find a job with a newspaper or magazine i guess....
i'm just curious, and if you dont wanna answer, then its no big deal, but does the photography market produce decent incomes?
It depends on what kind of a photographer you are and it really does depend on what you are taking pictures of.
A photojournalist for cnn for example would get paid more than a photojournalist for peachtree daily.
And being a photographer for National Geographic for example, is the bomb. It's probably every photographer's dream job.
There's a DVD by national geographic called The Photographers which is really cool and well done and gives you insight on what it takes to be a national geographic photographer.
These people shoot an incredible amount of film and it is hard for them to 'get a story' but once their photos are chosen the satisfaction is infinite.
I'm a professional photographer that shoots a lot of events: weddings, parties, speeches, etceteras. I started by finding jobs that were advertised as needing a photographer. It helped that the artist's resource center at the Museum of Fine Arts provided such a bulletin.
The most tried and true method is finding a photographer that does this kind of work and getting a job as an assistant for him or her. You'll be loading cameras, and probably not taking many pictures, but you will learn a lot. You will get to learn how that photographer works the people, works the client, how that photographer sets up shots, how he moves throughout the event to stay, in most cases, as invisible as possible.
Alternately, you can try to find some agencies or crew services. There are places that have a list of freelancers that they will assign on jobs they get from clients.
The best way is to become someone's assistant. No shame in that. It's how most people start, you'll make some good contacts, and you'll learn a lot. If you're a competent photographer, it quickly gets to the point where it isn't so much about your eye and shot composition as it is about how you market yourself and deal with the people. You're going to learn that from the person you assist.
And being a photographer for National Geographic for example, is the bomb. It's probably every photographer's dream job.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. A pro photographer I know got her big break when NG accepted her pictures for a feature article. But NG doesn't pay much (at least to freelancers, don't know about staff) and, from what I understand, gets all the rights to your pictures. Of course, you can leverage the prestige of having your pictures in National Geographic to market yourself to better-paying clients.
Thanks for the great insight, LoCash. Definitely agree about being an assistant. Many other professions work similarly, e.g. the legal business, where I am. (Except that you need to get a JD and pass the bar to move up. )
In regards to being a National Geographic photographer... most photographers aren't really "on staff" with them. When NG does a story about, say, the mating habits of arctic penguins, they don't pick a photographer from a pool. Often the photographer that gets an assignment is a specialist in a particular field. I'm not saying that's how NG always works, but that is one of the primary methods.
So don't decide what company you want to work for necessarily, rather, decide what kind of photography it is you want to do. Since event photography was specifically mentioned, I think we're all on the same page.
If you're interested, these are some shots I took at my cousin's wedding a couple of years back. They weren't really supposed to be anything special, as I wasn't hired to shoot it, but I ended up getting more print orders than the hired photographers. Hell, I just considered them snapshots at the time; I had a new camera I was playing with. I am constantly complimented by my clients on my ability to silently and transparently navigate an event. Oftentimes people are oblivious to the fact that a photographer was even there. I also know how to handle my clients in terms of people skills, and it's all stuff I learned by working with others
In regards to being a National Geographic photographer... most photographers aren't really "on staff" with them. When NG does a story about, say, the mating habits of arctic penguins, they don't pick a photographer from a pool. Often the photographer that gets an assignment is a specialist in a particular field. I'm not saying that's how NG always works, but that is one of the primary methods.
So don't decide what company you want to work for necessarily, rather, decide what kind of photography it is you want to do. Since event photography was specifically mentioned, I think we're all on the same page.
If you're interested, these are some shots I took at my cousin's wedding a couple of years back. They weren't really supposed to be anything special, as I wasn't hired to shoot it, but I ended up getting more print orders than the hired photographers. Hell, I just considered them snapshots at the time; I had a new camera I was playing with. I am constantly complimented by my clients on my ability to silently and transparently navigate an event. Oftentimes people are oblivious to the fact that a photographer was even there. I also know how to handle my clients in terms of people skills, and it's all stuff I learned by working with others
Well, here's what the dvd said. You are assigned a project and you go to take pictures for it, but whether or not your story gets used still depends.
...what are you going to do with all those underpants?
Forget the events, This is where the real money is to be made...
Ok that's most likely true, but in regards to the question. Go and get out, meet some PR people, event coordinators, or the such... They are always needing cheap laborers to fit in on a pinch...
Hey, its usually quick $s without a lot of expense...
Comments
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!
Originally posted by O-Mac
That's the question...
Do you mean to say a photojournalist or photodocumentary?
I have been doing photography for a while now and I may be able to give you some advice.
here are some pics I took from last year (norway, italy and belgium and some of the US)
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~rg8s/
i'm just curious, and if you dont wanna answer, then its no big deal, but does the photography market produce decent incomes?
Originally posted by ipodandimac
find a job with a newspaper or magazine i guess....
i'm just curious, and if you dont wanna answer, then its no big deal, but does the photography market produce decent incomes?
It depends on what kind of a photographer you are and it really does depend on what you are taking pictures of.
A photojournalist for cnn for example would get paid more than a photojournalist for peachtree daily.
And being a photographer for National Geographic for example, is the bomb. It's probably every photographer's dream job.
There's a DVD by national geographic called The Photographers which is really cool and well done and gives you insight on what it takes to be a national geographic photographer.
These people shoot an incredible amount of film and it is hard for them to 'get a story' but once their photos are chosen the satisfaction is infinite.
The most tried and true method is finding a photographer that does this kind of work and getting a job as an assistant for him or her. You'll be loading cameras, and probably not taking many pictures, but you will learn a lot. You will get to learn how that photographer works the people, works the client, how that photographer sets up shots, how he moves throughout the event to stay, in most cases, as invisible as possible.
Alternately, you can try to find some agencies or crew services. There are places that have a list of freelancers that they will assign on jobs they get from clients.
The best way is to become someone's assistant. No shame in that. It's how most people start, you'll make some good contacts, and you'll learn a lot. If you're a competent photographer, it quickly gets to the point where it isn't so much about your eye and shot composition as it is about how you market yourself and deal with the people. You're going to learn that from the person you assist.
Originally posted by stevegongrui
And being a photographer for National Geographic for example, is the bomb. It's probably every photographer's dream job.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. A pro photographer I know got her big break when NG accepted her pictures for a feature article. But NG doesn't pay much (at least to freelancers, don't know about staff) and, from what I understand, gets all the rights to your pictures. Of course, you can leverage the prestige of having your pictures in National Geographic to market yourself to better-paying clients.
Thanks for the great insight, LoCash. Definitely agree about being an assistant. Many other professions work similarly, e.g. the legal business, where I am. (Except that you need to get a JD and pass the bar to move up.
Escher
So don't decide what company you want to work for necessarily, rather, decide what kind of photography it is you want to do. Since event photography was specifically mentioned, I think we're all on the same page.
If you're interested, these are some shots I took at my cousin's wedding a couple of years back. They weren't really supposed to be anything special, as I wasn't hired to shoot it, but I ended up getting more print orders than the hired photographers. Hell, I just considered them snapshots at the time; I had a new camera I was playing with. I am constantly complimented by my clients on my ability to silently and transparently navigate an event. Oftentimes people are oblivious to the fact that a photographer was even there. I also know how to handle my clients in terms of people skills, and it's all stuff I learned by working with others
Originally posted by LoCash
In regards to being a National Geographic photographer... most photographers aren't really "on staff" with them. When NG does a story about, say, the mating habits of arctic penguins, they don't pick a photographer from a pool. Often the photographer that gets an assignment is a specialist in a particular field. I'm not saying that's how NG always works, but that is one of the primary methods.
So don't decide what company you want to work for necessarily, rather, decide what kind of photography it is you want to do. Since event photography was specifically mentioned, I think we're all on the same page.
If you're interested, these are some shots I took at my cousin's wedding a couple of years back. They weren't really supposed to be anything special, as I wasn't hired to shoot it, but I ended up getting more print orders than the hired photographers. Hell, I just considered them snapshots at the time; I had a new camera I was playing with. I am constantly complimented by my clients on my ability to silently and transparently navigate an event. Oftentimes people are oblivious to the fact that a photographer was even there. I also know how to handle my clients in terms of people skills, and it's all stuff I learned by working with others
Well, here's what the dvd said. You are assigned a project and you go to take pictures for it, but whether or not your story gets used still depends.
Originally posted by Brad
Step 1: Take camera to event.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!
...what are you going to do with all those underpants?
Originally posted by kraig911
...what are you going to do with all those underpants?
Forget the events, This is where the real money is to be made...
Ok that's most likely true, but in regards to the question. Go and get out, meet some PR people, event coordinators, or the such... They are always needing cheap laborers to fit in on a pinch...
Hey, its usually quick $s without a lot of expense...