Get a Job As a Photographer for a Newspaper

Even in a digital age when people get their news from phone apps, the internet, and TV, newspapers are still an important way to distribute information and quality journalism. Photographers play a crucial role in telling any news story by providing the visual element—“A picture is worth a thousand words,” after all. Learn how to get a job as a photographer in this challenging and fast-paced field.

Steps

Honing Your Photography Skills

1. Prepare for college. Get into a college with a photography or photojournalism program by getting good grades in high school and participating in as many photography and journalism extracurriculars as possible. Get involved in a school newspaper, a photography club or group, an internship with a newspaper, or an assistant position with a local freelancer.
2. Go to school for photojournalism. Get a college degree in a photography related field, ideally photojournalism, to provide you with the skills and the background needed for most entry-level photojournalism jobs. It’s important that you get both the technical and artistic skills of photography as well as a good understanding of news and journalism, though you don’t necessarily need a degree to make it in the industry.
   • If photojournalism isn’t an available major at your college, try majoring in photography and minoring in journalism or communications, or vice versa.
   • If it’s been awhile since you graduated or took photos for a class or job, try taking an individual course or workshop to refresh your memory and skills.
3. Focus on job-specific skills. In classes or on your own, learn and perfect the basic skills that most photojournalism job descriptions require. Focus on areas in both photography and journalism, such as:
   • Electronic photojournalism
   • Visual communication
   • Visual editing
   • News reporting
   • Interviewing skills
   • Journalism ethics
4. Get quality equipment. Invest in professional quality camera equipment, including a good camera body, a wide angle lens, and a telephoto lens as your basics. Do some research to find used gear or older models with the same main features as the newest ones.
   • You may have access to cameras and accessories through the job, but you look more established and attractive as a job candidate if you come prepared with all of your equipment.
5. Attend events and practice. Check calendars for local events and attend them, tag along with a photojournalist on an assignment, or simply walk around your town and city to practice shooting events that you see take place. Try to imagine telling the whole story of the event with just your photos. Practice writing captions or a small news brief to accompany the photos, and show them to a seasoned photojournalist for feedback if you can.
6. Focus on people. Set yourself apart from other amateur photographers by focusing on people more than the objects or overall scenery of an event. Be bold and don’t be afraid to approach people to get their facial expressions and a more personal take on the event.
7. Stay up to date. Keep up with advances in new camera models, lenses, and other photography equipment. Research the advantages and disadvantages of new features and consider saving up for new models or testing one out by renting or borrowing it from another photographer.

Preparing for a Job

1. Build a portfolio. Display a collection of your best photographs digitally or in a physical album. Stick to a plain black or white background to display photos on. Have a simple but well-designed website with your portfolio and contact information, as well as business cards to hand out, so people can easily find out about your work.
2. Join professional associations. Become a member of a professional photography association, like the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), or the International Freelance Photographers Association (IFPA). Use these associations for networking with other photojournalists, finding jobs, and other useful resources.
3. Consider working freelance. Start a business as a freelancer to work with several different publications as an independent contractor, which is the more common practice as more and more staff photographers are being cut from declining print newspapers. As a freelancer, you’ll need to have a good knowledge of business and be able to adapt to different newspaper styles.
   • To be a full-time freelance photographer, you need to have business skills like client relations, marketing, advertising, and accounting because you’ll run your own business. Consider taking a business class if you don’t have these skills already.
4. Search for open positions. Keep your eye on local classifieds in the newspaper or online for open photojournalism positions, whether full-time or contract.
5. Show your work. Make connections with photojournalists and others in the industry through school, clubs or other groups. Bring them your photos, ideally with captions or a short and compelling news story. Ask for their advice and critiques. They may also be able to tell you about new opportunities or even offer you an available position if they like your work.

Landing the job

1. Apply with a resume, portfolio, and cover letter. Follow the guidelines of a job description for an open position you’d like to apply for. Submit a well-written and formatted resume and a cover letter that illustrates why you want this specific job and why you would be the best fit for it. Send in a digital or physical copy of your portfolio.
2. Research the newspaper. For any newspaper you’d like to work for, read back issues or check their website to see the kind of stories they typically write and the style of photography they’re used to. Try to show some of your work that most reflects their style, but be true to your own style too, and don’t be afraid to surprise them with something they haven’t seen before.
3. Interview and meet the staff. Be on time for an interview if you’re asked to come into the newspaper offices for a job interview. Be prepared for the interview by dressing professionally, being prepared to answer common questions about your photography work and experience, and have questions prepared for the newspaper staff.
4. Be persistent. Even if you don’t land your ideal job at your first-choice newspaper, stick to your goal. Keep checking job listing sites and talking to other photographers and journalists to make connections and be the first to know about new opportunities. Simply keep visiting editors to show them new images as you have them, especially if you know a photographer of theirs is leaving soon.

Tips

• Invest some time and money into a simple website with a clean portfolio of your work. Consider a blog or other online presence to get your images seen.
• You may need another part-time job in addition to freelance photojournalism work, but as you establish yourself, you will be able to get more and more projects exclusively in the industry.
• Consider developing a specialty or niche that not everyone can photograph and find a story for. Follow immigrant stories if you speak another language, or photograph life on a Native American reservation if you have the access and permission.

Warnings

• Avoid heavily manipulating, distorting, or even plagiarizing photos that you display in your portfolio. Seasoned photographers and expert can spot this and it’ll damage your credibility.

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