allgone

For a good resource check out for audio recorders and such:

 

http://mindymcadams.com/guest/nww/index.html

 

For inspiration:

 

The photogs at the San Jose Mercury News are really cutting edge with multimedia, including soundslides. Dai Sugano's soundslides are works of art. http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/

Michael - You must be a Gannett Guy. As another Gannett-er from the Asbury Park Press said to me last month at the NPPA short course - "the bus has already left the building" when referring to video. It's not really something of the future, it's something of the present. I was surprised to hear that the video work the Asbury paper is doing was actually used as pool video for t.v. and not just for an affiliate station. Pretty much everyone I know in my area who is a still news photographer is either beginning or already working with video as well. The area's largest paper has published some frame grabs.

I just saw David Leeson speak yesterday and he showed a piece of work by a citizen journalist named Scott Kesterson. If you search the guy's name on YouTube you'll see his stuff. Apparently he mentored via email with Leeson for several months and ended up embedded for 16 months in Afghanistan and filmed combat unlike I have ever seen. I don't see it as an end to photojournalists, more of an expansion, much like how our business is now changing to a more web based vs print client and more video vs still. To me it's just part of the evolution.

I think it depends on the project. I have shot images for a book and handed over pure raw files. The images I sent ended up being used in various formats, promotional postcards, posters, etc, along with being a cover photo. You don't have a monitor that's calibrated to what they need and you don't know what spefications they are going to use when they send it to the printer (how much sharpening, resolution and size requirements, 4-color toning, etc). So you really don't have a choice. For newspaper work, I do edit my own material, giving a client a selection of photos to choose from. However, cropping and toning is at the bare minimum, I don't sharpen an image, and I keep the image size at an industry standard. You are submitting images to various places that have properly calibrated machines. Although it may look great on your screen, tweaking photos before you hand them over may make them actually look worse in final print. They will be recropping, resizing, sharpening, and retoning on top of what you've already done.

This is a big election year. In Oregon you have a very prominent race for Governor. What is happening with these races is big names are coming out to stump for the candidates unlike never before. The races in my area have had the President, Bill and Hilary Clinton, John Kerry, Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, John Edwards, Nancy Pelosi, and many others come out to support candidates. Be prepared to see names bigger than your candidates as it gets closer to election day. This time of year the candidates schedules are very tight. They're doing several appearances a day and you won't get any alone time with them. They'll have their aides with them and their driver constantly pushing them along after the event. For the most part you'll have plenty of opportunities to photograph them at the event, they all pose and press the flesh quite a bit...with one exception...if there is something bad in the news about them at the moment. A few days back I was shooting Howard Dean with one of my candidates and it was such a pain because we got quite the run around about if they had arrived, if they were together, what entrance they were coming in, etc. They ending up together for probably less than a couple of minutes and made for pretty lame photos. That day a major poll had been released showing the candidate trailing by double digits. So media access in that case wasn't great. Otherwise, no need worry. You'll probably end up shooting the gov. a half a dozen more times before election day. Good luck.<div></div>

There's absolutely nothing wrong with freelancing. I know freelancers who have gone staff, but lately I've seen the trend in my area reversing...I've seen a few staff photographers go freelance. I've been doing it for 6 years and it's my one and only full time job. I've actually turned down a few staff positions because they pay less than I'm earning as a freelancer. There are pros and cons to either side. I would love a more predictable schedule, paid holidays, paid vacation, benefits, not waiting 30 days to get paid, and less hassle around tax time. The competition is tight as well. As Chris said, it is stressful, at times, very stressful. I don't think freelance has the connotation of "not a real job" or "maybe you'll be a staffer one day" anymore, at least with peers. You're not any less not being staff. Neither one is necessarily better than the other, it's more of a personal choice.

Being a Nikon shooter, I can't really advise you on a make of lens. However, I would consider buying a used better quality lens than a new cheaper lens. You can save hundreds of dollars on great lenses. If you're not shooting any sports, I think the 17-55 2.8 would be a great investment for you. It's also a nice lens because it will force you to get closer to your subjects. It's very easy to shoot something from across the room with a 70-200 - it's shooting fish in a barrel. The 17-55 is good training to pull you into the action on an assignment. I think you're better off buying a lens you won't be replacing in a couple of years with an upgrade. Nice glass should last you a lifetime.

Put together a portfolio of 15-20 of your strongest images. It's nice if you can show some diversity with portraits, sports, features, news, all mixed in. Contact the photo editors or managing editors of the local weeklies and small daily newspapers (under 50,000 in circulation) and let them know you are interested in stringing for them and would love the opportunity to introduce yourself and show them your portfolio. Have an on-line portfolio ready as well in case they have no time to meet with you. Be gracious and persistent. Most people aren't hired as a stringer on the first try. Be ready some really low pay. Small papers should be used as stepping stones for making contacts, fine tuning your skills, learning the business, collecting clippings. You name gets out the more work and how well you do as a freelancer depends on how well you shoot and how well you manage a business. Getting a foot in the door is essential. There is a lot of work and time that is needed to build your business. It doesn't happen over night, sometimes takes a few years. My experience has brought me from a weekly paying $5 a photo to assisting a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer, working as a photo editor at a 50,000 circulation daily paper, to working as a full time freelance photographer published regularly in some of the largest papers in the country. But even now I've got to work this entire holiday weekend. It's not an easy road. The best way to make it work when you're just starting out is to make sure you keep copyright on your photos and sell them to multiple outlets. As a self employed individual you have the right to negotiate the deal with your client. Say you work for the weekly and shoot that duck at the fair, why not contact the fair organizers as well? Do some PR work for them on the side. Really only a small percent of freelancers can make a full time living (paying your all your expenses, taxes, your own health ins.) as a news photographer. Most have to do a wedding on the side or a public relations or commercial job occassionally to fill the quiet time. Throughout the year news actually has some "hot" times and "cold" times. Right now I haven't had a day off in about a month. However in January, I may not work for 3 weeks straight and I have no paid sick or personal days to use at that time. If you decide to continue your way up the chain, you will need to be outfitted with the appropriate gear if you do not already own it. It's a heavy financial investment to own a professional digital slr, a whole assortment of fast lenses, and a laptop with the ability to transmit. Not to mention with gas prices these days, my average monthly gas for car bill is well over $500 just from driving to and from assignments. I'm not trying to dissuade you, but this is the reality of it. Good luck.

Sorry. Just missed your post above about attending the event... Don't sweat it. I'm sure there will be a next time.

Ryan, I'm with Rick as far as what to do. You may want to try to get in touch with Splash News. They love celebrity stuff and will pay well for them. Pick up any celebrity mag and you'll see they use a lot of stuff from them. If you want to know more about them, you can contact me directly.

Rachel, You need to get paid. Have you filed a W-9 with them yet? Even for one time only side jobs I do, one needs to be filled out in order to be paid. I did forget to mention in my email to you that quarterly taxes can be brutal. However be sure to log your mileage. The IRS mileage deduction is one of the biggest writeoffs I have annually. Also the home office...but see an accountant for that stuff! Speaking from my own experience, having a press pass doesn't carry much weight, and yes you can get them from your clients as a freelancer. I have a few of those plastic cards with my face on it kicking around somewhere. What is important is getting credentialed for an event through a legitimate publication or wire service as a freelancer. I know freelancers who shoot MLB and NCAA Div I sports all the time, myself included. I'm credentialed for an entire season - yes as a freelancer. So yeah I can stand right next to the staffers on the field : ). Geeze sounds like a tough predicament with your published photos. Now that it's after the fact and published, you know. With my clients I have set rates for assignments, however, when they call with something out of the ordinary...Sunday front page photo essay, a long day of shooting, or something really far away from home, before I say yes, we talk money. Sometimes it works out, other times, I have have to respectfully decline the job. Sometimes it's as simple as, can I put in for two assignments? Sounds like you need to talk to the photo editor. Develop a relationship with him/her as if you were an employee. Talk to him/her about your stuff that has been published and find out if the rates they have set forth are set in stone or have room for occasional negotiation. You both need each other so it's important you're both happy. Rick's idea about owning the unpublished images is great and a potential money maker. Say you're shooting a little league game for your paper, pass out some cards, put some thumbnails of your outtakes not given to the paper on a website and sell them to parents. If it's not in that god awful WFH contract, do it.

John, I mentioned in my first reply..."forget about work for hire contracts. This deal sounds absolutely terrible and not worth your time. You'll be losing money on the job." I don't know a single person who makes a living full time as a photojournalist without any other job or person supporting them who has a work for hire contract.

Rachel, I've been freelancing for 6 years and it is my one and only full time job. I have turned down three offers at newspapers due to the fact that they either pay poorly (somewhere in the mid 20's for annual salary), or their schedules are terrible (3-11pm nights and weekends with no possibility of rotation). As a freelancer I earn more money, I never have to work really late nights and I can take a day off when needed and I miss out on most of the office politics. I also spend a great deal of time working from home. However the downside is, it's highly competitive, there's no room for screw ups because there are so many of us and your client will go elsewhere if you can't perform, and sometimes you have to "take one for the team" and do some really crappy jobs that a staff photographer would never do. Either way, staff or freelance, I think you should look to building a bigger client base, get out there and freelance for other papers in the area as well. This will lead to more on the side jobs like the bar owner hiring you. This will also get your name out. Freelance for the big papers on Saturday so your stuff gets published on the biggest day of the week, Sunday. You may be able to "double dip" on assignments if your freelancing for more than one paper or organization at a time that are not in a competing market. I do it occasionally, shooting one event for two different clients. Both clients are aware and have no problem with it as long as I give them each good stuff and different stuff. Make sure both clients know if you are double dipping and they are ok with it. You'll find it's a very small world out there and if you burn one bridge you might as well burn the whole town down. You have to keep everyone happy, maintain loyalty and make a living. Also join sportsshooter.com. Although I love photo.net, sportsshooter is really tailored to our business more than any site out there. I get work through my member page a few times a year that more than pays for the membership. It's also a great resource to meet other photographers in your field who live in PA. You need a sponsor to join, contact me via email if you're interested.

Is this the Erie Times News that has a daily circulation of 70k and a Sunday circulation at close to 100k? If so, that's absolutely disgraceful that they would pay $25. It's not uncommon for a weekly paper with a circulation of under 10,000 to pay something like that, they don't have the ad revenue, but I've never heard of such a thing for a paper that big. Also forget about work for hire contracts. This deal sounds absolutely terrible and not worth your time. You'll be losing money on the job.

Mike, you're absolutely correct about job security and low wages. There are a lot of lay offs occuring in my neighborhood - these are staff photogs at 150k+ dailies with over 10 years experience. The freelance market has become highly competitive. The stress to perform so to speak, never have a bad day of shooting is a day to day reality. Like Lex, I have been in some sticky situations, I was beat up a few years ago at a rally gone bad and I also had to document some heroin users. Sometimes I'm scared to death. Most of the time though I'm not even close to harms way. Most news photogs do not see war. Lex is totally right some editors - they can destroy your work. So with all that said, why do it? For me I have never done anything that is so fulfilling. To have the opportunity to meet ordinary people who achieve extraordinary things, everyday heros. I am so grateful to do what I do. Assignments on even the small level can be emotionally moving and the opportunity to see that and the chance to capture and share it, is so amazing to me. Today I photographed former US Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge in one assignment and a bunch of 3 year old kids at the library for some story telling for another assignment. Guess which one was better? It was the one that yielded the really great human interaction moments.

Thanks Ellis. I thought I lost my mind or something a month ago when I first started using PS CS and a field I needed in a stored XMP I loaded up was not there. Of course silly me I just downloaded the fix from the link you provided, but not the PS panel and you do need both for it to work. The user guidelines mentions being able to use the "Origin" panel from PS to hit the today tab for date created. However I just don't see it when I tab over to Origin. It only allows me to change urgency in that panel. Anyone know what that's about? Anyway thanks again Ellis for the information.

Are you talking about this job?:

 

Classified As seen in Albuquerque Journal

PHOTOJOURNALIST/ REPORTER We are looking for an experienced, self-starting and motivated Photojournalist/Reporter. Candidate must have at least one year experience as a reporter and able to create exciting and interesting stories. We need someone who can see what is beyond the camera lens and brings back some compelling pictures. He/she must be fully bilingual (Spanish/English); must have the ability to generate stores ideas and execute well-told stories in Spanish. A college degree in Broadcast Journalism or its equivalent preferred. Please send resume with cover letter and non-returnable DVC-Pro, VHS or DVD resume tape to News Director, 2725-F Broadbent Parkway NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107 or send to email address abosschaerts@entravision.com NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. EOE

 

This is a job for Entravision Communications, a Spanish language media company, not for the Journal.

Ellis has great advice as always. I completely agree with you about this forum. It's sportsshooter.com with two letter "s".

Try wearing this hat along with your prosumer equipment, you'll get some serious access then.<div></div>

I think if you have half a brain and a full heart, you know when to draw the line. I have photographed a few soldiers funerals and memorials since the war began so I can comment on personal experience. Often a Media Relations Officer will find you and ask you to shoot from certain area. The MRO's I've experienced have not been difficult. They want to protect the privacy of the family and work with the media at the same time. I don't always end up shooting where they have requested me to shoot from. It's not a matter of being a defiant funeral crasher, disrespectful, or sneaking around to get the best shot. It just plays out differently. The family arrives, you acknowledge them with respect and sympathy and they acknowledge you in some way, a look, a hello, or even a thank you. Sometimes it doesn't play out that way and I think you need to respect that as well. You go with the flow, don't push, and don't work against it. That's how I personally decide when to shoot and when not to in these type of situations.<div></div>

I'm guessing they will not want RAW, but like the others said check with the Photo desk. I work with papers that range from 40k in circulation to well over 1 million in circulation on a regular basis. If I'm not transmitting via ftp, it's through email. I shoot normal to fine in jpeg depending on the assignment. The standard size I send to everyone is 60 picas/200 dpi, saved baseline standard, somewhere around a 7-8. Only a very small amount of selective color correction and only if it's really necessary because large papers have a whole staff of imaging techs who do this for you with calibrated monitors to match their press. Don't mess too much with your photos, just crop/size, adjust curves and email them on their way.

Have updated local road maps in your car. Hit area recreation centers, senior centers and libraries and pick up monthly calender of events and keep those in your car as well. Be on top of National and World news and look for ways it hits the local level. If you're a working at a weekly I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about a police scanner and chasing spot news. For the most part it's old news by the time you process your film and get the photo in the paper. Work on developing contacts within your community, much like a reporter. You will meet these people along the way as you start going on assignments.

Thanks Bill. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for your bylines in the future. Who knows our paths may cross one day in the Tri-state area.

Very nice New York Times image Bill. Funny I read this article last week.

Often depends on the assignment. If it's a portrait and I have time to switch lenses, I won't lug the extra stuff around. Today though I have a State final Lacrosse game to cover and I'll carry two bodies, three lenses, a monopod, bottled water, and all the goodies. Three just gets too cumbersome for me. I totally hear you about aching muscles. I'm a rather small person and carrying all this stuff around, say for like a golf tournament for 18 holes in the hot summer is quite a work out. I as well carried only one body in film days. Film was a drag for news work. Souping 4-5 rolls of film from a sporting event, sitting and waiting for it to process through the Wing Lynch, drying the negs, sleeving them, choosing your photo and scanning your negs added 1-2 extra hours per job. Now I can do work on the laptop in a nice airconditioned coffee shop near my assignment and transmit from there. Have multiple cards from different bodies doesn't too much extra time into editing - unlike film. To have been a part of both worlds, I'll take Wi-Fi and digital any day. Of course the purist in me still takes a film on vacation.