How to get assignments for freelance photojournalism

[mthawkins]

I'm interested how one can get assignments to start building a portfolio. I've considered contacting local fire departments to see if they'll allow me to come in for a couple days to shoot a "day in the life" sort of thing. How does that usually work out? Any other suggestions?

 

[imagemaker46]

What skill level are you at, camera owner, slightly better, decent amateur? It will have some influence on how people treat you. If you walk into a fire station with an entry level digi cam and ask them if it's ok to follow them around for a few days you may not be taken very serious. On the other side if you have already secured a client, local paper perhaps, and have some gear to flash around along with an attitude and confidence, your chances are much better.

 

[DougGrigg]

I've worked closely with police forces, firearms squads, riot teams and such, it's usually about who you know and not what you know unfortunately. The best ways to get into photo-journalism and start building a portfolio is by looking at current events and documenting it as part of the crowd, then start emailing newspapers and start messaging them "Do you have a photographer covering this event, as I'll be there and am willing to cover it for you for the publicity" and keep sending messages like this to different newspapers or internet news/event blogs for a variety of different events etc.

You'll get there, we all start somewhere! I was just luckily enough to start off with Football and now I'm documenting forces. (still unpaid unfortunately, but its great for the CV)

 

[DougGrigg]

attitude and confidence,

^-- This too!

 

[KmH]

What country are you in?

 

[hirejn]

First things first, you should have skill and somewhat of a portfolio. If not, you're relying on the mercy of people to help you in an economy where nobody is helping anybody. If you have nothing to show, start with charities. Charities are usually happy to have some photos for publicity or coverage of events. Every community has some charity organizations or churches that have events. They most likely won't pay and will require commercial rights, but you have to accept that if you're just starting. They're usually good about giving you credit since you're doing the work for free.

If you want to freelance assignments, you have to approach people who give assignments. It's unlikely a newspaper will hire you to do assignments on speculation. You would have to pitch them an idea that would sell copies. Newspapers are tight. They avoid paying for content they can create themselves. So why would they pay you to do a photo essay on a fire department when they could just send someone on the payroll? That's something you'd have to try to sell.

Newspapers are generally not hiring, but they may put you on a freelancer list or contact you for occasional help. There's little money in that and it's likely the paper would own the copyright to the images. The fire department itself might be more willing to let you do a shoot, but again you might have to convince them why it's a good idea and why you're credible, and make sure you have a written agreement as to what can be done with the images. You would not get paid for this. It would be for your portfolio.

The way to get work is to make connections. Pitch yourself to people who create assignments. Pitch yourself to a lot of people.

 

[JoeW27 1]

Let me start with a couple of caveats. I don't know what country you're in. I don't know your age. I don't know your background or experience level.

Here are some things that I did (or saw peers do). In HS and college, shoot for the local papers (in college, it's the college paper, in HS it's the local/regional paper...the weekly thing that comes out or a free-press alternative that focuses entirely on local stuff). There are never enough photographers around to cover HS football and basketball games. This is going to do a couple of things:
--make some connections with editors
--establish a track record (that you do indeed show up where assigned, you do indeed produce results)
--create a portfolio (granted, most of it won't be useful for anything other than sports but press officers are used to dealing with local photojournalists who cover everything from the mayor's press conference to the state beauty pageant to the HS football championship and by the way...go over to the police academy and cover the hiring of the new police commissioner).

Apply for credentials. Almost all major police and first responder departments (meaning...at the city level, major counties, and state police departments) will allow you to apply for credentials to cross a police line. Once you've got that (and a point of contact...like a press officer or media affairs director for the local dept.) than it's not that tricky to get a chance to tag along or shoot a training drill or do a story on "a day at the firehouse".

Connect with a freelance writer. If you've got someone who wants to write a story (i.e.: "gun safety tips from the police range master" or "checking your house for fire hazards") that a local fire dept. would want to cooperate on, you're the Jeff to their Mutt (man, I just dated myself there). The journalist gets y'all in the door, you tag along to shoot pictures for the story. Once you've got an "in" with the department than subsequent applications or requests should be easy.