Help trying to find work as a Documentary/News photographer :(

Hello everyone,
I'm sure you can see from the subject matter for what I'm going to ask,

basically my story is this, I got back into photography a year ago in a panic bid to restart my life and to do the one thing I should of done years ago, (Photography) so now I have my website and am looking for work in a News field / Documentary maybe even war,

It’s just that I don't know where and how and who to start and contacting, I'm desperate to start a career I am passionate about and believe I could do well given the chance, But as I mention again, I really don't know how and who to talk to, I have emailed quite allot of news papers here in London and Photo Agencies but no reply, that was only 2 weeks ago and my approach may have been wrong, Could anyone help me in telling me what I should do first and how for this kind of work, I would be so grateful and it means the world to me, any small or big reply to me would mean the world I just feel a bit lost right now,

Here is a few links to my work so you don’t have to trail everywhere over my website

(People)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/People/People-LondonEngland/7470005_uu8VP#442290631_bYqHM

(Landscape)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Landscapes/New-Forest/8532261_NGsd5#561777886_mGEZs

(Model)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Portraits/Emma/9089845_ALXUo#606402199_Ky4Hw

(New Art)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Portraits/Emma-2-Dark/9268008_U6QmR#619135152_jHtoW

I hope you like my work

Kindest Regards

--
http://www.louis-amore.smugmug.com

I really enjoyed looking at your galleries... you have a good eye and good sensibilities when it comes to composing and toning.

However, that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to photojournalism... you have to be keenly aware of current events, ethics, laws, and procedures. For instance: Do you have the names and home towns of all the people in your photos? Photojournalists have to chase people down to get that information and get it right, or else the photos can become essentially useless to an editor.

Neil Turner, formerly of the Times Supplements but now a London-based photojournalist wrote elsewhere online that:

Press photography here in the UK is a hugely oversubscribed, relatively poorly paid and difficult profession. Our markets for photography are shrinking and newspaper and magazine owners are well aware that they can cut costs on their photographic budgets - in the same way that they do elsewhere.

This book is a textbook in many U.S. photojournalism courses... it should be a good starting point for you too:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photojournalism-Professionals-Approach-Kobre/dp/075068593X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252363004&sr=8-1

Best of luck,

--
Curtis Clegg

Its a shrinking market, that will shrink further. Persistance will get you somewhere, but you cannot be in a hurry. While your work is competent, it does not distinguish itself from cadets journos and citizen photo journalism that you will be competing with.

There is a market in the art field that will probably grow. But this has more to do with both sensibility and art market negotiation than shooting people in the street. Have you considered your own projects? The money will not come necessarily from a payed gig, but from exhibition and book project (long term). But you need to have faith in your work and a eye on what is in the documentary space, now and in the future.

The odds are very slim. There is plenty of talent on the market, very few jobs.

I can only offer critique on the portfolios you've linked, not on your job prospects.

Some of the model images are nice but all the same person with slight variations on the look. It just screams that your portfolio has no depth.

The New Art gallery looks just like any other goth photographer you might find on model mayhem.

The landscapes are so so, too much processing has used to compensate.

The people gallery is by far your strongest. I really like many of those images but some have been a little overprocessed for PJ work. Less artsy. The other galleries make it look like you're trying to do everything. Maybe you can but they'll need more depth before you can try and sell it.

Most larger cities will have resources for photographers to review their portfolios. I think you have some good work but it needs to be critiqued by a competent person in the industry.

Carerra said:

Hello everyone,
I'm sure you can see from the subject matter for what I'm going to ask,

basically my story is this, I got back into photography a year ago in a panic bid to restart my life and to do the one thing I should of done years ago, (Photography) so now I have my website and am looking for work in a News field / Documentary maybe even war,

It’s just that I don't know where and how and who to start and contacting, I'm desperate to start a career I am passionate about and believe I could do well given the chance, But as I mention again, I really don't know how and who to talk to, I have emailed quite allot of news papers here in London and Photo Agencies but no reply, that was only 2 weeks ago and my approach may have been wrong, Could anyone help me in telling me what I should do first and how for this kind of work, I would be so grateful and it means the world to me, any small or big reply to me would mean the world I just feel a bit lost right now,

Here is a few links to my work so you don’t have to trail everywhere over my website

(People)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/People/People-LondonEngland/7470005_uu8VP#442290631_bYqHM

(Landscape)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Landscapes/New-Forest/8532261_NGsd5#561777886_mGEZs

(Model)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Portraits/Emma/9089845_ALXUo#606402199_Ky4Hw

(New Art)

http://louis-amore.smugmug.com/Portraits/Emma-2-Dark/9268008_U6QmR#619135152_jHtoW

I hope you like my work

Kindest Regards

--
http://www.louis-amore.smugmug.com

Click to expand...

--
http://www.michaelsessionsphotography.com

http://www.largelifephotography.com

Hi there-

I will take a different tack then the others who have replied. Instead of critiquing your work, because that really doesn't matter, I will comment on your chosen field - one that I am engaged in myself.

I would offer the advice that you certainly seem to be capable and have the talent (and you know what - in PJ the actual photo's technical merits aren't worth as much as whether or not it tells a story...), now let's see if you have the drive. As a journalist you will face gazillions of rejections - get used to it. You said you contacted papers - just by writing to them? I ask because if that is what you did you are half way there. What I would try if I was just breaking in is to have some photos taken that are "newsworthy" - that means current and interesting - and then send those to your local paper and ask if they'd like to use them. Don't send a bunch, send a couple. make sure they are interesting, show people and tell a story (and have a caption and have a watermark or are of very low resolution).

If you keep doing this, some paper will eventually (remember you will get rejected many times first) publish your work, and then you can build your portfolio.

I worked first for a local University paper, then got one photo in a community paper because I captured a photo they didn't have, and there you go.
Hope that helps, stick with it...
Bill

--
http://www.billcurry.ca

is fundamental to photojournalism. F8 to get sufficient DOF to have most of the subject in focus and be in a position to take the picture when it occurs. You need to be out making worthwhile news pictures and then working hard to sell them (that's SELL them, not get them published).

Take a look at all the pictures you see in your newspaper. My local paper uses a lot of reader supplied images which are posted on their website photo sharing section. Payment? HEY, I'm published and got a credit.

The society page pictures are probably from a nice social lady with a point and shoot. Who needs high resolution images for half tone publication? She gets a free lunch, recognition (Ooooh, it's Nancy from the News) and a modest payment for each published event.

Celebrities and big events? Take the shots to an agency but, there are a lot of paparazzi out there competing.

Most of any professional career, photography or not, is marketing and management. Without a fundamental business sense and learned skills, you won't be going anywhere. Sorry if this sounds tough but, business is.
--
EXIF is embedded in photos
Zenfolio site - http://www.puntagordanaturally.com
RF Stock Portfolio - http://www.dreamstime.com/resp129611

bgD300 said:

...snip...(that's SELL them, not get them published).

Click to expand...

Which is an excellent point - so to clarify my statement, when I said "eventually someone will publish your work", I meant will publish and pay you for your work.

I do NOT work for "photo credit" - quick, name one by-line given to a photographer in any newspaper you've read this week; exactly, I can't either...
Bill

--
http://www.billcurry.ca

I see you are from the U.K., and I can not say what news orginizations you have. But I know you have the equivelant of Stars and Stripes, Military/Army/Marine Corps/Air Force/Navy Times, and other military publications. They will hire and send aspiring PJ's that they feel fit to the field to document the war. See if you can contact one of your local Military Public Affairs Offices and ask about embedding with a unit going to Afghanistan or Kuwait.

I know I saw a few PJ's with the British Military and they were some very nice and interesting people.

I personally do my work through the military and collect a steady pay check month to month, but then again 80% of what I shoot is owned by the military and not myself.
Good luck it is a great career and check out
http://viiphoto.ning.com/

and

INTERNSHIPS
VII Photo Agency - New York and Paris

VII Photo Agency is currently seeking interns to fill positions in Paris (1) for the period September to December 2009
and New York (2) for the period December to March 2010.

The New York and Paris internships provide unique exposure to the archive and sales sides of the agency,
with some level of interaction with the photographers themselves.

Candidates should have or be pursuing a degree in photography,
plus possess comparable photography work experience.

The intern position requires knowledge of scanning, Photoshop and Macintosh systems.

The ideal candidate should be highly organized, self-motivated, flexible,
resourceful and intelligent in their approach to the workplace.

Requirements: 4-month commitment, full-time availability, reliable transportation and accommodation.

This is an unpaid internship, so please be financially prepared to participate in this program.

Qualified and interested applicants should send a cover letter, detailed resume and 3 strong references to
New York Internship to Alina Grosman at : [email protected]
Paris Internship to Nick Papadopoulos at : [email protected]

Good Luck and hope this helps out.

Greg

gnjphoto said:

I see you are from the U.K., and I can not say what news orginizations you have. But I know you have the equivelant of Stars and Stripes, Military/Army/Marine Corps/Air Force/Navy Times, and other military publications. They will hire and send aspiring PJ's that they feel fit to the field to document the war. See if you can contact one of your local Military Public Affairs Offices and ask about embedding with a unit going to Afghanistan or Kuwait.

I know I saw a few PJ's with the British Military and they were some very nice and interesting people.

I personally do my work through the military and collect a steady pay check month to month, but then again 80% of what I shoot is owned by the military and not myself.
Good luck it is a great career and check out
http://viiphoto.ning.com/

and

INTERNSHIPS
VII Photo Agency - New York and Paris

VII Photo Agency is currently seeking interns to fill positions in Paris (1) for the period September to December 2009
and New York (2) for the period December to March 2010.

The New York and Paris internships provide unique exposure to the archive and sales sides of the agency,
with some level of interaction with the photographers themselves.

Candidates should have or be pursuing a degree in photography,
plus possess comparable photography work experience.

The intern position requires knowledge of scanning, Photoshop and Macintosh systems.

The ideal candidate should be highly organized, self-motivated, flexible,
resourceful and intelligent in their approach to the workplace.

Requirements: 4-month commitment, full-time availability, reliable transportation and accommodation.

This is an unpaid internship, so please be financially prepared to participate in this program.

Qualified and interested applicants should send a cover letter, detailed resume and 3 strong references to
New York Internship to Alina Grosman at : [email protected]
Paris Internship to Nick Papadopoulos at : [email protected]

Good Luck and hope this helps out.

Greg

Click to expand...

A young woman who lives with my Mom has been working as an upaid intern at a civil engineer fim. May not be the best, but while most of her graduating class is still sitting around wondering why they don't have jobs, she took an internship. The result, when she first applied for Graduate school she was turned down. Six months later, she got in to the program. Several engineers at the firm wrote recommendation letters and the company owner had a meeting with the University head of the civil engineering school (this is a major university) about the interns qualifications.

So is this a big deal? Right now it is - getting into big graduate programs is very tough right now. Many students are staying in school since they can find jobs. This young woman now has experience, will be going to graduate school and now has a job that has gone from an unpaid internship to a paid position (in fact, she has two firms that want to hire her).

If you want a career in an area that is very competitive unpaid internships can get you experience and open many doors.

but, you will become familiar with the archive and sales and will meet the photographers.

It may be worthwhile as to learning photography as a business but, your finger won't be on the shutter button.
--
EXIF is embedded in photos
Zenfolio site - http://www.puntagordanaturally.com
RF Stock Portfolio - http://www.dreamstime.com/resp129611

bgD300 said:

but, you will become familiar with the archive and sales and will meet the photographers.

It may be worthwhile as to learning photography as a business but, your finger won't be on the shutter button.
--

Click to expand...

Meeting with the photographers, getting your name out there, and becoming a familiar face to these masters of there crafts. They could definatley give you the advice you need, and more reliable than what you can get off the interet. vii is like gettys, but strictly photojournalism. Check out the visionary forum, they are all photojournalist from around the world, and could definatley give advice that you need as well.

Sometimes we need to network a little to get started. Networking is a big part of the business, and the business is a big part of photography. So you actually win on all fronts. Only an idea.

Good luck to you and know that war photography is like no other photography. When the moment happens, there are no reshoots, there is no posing or staging your shots, you capture moments and document history. Both sides have a story to tell and it is your job to let that be seen in the photos. It is also great to learn about other cultures and the politics involved in the war on both sides.

It can be scary when the vehichle ahead of you hits a roadside bomb and your vehichle is sprayed with small arms fire. Your knockles go white as you prepare to pull the trigger on your M-4 carbine. It truly is a rush, and you don't realize how close you came to dying your self until you have time to reflect.

Be prepared to see dead people, severed limbs and heads along with the smell burning flesh. It is reality over there, whether it be our brothers in arms, our enemy, or civilian casualties, the images are hard to shake, and stick with you for awhile.

One of the greatest things about documenting war is you gain more respect for the military and see for yourself that we are making a difference, and that they do like us over there, just not the extremist.

I could talk of this subject for hours, for I love it, and it truly is my favorite type of photography. Shooting a wedding with two camera bodies and pro lenses is nothing after humping around all the gear you will carry while over there, and your shot discipline will improve, and your style will develop.

Good luck

Greg

I'm going to suggest another tack. I used to work at the BBC as a director and producer, and we often needed photographers to sell the series we were working on. The BBC's structure has changed since I worked there, but the essence is this: find out how the publicity departments for the different genres are organised, and then ring up each department and ask how you should apply to be on their books.

In my day, there were, for example, Factual Publicity, Drama Publicity, Entertainment Publicity etc. This has almost certainly changed. But if you ring and ask to speak to Drama Publicity, you will get someone. Ask them to transfer you to the person who commissions stills. Ask THAT person to explain the structure of the departments to you. Be persistent, ring people up, and make sure you get names. That way they remember you when you send in your material.

Do the same with the other major TV companies. And remember that radio stations publicise themselves with pictures too.

This isn't PJ, but if you're successful, it gets you paid photo credits. Credits for Sky or the BBC will stand you in good stead. The best of the photographers I worked with could find a story in the material you presented to them, and found shots that could sum it up. The worst didn't manage to get a single good shot out of Durham Cathedral, a large hawk that obligingly stood still or flew on command, and a reasonably well-known presenter. I'm sure you'd have done a much better job, and I'd have had a picture that actually worked in Radio Times.

As a dose of reality: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20090929103500534

Carrera:

I recently retired after twenty years as a photojournalism instructor. Over the past three or four years, the job market at large newspapers and agencies shrunk drastically in Canada, and also in the U.S., as large newspapers went under, or were hit by the recession.

Also, getting into that field is not an entry-level job, and generally requires considerable experience. It also helps to be multilingual.

Around here, the best approach is to seek a job as reporter/photographer at a weekly newspaper, especially in small towns. In addition to photo skills, they will want someone who can write well, do page layout, and is generally a very versatile employee. A few years of that kind of work gives you the experience the big markets are looking for.

--
My photos on Photobucket:
http://s485.photobucket.com/albums/rr219/neilcrichton/