teach yourself photojournalism

[dennybeall]

I can see both viewpoints but think a combination of the two is more the way to go.
Consider, it's one thing to have a portfolio and you need that but, when you add actual published work with your byline then the power of the portfolio is much stronger.
If you have to do some free work to get published it's not a bad idea. The hard part is to move on to paid work quickly.

 

[imagemaker46]

What is your current experience, how long have you been using a camera and what kind of gear are you using? There is no one easy answer to your question. Photojournalism spans a lot of different fields of photography, being good at many of them is a key to the road to success. Many newspaper photographers have strong points, but being able to shoot a little of everything and come away with good images makes the difference.

 

[Microbois]

I can see both viewpoints but think a combination of the two is more the way to go.
Consider, it's one thing to have a portfolio and you need that but, when you add actual published work with your byline then the power of the portfolio is much stronger.
If you have to do some free work to get published it's not a bad idea. The hard part is to move on to paid work quickly.

The reason why I'm against the idea for beginners to offer their time to work for nothing at local newspapers is simply because there's is no future (read job) to be had there. Heck, I've done that myself 25 years ago, back in the days I needed a B/W darkroom in my apartment to print my shots within couples hours, and still, it wasn't a full time job back then, but I was getting pay though!. It certainly isn't nowadays... You would just get exploited, and incur expenses and a lot of risks for your gear.

The OP has to figure out if he really wants to do this as a living, then if so, get the appropriate education, find a job (paid or unpaid for a short period of time), pay his dues, and work is way up. Good luck! If the OP is just interested in providing his services as a photographer to local newspapers, then he can provide a sample of his work on a real assignment as a try out, but he must be paid for the next ones, otherwise it's plain slavery.

Once again, what's the point of paying to have a job? Regarding his portfolio, being published or not doesn't make any difference. It just says that someone else before paid for your pictures and used them in a printed publication. That's all what it is and no one knows if it happened only once or thousand times. I've been published in magazines every month for the last 10 years, but I only had to provide one set of pictures as a sample of my work at the very beginning. Then the deal was sealed.

Today, you can make your own portfolio and publish yourself on the Internet. If your customers can't see the value of your work, well... welcome to the 21st century and work harder, or find another job!

 

[imagemaker46]

I know a lot of very talented young photographers that have great skills and hustle all the time, and yet they are all fighting for the crust of the loaf. I've been doing this a long time and have managed to keep a few slices, but the loaf is getting shorter everyday, even for the established shooters. I figure I have hopefully 8-10 more years in this business.

 

[rexbobcat]

Horrible decision. Newspapers won't exist in 1o years

You do realize that photojournalism exists outside the staff jobs and the medium of news print...right?

 

[Gary A.]

Very humbly tell them you want to learn the business ... even for free. They may bring you in as long as you don't get in the way ... after a while of free they'll probably pay your expenses and a little more.

I strongly disagree with this approach. While it may have been a good idea in the good old days, I think in today's world, it's just being very naive. Full time photographers are losing their jobs everyday and are being replaced by just anyone who can hold a camera and provide pictures for free, or almost. Would you beg Walmart to work for free so you can gain experience, hoping you will eventually land a job at minimum wage? Huh?

Begging local newspapers to let you take pictures for them for free is a huge mistake. If you are to work for free, then just make your own portfolio yourself. Attend the same events, cover them like a real photojournalist, and save your best pictures. If none of the local newspapers can pay something for your work, then they don't deserve you.

In the beginning it is all about learning the trade, getting photos published, getting a decent String Book together so a publication will take you seriously. People are interning and externing everyday just to get their foot in the door ... just to learn the business. Guess what, a paid internship is rare.

Comparing an entry/lowest rung of employment to news is not a fair comparison. Working at Walmart for free doesn't make sense because of the skills require are minimal and so is the pay. Interning for free at a law firm, or advertising firm, or a film production company, or a software development company, or a newspaper makes sense because you gain invaluable experience and access to others in the biz. News is terribly fast paced, having an inexperienced person on staff just gets in the way. Paying an inexperienced person that will get in your way doesn't make sense when there are experienced photogs out in the marketplace.

You stated it yourself ... "Full time photographers are losing their jobs everyday", in that type of job environment why would an editor waste their time with someone with absolutely zero experience? Because free fits their budget. In news, it is an employer's market.

Gary

PS- It will be very hard if not impossible to cover the same event or an event in the same way as a credentialed news photog. You will not have access for hard news and sports.
G

 

[Gary A.]

I can see both viewpoints but think a combination of the two is more the way to go.
Consider, it's one thing to have a portfolio and you need that but, when you add actual published work with your byline then the power of the portfolio is much stronger.
If you have to do some free work to get published it's not a bad idea. The hard part is to move on to paid work quickly.

... Regarding his portfolio, being published or not doesn't make any difference. It just says that someone else before paid for your pictures and used them in a printed publication. That's all what it is and no one knows if it happened only once or thousand times. I've been published in magazines every month for the last 10 years, but I only had to provide one set of pictures as a sample of my work at the very beginning. Then the deal was sealed.
...

I've worked full time for major market newspapers for one and a half decades. The portfolio/string book is significant for the unestablished news photographer. It says you have the experience to work news. It show the editor various stories and how you treated them, stories the editor may be familiar. Granted, I've been out of the news market for some time ... but it is hard for me imagine that being publish means nothing.

 

[Microbois]

Ok, this is a misunderstanding. We are not talking about the same thing at all.

While I totally understand that working for free as an intern at a national newspaper to gain experience for a while is perfectly fine, I hope you agree that those major newspaper will not hire a hobbyist photographer, out of the blue, with no experience at all. It will simply never happen, especially nowadays.

Working for free for a "local newspaper", and I insist on "local newspaper", not a national newspaper, is where I said you should never work for free. Those places are often ran by a few persons, most of them not even full time, and they may need a photographer for some tougher events to shoot. This is where a beginning photographer, assuming he's already very good at taking pictures, can possibly start shooting for a newspaper, but never for free.

 

[Gary A.]

Okay, we're both right. But ... the big but ... I think doing an internship/externship at any daily newspaper is valuable. "There is no substitute for experience." (I'm running a political campaign right now and that's our slogan, lol.)