Making pictures is a very simple act. There is no great secret in photography…schools are a bunch of crap. You just need practice and application of what you’ve learned.
My absolute conviction is that if you are working reasonably well the only important thing is to keep shooting…it doesn’t matter whether you are making money or not. Keep working, because as you go through the process of working things begin to happen.
-Elliot Erwitt
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It’s really great to have had the number of people find this post and email me or leave comments. I’ve heard from pros and students alike…people well known in the industry and some (rather feisty) newcomers. We’ll keep the thread going although I’ll have to cut back on posting every response and post only those that contribute to the discussion. Knox…you got a pass on this one.
I’d also like to clarify some points that I may have presented in a poor way in the original rant. I may have come across as preaching from the soapbox or talking down to those of you in photojournalism.
My apologies.
Let me be clear. I love photography, in all of its forms. I can honestly say I can’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life.
I was trained as a photojournalist and I’m proud to say that. I’ve experienced things I could have never imagine which have shaped my life and personality. (Not many fields grant you the opportunity to hang out with a pimp in Thailand). In fact, I still shoot editorially and would say I’m a hybrid commercial/editorial shooter.
So, if you can stomach the financial stress and you’re willing to sacrifice things that many others wouldn’t to make an impact. Godspeed. But please, I urge you to take the time and really think hard about where you’re headed. I would caution against being romanticized by the ideology of working at a newspaper and take a serious and practical assessment of what skills you can offer the marketplace.
My intention is to (1) share what (if any) knowledge I have gained from my experience as a businessperson with photographers (2) provide an honest opinion of where I personally believe the industry is headed based on market trends and forecasts, (3) inform our photography system on all sides of the spectrum that I believe we are failing our emerging shooters by sending them out in droves into this market without a basic understanding of business fundamentals and self-promotion.
Game on.
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Reader M.D. -
I am a newspaper designer and copy editor… What I mainly wanted to say is, the Monk is right about pretty much everything he’s said about the future of journalism in general and the problems with journalism teaching. And even Knox is somewhat right about students being told not to expect jobs in journalism. I’ve seen it personally through friends struggling to find work or even getting laid off after only a short time in the work force. And unfortunately it is a wake-up call for many recent graduates, including myself. I had an inkling the industry was on the downturn when I graduated, but never did I imagine it getting to this point. Here’s another good site for tracking layoffs: http://graphicdesignr.net/papercuts/ More than 12,000 jobs so far this year…
So though I am currently a full-time employee at a daily newspaper with a 200,000+ circulation, I am still scared for my future and wish there were a lot of things school had taught me. I do believe that journalism as an idea will not die completely, and disagree with the Monk on some points, because everyone - including those in our age group - is still very much connected to getting news, just in a different way. And as we all know, newspaper have been disgustingly slow in catching up with that curve and thinking outside the box.
Some day I think I would like to work for myself is a commercial way, but I have no idea how I would go about doing that, so Monk’s advice is helpful. But I just hope that day isn’t forced on me too soon, as it very well could.
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It’s rough right now economically. Especially for newspapers. The advertising money that keeps newspapers afloat has gone to craigslist and other online services…and what’s left of it just got cut further in the economic downturn. The first thing that companies hold back in a rough economy is advertising. We’re hearing of more layoffs. My friends at the Los Angeles Times are waiting to see who will be staying and who will be cut for the second time this year. The newspaper will have roughly half of the staff it used to have…my feeling is that it will get worse.
That said, there were some good points brought up about too much complaining and not enough solution. No real beneficial information, just the same old doomsday scenario. In my next few posts I’ll have some things to say on how to construct a business plan, how to research your competitors and a regurgitation on effective marketing strategies from previous posts.
- Monk
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“The dirty little secret of journalism is that it really isn’t a profession, it’s a craft. All you need is a telephone and a conscience and you’re all set.”
-Andrew Sullivan
“Journalism is a kind of profession, or craft, or racket, for people who never wanted to grow up and go out into the real world.”
-Harry Reasoner
“I have spent half my life trying to get away from journalism, but I am still mired in it — a low trade and a habit worse than heroin, a strange seedy world full of misfits and drunkards and failures.”
-H.S.T.
- Reader Knox Harrington
I’ll start with a full-disclosure: I have a journalism degree from one of the top schools in our field. I am a middling journalist and an even worse photographer. I have a great job (that I happen to hate) at an international publication. My J-School didn’t teach me any of what I needed to know to help me get the job I have now. In fact, I had to skip class to teach myself how to write code and program databases.
I always find it ironic that the one area where journalists are not expected to apply their skepticism and challenge the status quo is their own field. In the interests of being less hyperbolic and more helpful I suggest that current photography and journalism students do the following:
- Figure out how to do something nobody else in your class/office can do. For me that was a strange hybrid of computer science and film editing. I’m the only person at my publication who can do what I do. If I’m sick the job waits until tomorrow. That’s job security. If you are a staff writer, photog, designer or page editor and you get sick, the boss will just call somebody to fill in. That means you are replaceable.
- Pursue a hobby that only you find interesting. Yes, photography is great—we all love it, I have been a mediocre (pro) photographer for years—but, you aren’t so good at it that anyone will notice if the credit lines change tomorrow. We all love photography because it is fun. You are out in the sun, meeting new people, working without a boss over your shoulder, traveling to foreign lands, etc., etc. That’s why there are so many of us got into it. Find something to do that is less popular. Learn how to bind books, for instance.
- Don’t bow down to the altar of journalism. We all know you are doing god’s work. It is very noble. But, you aren’t opening anyone’s eyes with your expose on homelessness in America. Nobody cares about homeless people. That’s why they are homeless. Let me repeat that: NOBODY. CARES. You, along with lawyers and debt collectors, belong to one of the most hated professional groups in the world. Go do a story on something that makes people happy. Babies, puppies, pandas and that German polar bear cub are the most popular images on the web for a reason. Flocke the bear makes way more money than all of us combined. Before Flocke it was another bear cub that grew up and eventually attacked a zoo keeper—swear to god. They put that bear at the back of another zoo.
- Your job isn’t supposed to be fun. Jobs rarely are. Work sucks. Thats why you get that shitty paycheck. Become a more complete person: get married, have kids, learn a language, play an instrument. Don’t look to work to fulfill you; you’ll only be disappointed.
- Your job is to entertain people. Forget that BS they taught you in school. You are not at a newspaper to report the truth. A newspaper is a giant machine that is designed to sell keg-a-rators and massage chairs to people who can’t afford them and will never need them. It is slowly being replaced by CraigstList because it can’t even do that efficiently.
- “In case you haven’t already figured it out: By enrolling in j-school, you (perhaps unwittingly) picked the establishment. Any guesses as to what’s on the other side? Bloggers, for one. The debate about whether bloggers are journalists ultimately boils down to a struggle about whether the former should be granted the privileges and pay packages of the latter. Bloggers are outsiders seeking status the only way outsiders know how: by prying it away from those who currently have it. The mainstream media (now abbreviated “MSM,” if it hasn’t come up in class already) rejoins with debates about ethics (a j-school favorite) and other red herrings, but don’t be fooled.”- don’t know where it’s from but god-dammit, it is true.
- Read this article from an editor of The New Republic:
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I don’t know how to respond, but it was an interesting read.
- Monk
