You are: In charge of marketing for a corporation. Organizing an event. Planning a wedding. Starting a blog.
You want: Beautiful, memorable photos. Images that will grab the viewer’s attention, and hold it. A new head shot. A creative Christmas card.
You need: A photojournalist with daily newspaper experience.
Here’s why:
1. Photojournalists don’t make excuses — Things do go wrong, but a photojournalist who has worked for a daily newspaper is trained to do superior work, and quickly. She cannot come back to the office with no photo. The paper is coming out tomorrow, a photo is needed. She is used to operating under pressure.
2. Versatility — What I love about newspaper photographers is that they can do anything. My P-I colleagues often found themselves shooting a natural disaster one day (they all own rubber boots), a concert for the arts section the next day, and then a cake for the food section the next.
3. Consider your moment captured — How much would you pay to make sure that THE moment of your event is captured forever? This is what photojournalists are trained to do every day. At my own wedding, I knew that I didn’t have to worry about making sure our photographer (and friend) was capturing crucial moments. He was everywhere. When I saw the photos, I was delighted and saw new aspects of my own wedding that I had missed.
4. Photo journalists are problem solvers — Tell me, how do you make a photo of a technology company interesting? As a business reporter for nearly five years, I got to profile some really cool companies — but a lot of times, these companies performed a service that just wasn’t visually interesting. But I rarely worried about this — I knew we’d have a publishable photo for the newspaper because the photographer would think of something I never could have.
5. They’re the best of the best — Newspaper journalism is cutthroat. Thousands of people want to shoot photos for newspapers, particularly in a big city like Seattle. However, just a dozen actually get to do it. In short, they’ve been vetted.
Following are links to three Seattle-based photojournalists and companies whose work I can vouch for, and that I respect:
1. Stuart Isett — New York Times photographer, freelancer. He also shot my wedding. (Link to his Web page.)
2. Red Box Pictures — Seattle photography studio business started by former Seattle P-I photographers. (Link to company Web page.)
3. Marcus Donner — Newspaper photographer formerly with the King County Journal. He also teaches an excellent class for amateurs — to really help you get the most out of your point-and-shoot, or higher end camera. (Link to his Web site.)
Why did I write this post?
Newspaper photojournalists are best-kept secrets in terms of professionals-for-hire. They often let their photos speak for themselves, but I wanted to give some other concrete reasons beyond pointing out that they take good photos.
I did not get any money or anything from listing the above photographers. Stuart shot my wedding in 2008 and we paid full price, as any professional deserves.
Also, I’d recently read this story about a U.K. couple whose wedding photos were abysmal, and they sued the photographer. It occurred to me while reading it that I never had any such worries. Because I hired a photojournalist.
And finally, all three photos at the top of my home page index were shot by photojournalists. Their names are at the bottom of the page.
Thanks!
And remember the best way to get good photojournalists to take good pix: feed them, give them a seat at the table, and some booze.
Thanks for the kind words, the newspaper was a great proving ground.
We have been able to apply our skills in the post P-I world, and we are excited to continue practicing our craft.
As a working newspaper photojournalist, this is very refreshing to read. You just listed off all of the reasons why I didn’t go to art school! Thanks, Andrea!
My colleagues and I have often discussed the same points about TV photographers/editors. Everything you said about using PJs for still photos applies to TV photogs for video. Though most of my (past) career was as a TV news camera(wo)man, I have also been hired to shoot industrial, corporate, and freelanced in news and (you’re right again) always got the shot.
Hi, Andrea. I wondered whether I could have your permission to excerpt part of your blog post to enter on my own blog (crediting you, of course). As a former photojournalist, your comments echo those that I routinely make when I’m pitching my services to clients. Versatility and problem-solving under rapidly changing conditions are what we’re trained for.
Hey Andrea, thanks for writing this.I am looking for an email address for you, and cant find it anywhere on this blog! Congrats on your new job. Meryl
Thanks for writing this, Andrea. I think Rob posted a link to this blog entry, and I’m glad I stumbled across it. I was a P-I photo intern during the summer of 2008 and loved my time (albeit short) at the P-I. I posted this entry on my own blog and linked to it as well.
Cheers, – Kristine.
you are so right … thanks
No. 6: Because they like to argue and come up with a bunch of dumb excuses why they can’t shoot a particular photo assignment.
No. 7: Becasue they’ve been taught the MU school of journalism style of documentary journalism, which means if they don’t want to document it, it’s not a photo.
finally.
that is something i always thought about but it needed someone who could publish it.
thank you!
how many people would read magazines and newspapers, even online, without images?
I agree! I’m available :)have camera will travel!
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Andrea..great to read this. Would love to post on my website/blog after i redo it with a link back to you. This is so true and especially now since so many pj’s are out and looking for work in the “newer” fields of wedding, corporate etc. Thanks for this.
What you say it all good and I agree with much of it. But like most extremist views it would benefit from a little balance. I have never worked for a Newspaper, but I have won awards for my wedding photography. Non of the couples I have photographed have every missed those crucial moments. However along with a journalistic style I include an intimate photoshoot. I don’t know about others but after the marriage the bride gets pulled in one direction abd the groom in another. So unless there is some managed creativity the wedding album can appear lacking in my opinion. What you need is both photojournalism and the classic skills of creating natural looking album images. You can have a look at my work at http://www.imaginethat.uk.net at tell me what you think. Thanks for an interesting post. Keith.
That makes more sense than anything I’ve read all week. Brilliant!
Great Posting and so true Andrew, thanks. I am a Press Photographer / Photojournalist and you have hit the nail on the head. Get the right person for the job!
Andrew – Sorry! 😉