Find out what you'll need besides a camera before embarking on a career as a photojournalist.
Artwork © Charles Bragg All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter
GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses what people contemplating a photojournalism career will need besides a camera in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.
Svenningsen prefaces his essay by saying, "You'll be wrong (and you won't be the only one) if you think that you just need to spend X thousand dollars on some top professional camera equipment, and then you're on your way to becoming a successful photojournalist. It takes a whole range of skills. So ok, what do you need? Here is a list of 9 things that are essential to making it as a photojournalist besides the camera!"
Let's have a look at Photojournalism As a Career - 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera.
9 Things You Need Besides a Camera
1. Flair for the visual
Goes without saying. You need to have some talent, be artistic and have creativity in the visual world. Some are born with a fantastic visual awareness, others need to develop it. We now live in a visually over-saturated world, so it's easy to find sources of inspiration.
Go to exhibitions, read photo books, look in magazines etc. Find out what style you like. Don't try and copy it, but use it as inspiration to create your own visual style. Everyone can take a picture of something. Professional photojournalists need to do it with style!
4. Money in the bank
If you're just starting out as a freelance photographer / photojournalist, you'll probably need to hang in some time before you have generated enough sources of income to keep you afloat. This might be anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. Depending on your talent, savvy, dedication and luck!
Even if you're working as a fairly established freelancer, next month's income is not always certain. Photo equipment is expensive, it needs to be maintained and replaced every now and then. So it takes a bit of capital to avoid going broke in the process of building your career.
6. Nerves of steel
In those dodgy situations, or when the adrenalin kicks in for whatever reason, you need to keep your calm, compose and time your shot, get the right angle, focus and exposure. In less dodgy, more everyday situations, you need to have the nerves to break the ice, get intimate with strangers, step away from the crowd and not to freeze up when you are finally face to face with the moment you've been waiting for.
Please continue reading about 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera
You can also Follow Me On Twitter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 52 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!
John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
Artwork © Charles Bragg All Rights Reserved - Follow Me On Twitter
GAIA PHOTOS Director Morten Svenningsen, a professional photojournalist based in Nepal, discusses what people contemplating a photojournalism career will need besides a camera in a recent article he wrote that’s appearing on Ezine.
Svenningsen prefaces his essay by saying, "You'll be wrong (and you won't be the only one) if you think that you just need to spend X thousand dollars on some top professional camera equipment, and then you're on your way to becoming a successful photojournalist. It takes a whole range of skills. So ok, what do you need? Here is a list of 9 things that are essential to making it as a photojournalist besides the camera!"
Let's have a look at Photojournalism As a Career - 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera.
9 Things You Need Besides a Camera
1. Flair for the visual
Goes without saying. You need to have some talent, be artistic and have creativity in the visual world. Some are born with a fantastic visual awareness, others need to develop it. We now live in a visually over-saturated world, so it's easy to find sources of inspiration.
Go to exhibitions, read photo books, look in magazines etc. Find out what style you like. Don't try and copy it, but use it as inspiration to create your own visual style. Everyone can take a picture of something. Professional photojournalists need to do it with style!
4. Money in the bank
If you're just starting out as a freelance photographer / photojournalist, you'll probably need to hang in some time before you have generated enough sources of income to keep you afloat. This might be anywhere from 6 months to 6 years. Depending on your talent, savvy, dedication and luck!
Even if you're working as a fairly established freelancer, next month's income is not always certain. Photo equipment is expensive, it needs to be maintained and replaced every now and then. So it takes a bit of capital to avoid going broke in the process of building your career.
6. Nerves of steel
In those dodgy situations, or when the adrenalin kicks in for whatever reason, you need to keep your calm, compose and time your shot, get the right angle, focus and exposure. In less dodgy, more everyday situations, you need to have the nerves to break the ice, get intimate with strangers, step away from the crowd and not to freeze up when you are finally face to face with the moment you've been waiting for.
Please continue reading about 9 Things You Need Besides a Camera
You can also Follow Me On Twitter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The article's author, photojournalist Morten Svenningsen, is also the founder and director of Gaia Photos, an international forum for global photojournalism online. With a team of 52 top photojournalists from around the world, Gaia Photos is your possibility to follow and comment on photojournalistic work, as it is produced and published!
John Brown Photojournalist On LIGHTSTALKERS
My Mondo Library Photography
My Photoshelter Photography Archive Homepage
1 comment:
I am so lost here. I want the whole list of 9, but clicking your links takes me to Ezine.com and not to any articles. Are you just promoting the site or are we supposed to get relevant links?
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