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Photojournalism work in Ethiopia
Jonathan Goering, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Lawrence | KS | United States | Posted: 12:08 PM on 02.29.08 |
->> My name is Jon Goering, and I am a photojournalism student at KU and senior photographer for the Univ. Daily Kansan. I am going to be spending the summer (May to Aug 2008) with family back in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and I am looking for ideas of photojournalism work to do while I am there. I would GREATLY appreciate advice from the SS community on how to make my summer worthwhile. Just for background, I am a white American but lived for more than 2 years in Addis from 2003 to 2005. I can speak Amharic and get around on my own, but I will also have my wife with me to help. She is Ethiopian and most of her family lives in Addis. I have story ideas, but I am not sure how to even begin marketing them. Thank you in advance to any SSers out there with advice!! If you are interested, you can see my portfolio at:
http://jgoering.smugmug.com/gallery/3785113_5GQmK#260175267
Thanks so much! |
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Daniel Hayduk, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Belleville | ON | Canada | Posted: 1:58 PM on 02.29.08 |
->> Hi Jon,
Having only stopped over in Addis twice en route to Uganda, I don't have any precise idea of what's going on. But I do know that there are LOTS of themes for you to work with.
Flying in, I always see breathtaking farms on the hillsides surrounding Addis. Try a story on agriculture.. I know Ethiopia has struggled with crop failure in the past few years. What new crops are they trying? Document a farmer and his family.. etc.
Walk through the streets... find the local automobile chop-shop.. take pics.. the local butcher.. the textiles market... Where do the clothes come from? Take pics of that..
And follow your heart!! If a story doesn't follow the exact plan you had in mind, run with it wherever it leads!!
As for marketing, let people know where you are.. Email newspapers, magazines, etc. SS is a good place to let people know where you are going as well.
If you want to find a market for work in the US, try to find a story that has a US related hook, say an American who runs an AIDS clinic who grew up in Kansas. Shoot the story, then pitch it to a paper where the aid worker grew up.
Hope that helps jog your mind..
cheers-
/daniel |
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Sandy Huffaker, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 3:19 PM on 02.29.08 |
->> Jonathan,
One of my photo heroes, David Alan Harvey, once told me that the first thing he does when on a travel gig is to go to the local pub and just start rapping with the locals. He said he ALWAYS found people with amazing stories to tell or people who knew other people with cool lives. I've tried it and had great success. Get there, meet some folks, and start asking about what they do. I guarantee you'll come up with something.
I also wouldn't worry about marketing it just yet. Shoot it and then figure out where to go with it.
Best of luck! |
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Jonathan Goering, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Lawrence | KS | United States | Posted: 3:39 PM on 02.29.08 |
| ->> Thanks for the advice, guys. I really appreciate it. It also makes me all the more excited. I do have a few story ideas, similar to the one you invented, Daniel, that have ties to a specific paper here in the States. The pub idea is a great one, and that is advice that I am sure I will take with me as long as I am traveling (and at home), so thanks so much, Sandy, for sharing that. Since I have worked as a staff photographer for the UDK for the past two years, I really don't have much of an idea about how the freelance world works, aside from info you find on message boards such as these. I'm sure there's no formula, but any advice on how to succeed at freelancing like this would be greatly appreciated! |
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DJ Werner, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Beaufort | NC | USA | Posted: 9:08 AM on 03.01.08 |
->> Sandy: that is very good advice on how to tap into the local environment.
How long is it before you or your friend acutally started photographing these stories from the tips in the pub?
Is the time frame like a week or so until you build trust and rappour? Do you announce at the beginning you are a reporter and or/photojournalist.
For me I hang out at the docks and do the same thing- or the local coffee shop near the dock.
It is a very small area- mostly sailboats and yatchs. Some times I do better[getting access, spending time with sailors/tourists who come into port] saying I am an artist - a retired writer vs. a newsperson.[ of course this depends on what type of project I am working on.]
The response is much different than when I was a member of the press.
It is all about how you approach people.
My work now is more about arsty watercolor/canvas prints than printed stories- but I think the advice might help you Jonanthan. It is how you approach folks...that can make a big impact on getting the info/access you need.
Many folks in the rural area where I live are slow to warm up to outsiders...it takes time to build trust and respect.
A month or longer is not unusual for some projetcs I have worked on. Other folks will open up to you, right from the beginning. Human nature being what it is, you just never know...I have also found that smaller, less intimidating cameras also helps calm fears and put folks at ease.
Jonathan: I am an old school film photog...but I quickly noticed way back during Katrina how things are going multi- media... on the web...
I think the project was called Children of the Storm?
That might be a good way for you to show/market your work before you get home.
You may want to look into that- some of the portfolio hosting sites..something that you can update during your travels to peak interest[by Editors] in your work.
[slideshows and such]
If you want your work to be a bit different- try shooting with a film camera-
I can seem to get in closer to folks with a small rangefinder- and shoot black and white film - tri- x or 3200.
Have the lab print up some of your images into postcards you can send to editors.
Heck send them 5x7 prints from a wetlab-[darkroom]
Some of us old timers would rather get a nice surprise of prints rather than a CD rom in the mail that I have to pop into the computer- heck I spend enough time their already.
Keep me posted on your travels! |
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Sandy Huffaker, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 11:38 AM on 03.01.08 |
->> DJ
You're right on the money. Whether it be the docks, a coffee shop, a pub, anywhere you can meet and strike up a chat with the locals will work. You're also right about being low key. The more you blend in the easier time you'll have slipping into their culture. I don't care what part of the world you visit, most people love to tell you their story, especially if you seem genuinely interested. |
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Jonathan Goering, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Lawrence | KS | United States | Posted: 11:54 AM on 03.01.08 |
->> Thanks, DJ, for the advice. One of my photojournalism classes here at KU last semester a whole semester of doing a multi-media show a week, so I do have a good amount of experience with putting together those types of shows.
In my previous travels in Ethiopia, I found the best way to build relationships was to bring small gifts, which is what you are supposed to do anyways. So a small bag of coffee beans and some other gifts like that goes a long ways in building relationships. Also, I have found being able to speak the local language breaks down a lot of barriers very quickly. Since it is the social norm in the society to bring gifts, does anyone think that is a violation of any ethical codes to do so?
At 26 I am not sure that I could pull out the retired writer/artist card, but the point is not lost. Thanks for the anecdote.
I actually do have a Canon film body I bought for one of my film photo classes, so I think I will bring it along, though I am not as experienced in the traditional darkroom. But can I send you a print when I get back?
Do you or anyone have any specific suggestions for portfolio hosting sites that would be good to post updates on?
I have some ideas of some stories that have some specific ties to one paper or city in the US. One, for example, is a school for AIDS orphans that was opened in the memory of an Ethiopian-American who died in a car accident in her Midwest city. Another is an American woman who opened a school for young blind girls in a rural town in the north. Should I market these ideas before I go, or wait until I have the stories completed and then approach editors? How much should I give away about the specifics of the story?
Thanks again, everyone. Sorry about the length and number of questions. |
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Nick Wright, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jonathan Goering, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Lawrence | KS | United States | Posted: 1:28 PM on 03.01.08 |
| ->> I have, Nick, but I guess it was probably almost three years ago, now. Perhaps it is time to revisit? I actually read it a few times when I was just getting in to photojournalism, but I guess I need a refresher. I will go and get it from the library here for sure, thanks! |
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DJ Werner, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Beaufort | NC | USA | Posted: 5:14 PM on 03.01.08 |
->> Jonathan-
you are 26- don't worry about the lenght or number of questions- thats why we are here-- to help and advise-
though there are industry guidlines and "rules" for contacting editors etc. don't be afraid to think outside the box with your marketing- after all we are creatives ...aren't we....?
check out: writers market, writers handbook and the photographers version of these books-they list what the publications guidelines are.
[I wasn't sure if you were writing/submitting articles too?]
Some just request a query of your ideas/or an outline , others want the completed package so you have to do your homework on this.
I'm looking foward to recieving your print[s].
darkroom work can be learned- or you can find a good lab- though they are vanishing....and many say I need to get out of the past and into the future with digital - but some of us are creatures of habit and still love silver-gel prints...especially for our more arsty work.
think grain,contrast/moody for some of the places you will visit. |
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Nick Wright, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Independence | KS | USA | Posted: 5:53 PM on 03.01.08 |
| ->> Jonathan, I just re-read it myself. And when I read the question you asked, it reminded me a lot of what David Hurn spent his life doing. :) |
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