Notes on Photojournalism

Photojournalism:
Qualities one needs for this Career:

• A desire to be “out in the world” (Travelling, etc)
• Technical proficiency (Must be able to handle technology and know what you are doing)
• Understanding of and a commitment to ethical standards (Don’t manipulate or lie in a photo)
• Persistence ( a drive to get the story)

Formal Education?

• “The debate about whether or not a photographer needs a formal education goes back as far as the invention of photography. The best suggestion is for students to look at all the options and then choose the path that works for them.” (From Article)
• Ways to Go:
• Self-Taught
• A major in Photography
• A college Education

Are you taking only photos?

• The answer is NO! One must be able to take video and other multimedia mediums.

How important are Business Skills?

• Pretty Important, you have to be able to sell yourself and your product to the market.

Covering War:

• War is very expensive, but can be fruitful for a photographer’s career.
• Mind you, it is very hard to get into warring countries, though, and often you must have a major organization backing you and your trip.

Can you pay the bills with this Career?

• The answer is…most likely not.
• People go into photography  because they love it, not to make money
• The real compensation is your work, and the experiences you gain (Cheesy, right?)

Overall:

• Seek to have the widest possible skill set. (This includes work with a still camera, computer, audio and video tools. Be as complete a storyteller as possible with the range of tools available. )
• Special enhancements are equally valuable
•  Learn to write stories and proposals; learn one or more foreign languages; learn to compose music, an especially valuable skill as one moves into the multimedia and video world.
• Storytellers should keep in mind they will be studying at least three topics as long as they pursue this career:
• New technological developments
• The process of telling a story that communicates clearly
• The copyright law. These are subjects that become the ordinary, on-going “homework” of the working professional.
• Most likely creative people will have several if not many jobs over the course of their career.