team, see if you can find any local documentary film makers and see if they could use you as a still photographer.
 
Hi Defconfunk,

That's actually a good question. Is it silly to say I'd like both?
My own projects and assignments?

If I'd shoot my own project. Is it still viable to offer them to magazines? In the fashion industry (well maybe not Vogue, but locals for sure) Photographers almost make no money at all anymore. Let's say I'd do a story on people in Ukraine. The cost of shooting that story, I don't see earned back from those magazines. Am I looking in the wrong direction regarding people to sell to?

As for the assignments... that's actually a good pointer. I'm going to start contacting as many magazine editors I can come up with! Thank you.
 
Honestly, I'm not a working photographer.
My comments came from reading Dan Winters' Road to Seeing (where he talks about how he went from a photojournalist to being a magazine portraitist who still does some journalistic work). Having read his stuff, and other photographers, it seems to be all about who you know, and who knows you. Your relationships with clients get you repeat work.

With regard to self-directed, I've written one article for a magazine. The process was fairly simple. You contact the editor with your story idea, and then negotiations begin. In my case it was very easy because the magazine had a set rate of pay for contributions and I had finished the article before I submitted my proposal. This magazine has a set rate of something like $50 for a user submitted photo (higher for commisioned photographs), not much to feed yourself on.

For something like People of Ukraine. Are you planning writing the article as well, or just a photo series? You'd probably want to look to a large news paper or long form journalistic outfit. Maybe a 'large' journalistic magazine from a smaller market. Time and New York Times, but 'from a smaller pond'. In Canada we have "Mclean's" who run that sort of article. I'm not sure what you have in the Netherlands.

Since Ukraine is a hot topic right now, talk with the editors at the large news papers in your country. I expect they are already getting all their photo content from the usual wire services / freelancers, but you can ask. If the editors aren't interested, ask them if they know anyone who may be. They may be able to put you in touch with someone (journalist, documentary team, etc) working on a similar project.
 
It sounds like you want to do long-term photo documentary work. This is very different from day-to-day 'photojournalism', as in, work for a daily publication.

Read this: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/repor...tojournalism-and-Documentary-Photography.aspx

I just skimmed the first 1/3, but it seems to pretty accurately describe the difference between the two.

I have experience with photojournalism, as in, for a daily publication. The majority of these assignments are 'managed.' By that I mean, you show up at a designated time, spend 15-30 minutes with a subject and move on to the next assignment. Often these are portraits of some kind. There's nothing to say you can't shoot in an un-orchestrated, reportage manner, but generally the time constraints, usually imposed by the subject being photographed (i.e. businessman or some other kind of professional), or the number of assignments for the day, means you need to get some guaranteed images. Therefore you pose them, at least to start... and see where it goes. Some subjects simply won't let down their guard or feel comfortable with you following them around. Or, it's some sort of event or announcement. If it's business/institutional or government related, it will be PR managed and staged. Here the question is whether to go along with what they've set up for photo-opps, or if you can find something unique and unplanned in the moments between.

There are photo documentary opportunities, just IMO, they're likely no longer an area commissioned by most publications. Maybe still by some of the larger ones, but certainly a niche and perhaps difficult to break into without some proven work in your portfolio. But it would be an obvious starting point to contact various news organizations. Generally it will help you if you already have a newsworthy topic in mind, and have some self-directed work already on the go. You have to understand that they're looking for content and you'll make their life easier, and more likely to say yes, if you have such content already available for them. They'll be less enthusiastic about assigning something to you instead of their existing pool of staff or freelancers unless you're able to prove your ability to them.

You may have better luck doing something with an NGO or other kinds of institutional organizations... but then you will likely work within their agendas. Might be best to start at the local level with a charitable organization. But you'll probably be doing it on a volunteer basis and won't be able to quit your 'day job' of portraits, weddings, etc. IMO, this is something that will take time to get rolling, therefore you'll want to keep doing your 'regular' photography for some time.

I'm not familiar with the wedding market in Europe/Netherlands and how you shoot weddings, but suggest this could also be an area where you can concentrate on an unstaged, documentarian style of coverage.
 
rscheffler said:
You may have better luck doing something with an NGO or other kinds of institutional organizations... but then you will likely work within their agendas. Might be best to start at the local level with a charitable organization. But you'll probably be doing it on a volunteer basis and won't be able to quit your 'day job' of portraits, weddings, etc. IMO, this is something that will take time to get rolling, therefore you'll want to keep doing your 'regular' photography for some time.
Click to expand...

I think that is actually a really good idea. Working with an NGO, you'll mostly be doing publicity type work with a very definited agenda, but, it'll get you into the places you want to be. While working on an NGO team you can also build a personal project of the work you want to do. I've done some work for charities (event coverage and animal portraits) and while there is no pay, I've enjoyed the process and the people. Again, I'm not trying to pay my bills with my camera.

As rscheffler said, this will take time to build up.
 
Hi guys

what's an NGO?

I contacted WARCHILD just now to see if there was any way we could start a dialogue on photographing for them. I know I need to start creating a portfolio to show possible clients what I can do, so I offered to shoot some projects for free in hope that they will pay for flight and housing since it's mostly abroad.

Looking into organizations like that locally, but I find it a bit harder to discover.
 
As I see it, since internet news portals marched onto the scene, people aren't really interested in real journalism and rarely buy magazines. All they want is hot news, spiced up with stories of wind-blown skirts. This kind of contents usually is fed to them mixed with ad banners, so I don't see cash behind journalism to feed guys wearing off their booties to make the story.

Sure, I'm wrong and there are people buying magazines and reading, actually READING and THINKING. Just whole internet mess has made them less visible.
 
Photojournalism is a tough tough field of photography now. There are a lot of people doing it, and not many people wanting to pay for it. Just look at all the newspapers sacking their photography departments to only use things like getty images etc for their imagery.

I know a few people who have been trying to do the same thing. They have self funded trips to the middle east and africa in the hope of returning with a portfolio of imagery that will have brought the issues going on over there to the forefront of news. some have had little success having work published in the ny times etc, but in no way are they making a living doing this as it is incredibly hard to do so.

I haven't done it, I wouldn't know where to start, but maybe if you contact someone who is well versed in the area, make some contacts, and find a cause that you're interested in covering, and try and self fund it.
 
Like right now? Make alot of money on fashion shots, start your own long-term project, apply for a grant (alot of them), and maybe one day it may bring you some money. Oh and you can try to publish it yourself as a photo-essay.
 
Make sure you have a good idea of what you want to do photojournalistically. That is, what is your goal? Are you wanting to do advocacy work?
Have a topic that is focused, well thought out and actually possible. Come up with a miniature version of that and go shoot it on "spec." That's speculation. This is where you build your portfolio of documentary work. Sending yourself on all expenses paid (by you) assignments that last a week or two or even longer, maybe a month, shoot them, write the story and then publish it in a blog, self-publishing site like blurb or issuu and start to float that work to organizations that think like you do.

Get ready for a long struggle with a lot of nicely worded letters declining your services or interest in your idea. Also prepare for some that aren't so nice.

Phil Forrest
 
Phil_F_NM said:
Get ready for a long struggle with a lot of nicely worded letters declining your services or interest in your idea. Also prepare for some that aren't so nice.

Phil Forrest
Click to expand...

This...It's a lot easier to just shoot your own projects and find buyers for them, but in this day and age only a few people can actually make a living this way.
 
Think local for now. We all can't get embedded overseas. There are plenty of small local papers and websites that cater to local neighborhood news. Start there. It'll be little or no money. The assignments might not be what you really want to do, but it will be a chance to build up a portfolio. Work on a documentary project of your own as well. Something personal. Something that really moves you. Something that you are passionate about. Doesn't matter if it is earth shattering. Your passion will show in your work and that will make you stand out from the crowd.
 
jbielikowski said:
Like right now? Make alot of money on fashion shots, start your own long-term project, apply for a grant (alot of them), and maybe one day it may bring you some money. Oh and you can try to publish it yourself as a photo-essay.
Click to expand...
Best advice so far. You need the idea; then the grant (or other form of funding, e.g. book contract).

Cheers,

R.
 
Good question Jaimie!

Pick a topic that is in the local (national) that you hear about. Do some research on the topic. Do some more research on the people impacted. Learn their cultures and then spend two days, travel to where the people are and shot pictures of them, their lives, their struggle. Take the film back, proof and review. Think about the story are you learned about and decide if your shots tell the whole story. Go back and shoot some more, soup, proof and review.

Take the results to a outlet, a local paper, a web site, where ever and see if you can get it published.

Try it a couple of times to see if it's something you really like, build a set of stories that really tell a story.

I don't know enough about grants by you but it's a fine idea. You will need to develop the a great justification as to why you should be paid and what you will accomplish.

It's a journey I wish I had the guts to try. Please keep us up to date on how you are making out.

B2
 
BillBingham2 said:
Good question Jaimie!

Pick a topic that is in the local (national) that you hear about. Do some research on the topic. Do some more research on the people impacted. Learn their cultures and then spend two days, travel to where the people are and shot pictures of them, their lives, their struggle. Take the film back, proof and review. Think about the story are you learned about and decide if your shots tell the whole story. Go back and shoot some more, soup, proof and review.

Take the results to a outlet, a local paper, a web site, where ever and see if you can get it published.

Try it a couple of times to see if it's something you really like, build a set of stories that really tell a story.

I don't know enough about grants by you but it's a fine idea. You will need to develop the a great justification as to why you should be paid and what you will accomplish.

It's a journey I wish I had the guts to try. Please keep us up to date on how you are making out.

B2
Click to expand...
And then run out of money and find that someone else has done it anyway!

To the OP: paradoxically, it may be better to use a quasi "fine art" approach. Go to Arles; see who's doing well; reflect on your own abilities and contacts.

I have some experience of this, working for the Tibetan Government in Exile: see Hidden Tibet, Element Books, 1988. And I've met quite a few people in Arles who've gone deeper in to it. For example, buy Marieke ten Wolde's book 'Freeing the Fish, Progress and Impermanence in modern day Tibet', http://www.ten-wolde.eu/home.html. Yes, it's 49.95€. But it's a masterclass in what you want to do.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of MEETING people, rather than thrashing about like a landed fish on the internet.

Cheers,

R.
 
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