Due to an ever increasing amount of media I have thrown myself into, books, movies, and the like, I have a fanciful dream. I would honestly like to be a photojournalist. I wouldn't like to run around some town for some local paper, but I would love to be a freelance photojournalist, relaying pictures and stories for the likes of the New York Times out in Zimbabwe, Iraq, the Sudan, and similar. So, I've come here to basically ask if becoming an astronaut would be a more realistic goal.

I'm not even in college yet, so I am obviously unknowing of how the world around me works. I honestly do not know how saturate a field like photojournalism is. And on that topic, what are some schools that have a good photojournalism program? I'm under the impression that Syracuse and Yale have good programs, but I am not really sure of what other schools offer. I've yet to really start looking at schools, so I am pretty ignorant of what is out there.

Ultimately, what I come to ask is for some guidance. If this dream is too fanciful, I do love chemistry, so I feel as if I will always have some kind of a future in that.

I really want to travel; to experience different cultures, and their art. I want to make a difference. I want to practice something that will always be rewarding and offer new challenges to me, I could never stay sane while working a nine to five job.

I ask my questions here on APUG, and not elsewhere, because I have a real respect for my fellow posters. Some of you have amazing amounts of experience in all kinds of different fields and positions, some of you are young like me, but all of us use film. :)

So, I thank you all. My last thread, similar to this, was met with many great answers, and I feel encouraged to post this one, as well. APUG is an incredibly mature, supportive, and helpful community.

Thank you for reading my inane drivel.

Remember to get a real job to pay for all these dreams.

Ohio University

University of Missouri

Syracuse University

Brooks Institute

Rochester Institute of Technology

Yale does not have a photojournalism program. Their program is in the art department.

But you don't have to go to any of these schools for photography. Some of the best photographers have liberal arts degrees from such places as Colorado College, Harvard University, Princeton, etc.

I really don't want to go to school for photography, I want to go to school to expand my understanding of the world around me, learn about chemistry, learn more French, and so on. I'm just not really sure at all what publications look for in a photojournalist, whether I could just be a freelance starting out, or if I would have to be something along the lines of a staff photographer at first--I truly have no idea what is involved.

I do love art, but I cannot draw, or paint, or sculpt. The hobby/art/whatever of photography seems to be the only visual media that I can actually express myself through. Maybe I should take more art courses this summer.

hi there

the advice walter gave is right on :)
you might consider getting a degree at a university
in something you like, something that will drive you
and help you with the 2nd part of your ambition
( expanding your understanding of the world around you ).
many univeristies and colleges have a photography program
and you can take courses there to sharpen your sense of composition
and everything else photographic.

schools have a daily paper where you can take a position as a staff photographer
and yearbook too. you will learn a lot by doing ... not to say that courses don't help.

good luck!

john

I would love to do a double major in some field of chemistry, and maybe art history. Hell, my unreachable dream would be to win the lottery, get an art history degree, and just tour around the world for the rest of my life. I don't believe that would be rewarding, though.

Looking at some photojournalists' work has really moved me, and I want to be able to do that, too. I want to give a voice to those that cannot talk, bring awareness to those that are downtrodden, and so on.

Am I being too ambitious? Probably. :(

"Am I being too ambitious?"

Not at all. If you don't have ambition and enthusiasm it's hard to get anywhere. If you do you can pretty much do anything you set your mind to.

Good luck!

Rory

try looking at the NPPA. I joined years ago as a high school student while interning at a local paper, then spending several years working as a stringer, and a part-timer, then going to college and studying journalism, getting sidetracked into into a degree in photography, and winding up working for the gov't--shooting the kind of news events from the other side. My advice is that it's somewhat the same in terms of photography. photojournalism is a different animal in some ways from this daily assignment type work. things have changed quite a bit since I joined. Leafscanners were the closest thing to digital when I started out. Since then, as many here know, film has rapidly declined in use in terms of news work. It may still be in use in photojournalism in the way of longterm assignments, but for most work it will be digital based now, if not multimedia incorporated. I think you'll find that most school programs, rightly so (sorry), will be pushing you towards digital imaging and learning video possibly along with metadata processing.

That doesn't mean you can't pursue your love of film. It hasn't stopped me, but reality has forced me to do both film & digital for making a living. I would not hesitate to recommend the NPPA to a student though. It was/has been a great resource for me over the years. As for an education--I think probably a well rounded one will do, but if you study photography and want to work for whatever papers are left, it's going have to probably be rooted in the digital world--good thing is that skills like lighting and such as easily transfered back to film and vice-versa. Digital really isn't that different compared to film in terms of the type of photography, it's *quite different* if you came up shooting film and had to switch over. that's just my opinion, as always.


good luck all the same--

KT

Go the old route, become a stringer.

Get a fast bike, police scanner, your flavor camera and get to know the local law enforcement people.

Its expensive, thankless and you'll starve to death, but you'll have fun; you won't have a life, but you'll have fun...

I was brought up on film and digital, I have no problem with either. I prefer film for the look and process, but I have no issues with digital.

When I was younger, I was an aspiring director (lol), so I know plenty about digital video (albeit MiniDV) and digital workflow with video.

I'm also a bit of a computer buff, so I really would be fine.

I'll look into the NPPA.

Go the old route, become a stringer.

Get a fast bike, police scanner, your flavor camera and get to know the local law enforcement people.

Its expensive, thankless and you'll starve to death, but you'll have fun; you won't have a life, but you'll have fun...

Modern Weegee? All I would need to complete that is a new 4x5 camera from Calumet.

I do have a bike, and I've been meaning to ride it more, to get into shape...

Oh, and I should also mention that that is now impossible as the local police have switched to a cellular system. :( (At the very least, that is what I've been told.)

...become a great writer, and combine both writing and photography to document your travels and experiences.

Go to a college like a liberal arts one (example - Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA) that gives you exposure to all sorts of things (and they have a pretty good chemistry program). Don't let go of your dreams, just figure out how to pay the bills along the way.

I do enjoy writing. Something I've been thinking of is starting a local, on-line, free, news service for my area, but I cannot find any other students interested in such a project. Our school newspaper is a joke, I really wish it wasn't.

...become a great writer, and combine both writing and photography to document your travels and experiences.

I echo Drew's comment. Learn to both write and photograph.

For schools try the University of Missouri.

So, what exactly is a combination of a journalist, and photojournalist? That is, someone who heavily documents their experiences through both photography and moving verses of prose. Are they simply a journalist?

I'm glad you have lots of options.

Photography used to be a profession that people would go into who had interests so broad that they couldn't make up their minds what they wanted to do. It was like that for me, but I may have been just a little late. cf Gordon Parks for a really good example of that. I think the reason for that is that photography would give one access to just about anything going on.

I don't think it is like that any more.

My background was heavy liberal arts for two years in which I studied Humanities, history, philosophy, etc. (I did that at Reed College, by the way, which I would heartily recommend, because they still do the same thing. It is the best possible grounding for just about anything.) I was so turned on by my art history professor who had also been the catalyst for Gary Snyder and Philip Whalen, the poets, that I had to go toward art. I studied art, took an undergrad and an MA, and then needed to find some way to make a living to support my family. I ended up doing photojournalism, not the hard core stuff, though, but travel and garden for Sunset Magazine on the west coast, which was, then, the second largest buyer of photography behind Nat. Geo. It was an excellent magazine and the quality of the photography was superb; they had a great appreciation of photography and supported it, publishing mostly black and white, and bought a natural, honest vision. I enjoyed the travel, the kind of work (I generated most of my own stories), the people I worked with, and I enjoyed doing photography. It was a good life, but not one that paid enough. For a few, it did, but for most, it did not. I filled in with other freelance, commercial assignments, and part time teaching.

In 1990 or so, that magazine was sold to Time Warner, and rapidly declined into a piece of junk like all the others. I'm afraid that this has happened to most of the other magazines, too, and I can't speak about the newspapers, but you know that world is in deep transition, too. It is very different now, and to be honest, I don't think I would like to work in the field now. Since the early 90's, I've been teaching, which is not really an available career for most people either. In all of these areas, there are probably 100 bodies eager to get each available job, and everyone is competing with each other for the same work.

I don't want to be discouraging, but I will try anyway. Here's why. I don't think that I would be doing any young person a favor if I told her that yes, there are lots of opportunities out there, lots of jobs, etc. There are not. It is highly competitive, and in entering the field, you would be committing yourself to looking for work all of the time. For most people that is not fun. Jobs are there, but everyone is beating down the doors; the best door beaters get the work, the best photographers don't, necessarily. If you want to make a decent amount of money, someone else will work for less, so your income will be limited. It is a very hard world. You will have to develop a very thick skin, because you will be compared constantly to others (usually to get your price down) and often rejected; more often than not.

OK. So I don't want to be discouraging. Actually I do. However, if you really understand what I am saying and still want to do it enough that you go ahead and do it, you may very well be the kind of person who actually belongs in the field. If you want to be there, you have to be able to stand up under fire, you must know yourself, believe in yourself (ego strength - many of your more successful competitors will be narcissists, by the way). Most people can't, and they really ought to go somewhere else. This is why I insist in telling it as it is. I am frequently criticized (never by those who really know, just by those who want everyone just to feel good) because I am "squashing their dreams". Hey, dreams are great, but nightmares are not. So many who take on photography as a career, thinking it would be great to do something they love for a living, learn too late that they no longer love it.

Please go into it with your eyes open, have a backup plan, get an education that is really broad and NOT just about photography or photojournalism! You may need something to stand on that will enable you to move in directions that you have no idea, now, where they will take you.

Good advice from Bowzart. There are fewer outlets for good photography in magazines and newspaper. One glimmer of hope, however, is in interactive media. Google the photographer Ed Kashi, and have a look at what he is doing with still pictures, film making, and audio interviews. It's good stuff, and well told tales. He has an excellent piece on the oil industry in Niger.

Also, check out a website called MediaStorm. It has several interactive stories that are all very intriguing. There's still room for good story telling and documentary photography, but the media outlets are looking different, and I would really be investigating more online opportunities.

I would second joining NPPA, U. of Missouri is very good for photojournalism at the graduate level. It can never hurt to have a liberal arts background, and take some writing classes, as others have mentioned.

Good luck!

Wow, thank you bowzart. I really wasn't sure how cuthroat the world of photojournalism is, and your post leads me to believe that it is pretty much as competitive as proffessional photography (which doesn't actually interest me in the least). I had hoped that there would be fewer people willing to get shot at, and risk death, and all of that jazz, but from your post, I take it that there aren't.

I, of course, still plan to greatly involve myself in chemistry. As of right now, analitical chemistry interests me the most, and I can't wait to see where that takes me.

I am enjoyed by all of these responses; APUG is such a great resource for...anything! I always love talking to those more wise than myself, I suppose that is because I grew up with my grandmother (in addition to my family). She faced a lot of hardship in her life, escaping a war-torn country (Hungary), raising two children by herself with no money in New York City, and so on. She always had the most amazing, inspiring stories to tell to me, and she has always supported me.

I feel that I must, again, thank you all. :)

I will not give advice where I
have no basis for it. But I will
recommend a book by Robert
Coles, Doing Documentary Work
(Oxford UP 1997), that offers an
interesting discussion of the work
of documentary writers, filmmakers
and photographers.

Photojournalism might be a tough
field to crack. But anyone with a pen,
a camera, and something to say can
create a documentary. Perhaps you
might begin with a documentary of
your grandmother's life as she
recounts it to you.

Sanders

Oh, believe me, I've had an idea of some kind of interview with her, and then turning that into a book (or some other kind of media). Somewhat like The Color of Water. She herself is a writer, though, and I think she might be able to write a better account. Her emotions might get in the way, though. I don't know. I should talk to her...

Oh, believe me, I've had an idea of some kind of interview with her, and then turning that into a book (or some other kind of media). Somewhat like The Color of Water. She herself is a writer, though, and I think she might be able to write a better account. Her emotions might get in the way, though. I don't know. I should talk to her...


colleges ( it doesn't matter which one ) always love projects, that students
hopeful to be accepted have done. a book by you ( oral history of sorts )
and photographs might be a fun way to dig your teeth into it.

web-publishers like lulu, blurb and others make it really easy.

good luck!

john

But you don't have to go to any of these schools for photography. Some of the best photographers have liberal arts degrees from such places as Colorado College, Harvard University, Princeton, etc.

Anybody can learn to use a camera. You have to have the gift and passion for people, storytelling, and the truth. Learn a language or two.

(Three qualities which were once requirements for a job,
but now automatically disqualify you from working in the world of corporate media.)

Check this out: http://www.digitaljournalist.org/

[B]The field as we still think of it is Dead.[/B

Dead, dead, dead.

DEAD.

But the opportunity for an individual to lead a life of value still remains.
You'll need to work like slave,
live like a monk,
and dream like a child.

And be imaginative to find a way to get your stories seen.
And the need has never been greater.

Take some business classes because nobody will defend you from the guys you work for.

Photojournalism might be a tough
field to crack. But anyone with a pen,
a camera, and something to say can
create a documentary. -- Sanders McNew.

This is a sound observation.

You clearly have a pen and a camera and know how to use both of them, so my advice would be think hard about the third criteria but not for too long. What motivates you? What do you want to give your views about and why? Learning as you go along is part of the challenge so I would not be too concerned about formal qualifications.
Best of luck (if you need it!!)

Regards
John.

A couple of blogs that might be of interest...

http://vervephoto.wordpress.com/

http://www.therawfile.org/

...She herself is a writer, though, and I think she might be able to write a better account. Her emotions might get in the way, though. I don't know. I should talk to her...

There is a lot to writing beyond just writing; that probably isn't really clear, but watching my wife help other writers, I've learned a lot about the need for "editor" or just another writer to facilitate.

There is a LOT in this thread. I have to get on with the day, unfortunately!

check out lightstalkers dot org. Learn at least 3 languages other than English, French and Spanish. Learn French and Spanish too. Build up a huge bankroll. Buy a high end digital camera, laptop, satphone and accoutrement. Study world history for 4 years (at least). Take a journalism major. Read everything and study it. Make friends who are editors. Travel the world and make $35K a year.

But remember, it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle. Oh, and don't try and save money on the bullet-proof vest or the flak jacket.