# teach yourself photojournalism



## ade1971 (Jan 23, 2015)

hello its been since I log in but does anyone know how you can teach yourself photojournalism I have tried books and also you tube as there are no school to go to any help thanks


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## Gary A. (Jan 23, 2015)

I went to school for photojournalism (Degree in Communications). I strongly recommend you find a school and seek an externship/internship with a local newspaper(s). Most/many schools will have their own school newspaper to augment what you learn the classroom. Getting on as a stringer or intern/extern with a large Daily Newspaper without any formal or hands-on experience is a recipe for failure.

Most large market daily newspapers won't hire you unless you have a degree in journalism and/or years and years of experience. A photojournalist is journalist first and a photographer second. You have to know how to cover a news story, separate the important stuff from the less than important stuff, than capture the important stuff ... the single story defining image, in an interesting/appealing/dramatic fashion and make deadline.

If you lived in the US, I'd suggest you enroll into a Community College. I don't know what they have in the UK.


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## snerd (Jan 23, 2015)

Southern New Hampshire.com?


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## snerd (Jan 23, 2015)

snerd said:


> Southern New Hampshire.com?


That was a joke! Sit at your computer for a few weeks, answer a few question, and bingo! You're employable!! I just don't get the online degree thing.


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## Didereaux (Jan 23, 2015)

ade1971 said:


> hello its been since I log in but does anyone know how you can teach yourself photojournalism I have tried books and also you tube as there are no school to go to any help thanks




go to your local newspapers and sit down if you can with an editor.  Very few today keep photographers on staff.  So what you ask them is what type of photos are they looking for, what format etc.   But putting the cart before the horse what you have to do first is go to the library (yes, those archaic old things with stuff printed on paper)   and look at all the pictures in newspapers you can.   You will get a very accurate feel for what is considered printable photo journalism stuff.

then go out to all the boring meetings at clubs, city guv, banquets, Boy Scout doings, Seniors centers etc and start shooting.   That is what the papers want.   Unless you are a reincarnated WeeGee you aren't going to get many sensational moments shots....but always be ready.   Oh yeah, for those sensational moments you had better understand your camera to the nth degree because these things don't stand still while you diddle fart around with settings.   Lens?  You simply cannot go wrong with a Nifty-Fifty'  I am serious...it is still one of the best all around street lens' made.    A little wider angle one is usually needed for the meetings and such news media want the scene, not a portrait.

...and remember Weegee got some of his best shots pointing away from the body.  So if you stumble onto a fire or minor incident  get the 'scenario' shots out of the way then turn around and look behind you...high probability the money shot will be there.


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## Microbois (Jan 23, 2015)

While I totally agree with Gary A., this solution is if you want to make a living at photojournalism with a major newspaper. This is the way to go if you are very serious about it.

If you just want to dip your toes in photojournalism without getting through that much education, you can always try to offer your services as a photographer, assuming you are already a very good photographer and have enough gear to cover any situations, to local newspapers in your area (if they still exist). You will get assignments to small events covered in the local press, but would be of no interest in a larger paper. You'll end up covering minor league sport tournaments, marathons in your city, new store openings, that old lady that turned 110 years old, press conference of the mayor announcing they change garbage day, all the community stuff, stories, etc...

That's how I started some 25 years ago but with today's technology being so accessible and easy to use for anyone, I doubt local newspapers still hire photographers nowadays. From what I've heard, it's the journalist who writes the story who will take the pictures, but if he's loaded or it's too complicated to get a good shot, you may get some of his tougher assignments. Don't expect to get rich doing this either...

Good luck!


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## Fox_Racing_Guy (Jan 23, 2015)

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


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## dennybeall (Jan 23, 2015)

Many large newspapers and some small newspapers have laid off their photographers and handed point and shoot cameras to their reporters. Our small local paper has a Photo Editor but he no longer has a staff (used to have 2 +him). He picks photos from the many pics that are sent daily via email from the public and occasionally goes out and shoots something if they want to be sure to get it.
It's very sad to me as I grew up in the darkroom of The Washington Daily News and it was an exciting time listening to the police scanner and racing out to get photos or going to The White House for news.


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## Microbois (Jan 23, 2015)

dennybeall said:


> Many large newspapers and some small newspapers have laid off their photographers and handed point and shoot cameras to their reporters. Our small local paper has a Photo Editor but he no longer has a staff (used to have 2 +him). He picks photos from the many pics that are sent daily via email from the public and occasionally goes out and shoots something if they want to be sure to get it.
> It's very sad to me as I grew up in the darkroom of The Washington Daily News and it was an exciting time listening to the police scanner and racing out to get photos or going to The White House for news.



Indeed, this is what happens with newspapers nowadays. You can always try with your local newspapers, but I would not have high expectations in regards of how much you will get paid for it. Maybe you can take the pictures they can't do themselves so you gain some experience and build a portfolio, but it may not be profitable in the end once you factor in all your expenses. This is getting crazy insane as I'm pretty sure, one day, companies will ask us to pay them to have the honor to work for them...


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## Didereaux (Jan 23, 2015)

Fox_Racing_Guy said:


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




Actually  that is very incorrect.  Large printed media may well shrink further, but according to industry data, small community newspapers are increasing, fairly rapidly....and profitably.


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## ade1971 (Jan 25, 2015)

thanks for your help like I say I am interested in photojournalism but I only want the basics . It just wanted know how start I am a long way of being one like I say thank for your advice but ? any suggestions


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## curly (Jan 25, 2015)

dennybeall said:


> Many large newspapers and some small newspapers have laid off their photographers and handed point and shoot cameras to their reporters. Our small local paper has a Photo Editor but he no longer has a staff (used to have 2 +him). He picks photos from the many pics that are sent daily via email from the public and occasionally goes out and shoots something if they want to be sure to get it.
> It's very sad to me as I grew up in the darkroom of The Washington Daily News and it was an exciting time listening to the police scanner and racing out to get photos or going to The White House for news.



Sounds like something a news channel started doing here. All of a sudden, their Facebook page is full of "selfie" style recordings of their reporters out in the public at a news scene, essentially dumping the need for the rest of the camera crew.


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## dennybeall (Jan 25, 2015)

Yup, they give the reporter a tripod and a camera with a transmitter and send them off to the scene. Actually pretty much the same in the studio in many places, the cameras are robotic controlled from the desk in the control room.


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## Gary A. (Jan 25, 2015)

ade1971 said:


> thanks for your help like I say I am interested in photojournalism but I only want the basics . It just wanted know how start I am a long way of being one like I say thank for your advice but ? any suggestions



Take classes. Working on a school paper/magazine is close to working on a real paper/magazine ... and you'll get published and you can actually begin a real portfolio of your published work (string book).

If you don't mind begging, knock on the doors of small newspapers and magazines and see if they have need any help. 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.

If you have long and fast lenses, (at least long), you can attend local sporting events and offer the images from those events to the local papers. With this scenario you're not begging and you actually have something valuable. Most small newspapers are always looking for "art" from local sporting events. 

Find an event.
Shoot it.
Get the email of the local paper's sports editor.
Email your best images to the editor. 

Make sure you include that the images are copyrighted and to contact you for approval. Very importantly, get caption information. Get all the names of the players in the images and be able to add valuable info for each image submitted. Like ... Joe Blow scoring at 28 minutes ... John Smith receives Red Card after biting Bill Russell ... et cetera. Ideally, you need to take notes from whatever you shoot and complete the package with caption info. If you shoot a fire, address of fire, type of building, names of people in the images, et cetera. This is the stuff you learn from taking classes. Photojournalism isn't just about taking pictures. It is about reporting accurately with a camera.


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## Microbois (Jan 25, 2015)

Gary A. said:


> 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.


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## dennybeall (Jan 25, 2015)

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.


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## imagemaker46 (Jan 25, 2015)

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.


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## Microbois (Jan 25, 2015)

dennybeall said:


> 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!


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## imagemaker46 (Jan 26, 2015)

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.


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## rexbobcat (Jan 27, 2015)

Fox_Racing_Guy said:


> 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?


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## Gary A. (Jan 28, 2015)

Microbois said:


> Gary A. said:
> 
> 
> > 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.
> ...


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


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## Gary A. (Jan 28, 2015)

Microbois said:


> dennybeall said:
> 
> 
> > I can see both viewpoints but think a combination of the two is more the way to go.
> ...



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.


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## Microbois (Jan 28, 2015)

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.


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## Gary A. (Jan 28, 2015)

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.)


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