During our week in New York City I began noticing similar trends and themes throughout the week. Many if not all of the companies we went to stressed the importance of certain skills and traits of a desirable employee. A phrase that we heard over and over was to "not be an asshole", or to just be a good person and be easy to get along with. The second most common theme was to be versatile and be able to learn new things. Most places are looking for photographers who can edit and do video. Another point that was stressed was location.
There is a lot of work in NYC and San Francisco but there is also a surplus of photographers capable of doing that work. Places like Miami and other states between NY and CA. are where there are not enough photographers. Which brings about the common theme of very few staffer but many freelancers. So, put yourself in a spot where you will be able to live affordably and still do jobs for a range of organizations.
This trip left me feeling very hopeful for the future. I never had in mind a staff position at a newspaper and I think that is a good thing because those are disappearing fast. I feel hopeful because it has become clear to me that the issue of everyone having a camera at their finger tips isn't an issue at all. Real story tellers have a skill and it's no longer just making a nice looking image and because the majority of people are so in-tune with the visual world it makes that skill more valuable. This profession is unlike most others because you really have to make your own way. I have accepted the fact that freelancing will be apart of my future but I am keeping all doors open for any opportunity.
One of the most inspiring pieces of advice came from the second speaker at TIME magazine who said that it's not enough to make a storytelling image, it should also be beautiful. I really appreciated this because he said it in a way that didn't mean take "pretty pictures" but it meant to make photographs that appeal to the human spirit. I saw this at Blue Chalk with the video they showed us of two blind girls getting to see for the first time. We should be making work the moves people who are watching it across the world.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Thursday October 30th, 2014
Today we met Alexis Cambrol at the Magum foundation. This organization is looking to fund projects that will effect change. The piece of advice that I found to be valuable is that luck is just preparation meeting opportunity. Being prepared and organized to take on anything is crucial so that when an opportunity presents itself you are able react and be ready to take it on. This was one of the few organizations we visited that allowed for long term documentary projects for underreported issues.
The New York Times was next on the list and they haven't hired a photographer in ten years, none the less there is still many opportunities to freelance. They told use the personality of the photographer is important to them and that they should be fearless and have the ability to really work situations, no matter how mundane, and to be able to capture emotion. "If you're asking someone to get naked you have to take off a few items of clothing yourself", meaning that you too need to be a little vulnerable with your subjects. Over all the message was that there are different expectations of photographers today, for every thing that has changed something positive has resulted.
At MSNBC James Collins to talked to us. The theme of social media being an important resource was recurrent throughout today. They have an entire team at NBC dedicated to audience development. The staff was kind enough to show us the control room and we were able to see the live reporting room. They look for problem solving abilities in their shooters which is another common quality that these companies are looking for.
Friday October 31st, 2014
At AP we were able to sit in on the morning news meeting which was such an interesting experience. AP's expectation of their photographers is that they should be able to photograph anything at a high degree. They should be able to photograph 1.) News: news worthy, capable of working in chaos, and action. 2.) Sports: able to use a long lens and have a strong level of engagement. 3.) Stand alone feature makes a photograph around a theme 4.) long term feature: be able to become invisible and make the subject comfortable. For our websites/portfolios they should be organized by theme, dont mix black and white, and a website that opens in every browser. The last piece of advice was to challenge ourselves to consistently maintain our own workshops, to pick a theme and take every opportunity to photograph that theme
Time Magazine showed us how many different platforms and opportunities there can be in photojournalism through their use of print, their lightbox blog, and their website. This is one of the few places that talked not only about making good images but making them beautiful. I think that many places might have thought that this is an obvious point but it made me think about how even mundane news can be made beautiful. The advice given was to have a personal mission, embrace vulnerability, have good presentation, be able to state your purpose in few words, use promos, and be charming. Both AP and Time told use to edit our work by gathering similar images into groups and then pick the best image out of each group. Other advice at TIME in regards to editing was to put distance between yourself and your images, always assume the editor will print the worst image you send in, an ordinary photo next to another ordinary photo can be extraordinary (sequencing matters), and edit by finding your opener and closer and then fill in the middle.
Today we met Alexis Cambrol at the Magum foundation. This organization is looking to fund projects that will effect change. The piece of advice that I found to be valuable is that luck is just preparation meeting opportunity. Being prepared and organized to take on anything is crucial so that when an opportunity presents itself you are able react and be ready to take it on. This was one of the few organizations we visited that allowed for long term documentary projects for underreported issues.
The New York Times was next on the list and they haven't hired a photographer in ten years, none the less there is still many opportunities to freelance. They told use the personality of the photographer is important to them and that they should be fearless and have the ability to really work situations, no matter how mundane, and to be able to capture emotion. "If you're asking someone to get naked you have to take off a few items of clothing yourself", meaning that you too need to be a little vulnerable with your subjects. Over all the message was that there are different expectations of photographers today, for every thing that has changed something positive has resulted.
At MSNBC James Collins to talked to us. The theme of social media being an important resource was recurrent throughout today. They have an entire team at NBC dedicated to audience development. The staff was kind enough to show us the control room and we were able to see the live reporting room. They look for problem solving abilities in their shooters which is another common quality that these companies are looking for.
Friday October 31st, 2014
At AP we were able to sit in on the morning news meeting which was such an interesting experience. AP's expectation of their photographers is that they should be able to photograph anything at a high degree. They should be able to photograph 1.) News: news worthy, capable of working in chaos, and action. 2.) Sports: able to use a long lens and have a strong level of engagement. 3.) Stand alone feature makes a photograph around a theme 4.) long term feature: be able to become invisible and make the subject comfortable. For our websites/portfolios they should be organized by theme, dont mix black and white, and a website that opens in every browser. The last piece of advice was to challenge ourselves to consistently maintain our own workshops, to pick a theme and take every opportunity to photograph that theme
Time Magazine showed us how many different platforms and opportunities there can be in photojournalism through their use of print, their lightbox blog, and their website. This is one of the few places that talked not only about making good images but making them beautiful. I think that many places might have thought that this is an obvious point but it made me think about how even mundane news can be made beautiful. The advice given was to have a personal mission, embrace vulnerability, have good presentation, be able to state your purpose in few words, use promos, and be charming. Both AP and Time told use to edit our work by gathering similar images into groups and then pick the best image out of each group. Other advice at TIME in regards to editing was to put distance between yourself and your images, always assume the editor will print the worst image you send in, an ordinary photo next to another ordinary photo can be extraordinary (sequencing matters), and edit by finding your opener and closer and then fill in the middle.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Tuesday October 28th, 2014
Today some of the recurring points that were made were keep evolving, location, and keeping the long view in mind.
The first stop of the day was at the Wallstreet Journal which has only in the last 10 years begun to use photos in their publication. Some of the points I took away were to make your own way, that there are more and more opportunities for photo editing, and a strong emphasis on being able to do video. The main piece of advice was that "having integrity is the one thing you can take everywhere."
We were introduced to Evan Simon who is very successful for a young age which was really encouraging. He is the same major and minor as I am (Photo and environmental studies) and yet he is working heavily in video which he taught himself. I think that meeting him and hearing his story gives me a lot of hope for our futures.
The next stop was Bloomberg, another publication that is more focused on financial/business stories. Both the Journal and Bloomberg mentioned that they are looking for more people in between NYC and San Francisco because there are a lot of work in those people but also a lot of photographers capable of doing the work. They are looking for more people in Miami and everywhere in between those two big cities that can freelance and pick up assignments for them.
They also mentioned that being versatile is really important to them. A lot of these places are looking for an employee who can do it all. A good piece of advice from them was to move to a smaller market and then work for a bigger market from that location.
Sports Illustrated is also having similar problems with the location of their shooters and not having enough spread out through the country. They really need shooters in Ohio and all the southern states. I was surprised that they actually had a 7% increase of readers of their print magazine last year. I think that says a lot about the publication and gives me some hope for the industry. They are looking for versatile people as well as problem solvers.
At Reauters we saw some really incredible work but Bob Sache and others. This visit really showed the variety of work we can be doing. First we saw work from National Geographic Photographer Bob Sache. He told the story of lighting the statue of liberty from one helicopter and shooting it from another and I think that was a really great example of how he got where he is.
We saw work from a wire shooter in Ferguson and learned about all the gear he takes with him during dangerous assignments. He emphasized that he spends a lot of time talking to his subjects before he ever takes his camera out because of the sensitive situation. He also talked about when to lay back and get out of a situation because there is nothing more you can shoot without causing a lot of trouble and getting your gear damaged.
Later his wife, Victoria Will Jackson spoke about her commercial work with lighting and portraits. Her work, although usually posed, has a very photojournalistic style to it. She gave many tips on getting your subject to loosen up, starting with having your lights set up and being ready to go when they arrive, don't get lost in the lighting, slow down, be present.
Wednesday October 29th, 2014
Today started with Mashable, an interesting company that mixes journalism, technology, and humor. They refer to themselves as the news source for the connected generation. This company showed me how photography and video are going to remain relevant because we rely to heavily on them for everything now. We also were given the great advice to ask question during an interview and don't say that you understand it all.
At Getty Images I learned that "maybe the old ways are done but there's still a rich way to do photojournalism.." These last few days have given me a lot to think about and hope for for the future. I also took away that it's not good enough to make great images once, you have to go out there and make good images consistently of any situation. Other pointed included, don't worry about everyone else, make mistakes and "high and low 360" for shooting angles, and to show something different. I also learned that they have many freelances all over and that we should be figuring out how to be successful without a job because it is possible and it's the most probable option.
The last stop was Teach for America. I really appreciate that this company is using visual storytelling for their advertising I just don't think it's very journalistic. There photos and videos all have to lead back to Teaching for America and can't just cover an issue in the education system. They use stories to campaign for themselves while they tell the story of a real student.
Today some of the recurring points that were made were keep evolving, location, and keeping the long view in mind.
The first stop of the day was at the Wallstreet Journal which has only in the last 10 years begun to use photos in their publication. Some of the points I took away were to make your own way, that there are more and more opportunities for photo editing, and a strong emphasis on being able to do video. The main piece of advice was that "having integrity is the one thing you can take everywhere."
We were introduced to Evan Simon who is very successful for a young age which was really encouraging. He is the same major and minor as I am (Photo and environmental studies) and yet he is working heavily in video which he taught himself. I think that meeting him and hearing his story gives me a lot of hope for our futures.
The next stop was Bloomberg, another publication that is more focused on financial/business stories. Both the Journal and Bloomberg mentioned that they are looking for more people in between NYC and San Francisco because there are a lot of work in those people but also a lot of photographers capable of doing the work. They are looking for more people in Miami and everywhere in between those two big cities that can freelance and pick up assignments for them.
They also mentioned that being versatile is really important to them. A lot of these places are looking for an employee who can do it all. A good piece of advice from them was to move to a smaller market and then work for a bigger market from that location.
Sports Illustrated is also having similar problems with the location of their shooters and not having enough spread out through the country. They really need shooters in Ohio and all the southern states. I was surprised that they actually had a 7% increase of readers of their print magazine last year. I think that says a lot about the publication and gives me some hope for the industry. They are looking for versatile people as well as problem solvers.
At Reauters we saw some really incredible work but Bob Sache and others. This visit really showed the variety of work we can be doing. First we saw work from National Geographic Photographer Bob Sache. He told the story of lighting the statue of liberty from one helicopter and shooting it from another and I think that was a really great example of how he got where he is.
We saw work from a wire shooter in Ferguson and learned about all the gear he takes with him during dangerous assignments. He emphasized that he spends a lot of time talking to his subjects before he ever takes his camera out because of the sensitive situation. He also talked about when to lay back and get out of a situation because there is nothing more you can shoot without causing a lot of trouble and getting your gear damaged.
Later his wife, Victoria Will Jackson spoke about her commercial work with lighting and portraits. Her work, although usually posed, has a very photojournalistic style to it. She gave many tips on getting your subject to loosen up, starting with having your lights set up and being ready to go when they arrive, don't get lost in the lighting, slow down, be present.
Wednesday October 29th, 2014
Today started with Mashable, an interesting company that mixes journalism, technology, and humor. They refer to themselves as the news source for the connected generation. This company showed me how photography and video are going to remain relevant because we rely to heavily on them for everything now. We also were given the great advice to ask question during an interview and don't say that you understand it all.
At Getty Images I learned that "maybe the old ways are done but there's still a rich way to do photojournalism.." These last few days have given me a lot to think about and hope for for the future. I also took away that it's not good enough to make great images once, you have to go out there and make good images consistently of any situation. Other pointed included, don't worry about everyone else, make mistakes and "high and low 360" for shooting angles, and to show something different. I also learned that they have many freelances all over and that we should be figuring out how to be successful without a job because it is possible and it's the most probable option.
The last stop was Teach for America. I really appreciate that this company is using visual storytelling for their advertising I just don't think it's very journalistic. There photos and videos all have to lead back to Teaching for America and can't just cover an issue in the education system. They use stories to campaign for themselves while they tell the story of a real student.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Monday October 27th, 2014
The day began at 9:30am in the
office of Blue Chalk, a young multimedia company that looks to tell stories
about social issues. I felt very inspired leaving there reflecting on how much
the company has accomplished in such a short amount of time. I took away a lot
of important key points from this company that were definitely repeated
throughout the day at other companies, just in different ways.
We were
told that the most important thing we can to do market ourselves is to be
likable and to “not be an island.” I think that during rush of trying to make
portfolio worthy images we often forget that how we present ourselves and how
we interact with the world also play a big part in getting hired later on.
The other
point that was made that I found to be important was that “its not about the F
stop and exposure, its about storytelling.” This holds a lot of value to me and
makes me think back on something that was said to me a while ago that a poorly
composed image with a good moment is still better than a beautiful photo that
has no substance.
At
Mediastorm I took away the emphasis on character driven story. We saw an
example in which the characters story was apart of a bigger issue and was made
relatable by connecting a common issue amongst many people. The issue is that a
high percentage of men will end up in prison at some point in their lives, the
character was one who is an activist against this issue and has also experienced it first hand, and it was made
relatable by showing his struggle of balancing work and family.
Brian Storm
made many great point but the ones that stuck with me the most were, “don’t take
a photo, give your subject a voice,” it’s not YOUR story,” and “there’s only
one way to become better and that’s to tell stories.” I was inspired by that
fact that he had spent 0$ on marketing up till this point and that he still
watches a film every night to continue seeing how stories can be told.
POV was an
interesting place to see since it is a very different platform of storytelling
from what I am used to working on myself. I am familiar with some of their documentaries
and am now more aware of the unique ways of storytelling tactics. POV also
looks for stories that are strong, socially driven, and character driven.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
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