| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
portfolio advice when applying to papers
Joseph Molieri, Student/Intern, Photographer
 |
Ardmore | PA | US | Posted: 1:39 AM on 05.21.09 |
->> I've applied for a number of internships and just haven't landed one yet. I've been called for an interview with the AP but thats about it. At first this question seems simple but maybe its not. About 75% of my work in my portfolio is international primarily Haiti and the Dominican republic. I feel like the work is strong and am wondering if the problem is the subject matter not the work itself. When applying to medium and small size newspapers should I really scale back the international stuff for more "local" images?
forgive me if this is a no brainer my formal education is more in fine art photo and I'm still learning the ropes of the newspaper world. |
|
Nick Morris, Photographer
|
San Marcos | CA | United States | Posted: 1:46 AM on 05.21.09 |
| ->> You should definitely be heavy with local stuff. It shows that you know your way around and your in touch with the area your applying to. Just my 2 cents. |
|
Jesse Beals, Photographer
 |
Tracyton | WA | USA | Posted: 2:55 AM on 05.21.09 |
->> My 2 cents,
Joseph your gonna have a pretty tuff time finding anything with the way the newspaper economy is at the current moment. There are hundreds if not thousands of experienced photojournalist out of work because of layoffs.
Newspapers are asking for reporters to take pictures or if moms and dads can send them in photos for free.
Good luck my friend, just don't accept something below market in hopes of getting your foot in the door. All that will do is screw you and your fellow photographers down the road. |
|
Danny Gawlowski, Photographer
|
Bellingham | WA | USA | Posted: 3:40 AM on 05.21.09 |
->> Why don't you post your portfolio here in a gallery? I'm sure plenty of good people will step up to help critique it. I think we'll be able to better answer your question once we actually see the images.
Also remember that it's more than just a portfolio that wins a position. An employer is hiring you, not your images. Show your personality, show your commitment to professionalism, show your reporting skills (send story ideas), etc. Show that you really care about that position in particular. Put extra effort into a few applications rather than just simply bulk mailing the same application to every position open in the hemisphere.
Best of luck. I hope you get good advice. |
|
Kent Nishimura, Student/Intern
|
Honolulu | HI | USA | Posted: 7:43 AM on 05.21.09 |
->> @danny
thats great advice. when i applied for internships, i poured my heart and soul into crafting everything from the cover letter to the portfolio, and the way it was presented. presentation is everything. I applied all over the nation, got rejected all over the nation and landed an internship in my home town. gotta start small and work my way up. NYT you may have rejected me this year...but next year i'm applying again! hehe. |
|
Colin Lenton, Photographer
|
Philadelphia | PA | United States | Posted: 8:29 AM on 05.21.09 |
->> Hey Joe, your work is strong (at least the stuff in your gallery)
I think your simply seeing the realities of the job market. Many people who did land internships found out recently that they were cut for budget reasons.
Spend your time thinking about what you need to do to freelance now while your expenses are lower. This will ultimately help you realize your dream of shooting for NGOs faster. |
|
Wesley R. Bush, Photographer
 |
Nashville | TN | U.S. | Posted: 9:01 AM on 05.21.09 |
| ->> I'm no hiring editor, but I would assume your portfolio would need to reflect the nature of the internship for which you're applying. If you're applying for a position that covers a lot of international news, then you should be fine. If sports, you should have more sports. If local, then local. Savvy? |
|
Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 12:01 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> 1) Less foreign, more local. The pictures from Haiti may be great but do they show how well you can shoot a community feature on a local organic gardener?
2) Sports. Any sports. Show at least a passing familiarity with the field. It's a big part of most newspapers' coverage.
3) Lighting. Show that you know how to do it. Portraits, sportraits, gel the flash.
4) Stories. Just a couple photo stories with 6 or so pictures in each.
5) Multimedia. Got Soundslides or iMovie? Use 'em to put together a couple of two minute side shows with sound. Newspapers have these things called web sites that they need "content" for.
6) The cover letter. Keep it simple, along the lines of "My name is X, I'm an excellent photographer and a very hard worker." Don't include the story of how seeing Natchwey's 9/11 coverage caused a psychic awakening that made you want to photograph the world for the betterment of mankind. Nobody cares. Save that story for the bar in your new town after you've gotten the job. Chicks will dig it.
7) Include enough work. 10 or 11 pictures is not a sufficient number. 30 is good. Make sure they're in focus and correctly exposed.
8) Verticals. Show some.
9) Smiles. Show some. Not everyone in your portfolio should be in pain and showing it.
10) Captions. Spell check them. It's "Wednesday", not "Wensday". Grammar check them too or ask a writer friend for help. |
|
G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
|
Dallas | TX | Lower 48 | Posted: 12:40 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> Joseph:
Forgive me from deviating from your original question, but I have one of my own:
If, as your member page states, your long-term goal is to shoot for "NGO's addressing social issues," then why newspapers? Just curious what you think you'll get out of an internship -- or, eventually, a staff position -- that would meet the aforementioned end.
Let me qualify that -- my passion, at your age, was newspapering. Several years, it still is. My long-term goal was to be one of those hard-boiled journalists -- loose tie over an ill-fitting, coffee stained shirt; dogged, to the point of absurdity, in anything related to (hyper-local) news gathering; always at the ready to bitch about alimony, wax nostalgic about the good old days, or discuss a rapidly enlarging prostate. You get my drift.
On some level, that ship sailed a long time ago, dude (I was warned about this my senior year of college by good professors -- many former newspapermen themselves). Those of us left on the life raft are paddling hard with no map.
It's still a good place where good (increasingly local) work is being done, in my humble opinion, but I do think the days of the casual newspaper photojournalist (someone who builds up experience before moving on to the next thing) are about over. And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, either. You college kids today are in a position where, if you look at it the right way, the sky is the limit. No more rules, not like when I was in college. No more 10- to 15-year plans. Hell, a five-year plan in newspapers is scary enough!
Hope I'm making sense. If you heart is in NGO work -- traveling the world to address social issues and all that good stuff (don't take as being dismissive, either) -- then find a way to meet that goal. Are there internships or fellowships in said field? Any local or area photographers/journalists who do that kind of work and would be willing to mentor you, or at least, meet you for a cup of coffee and talk?
Anyway, winding it down. Dude, you're young; young enough to make your own plan that follows your passions and not anyone else's, or for that matter, what other people tell you your passions/interests should be at this point. It's your life, man -- you make the rules, especially in this market.
And for the record, I'm never one to talk anyone out of anything (well, something like this, anyway ... if we were talking hookers, blow and a run from the cops, then, well ...). If you want to do newspaper internships and think there's something you can get out of them (and likely there is), then by all means -- go for it! I'm happy to help you with whatever. This is all I've ever done, from a small PM daily on up to a decent-sized metro. I've seen a lot of good interns come through these doors, and I hopefully can give you some pointers on the book. Hit me up off list if interested.
Cheers,
- gerry - |
|
Jeff Stanton, Photographer
|
Princeton | IN | USA | Posted: 12:44 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> It's imperative you be able to do more than just shoot. If not, you're not worth much to anybody these days. Newspapers especially want people who can multitask. Can you write? How about page design? You may be asked to even copy edit a little bit of work. (Egad!)
You may be asked to do your own layouts on features or if you're lucky, a half, three-quarter or full page feature, because the design staff has been cut back. You'll need to know the rules of design and typography. How about your spelling? Can you copy edit your work? Can you write 6-10 inches of copy that flows well and compliments your images?
I've remarked about this very topic before on this site and had people email me and tell me I was crazy! Who is crazy now? It's crazy not to have a full set of journalism skills heading into the interview game. The more skills you have in journalism, the harder it will be for someone to say "no." Because frankly, after a while, a lot of photos start to look alike to someone who is hiring, often the managing editor who is conferring with the publisher, especially at a smaller newspaper.
And it will boil down to the totality of your skill set and how much of a benefit you will be to the paper. If the only thing you can do is shoot, show them how artsy-fartsy you are, capture great peak moments of action, etc., I'm afraid you will meet with additional disappointment. |
|
Daniel Berman, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Seattle | WA | US | Posted: 4:07 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> Well said, Mr. Stanton.
Daniel |
|
Matthew Rosenberg, Photographer
|
Charlottesville | VA | United States | Posted: 4:56 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> First G.J.,
I heart you. I'm in the newspaper business until someone makes me stop.
@Joseph,
Before you send anything out, have someone ELSE proof read it. If you send a portfolio to a newspaper with typos and other errors, good chance thy will thrw i tout.
Spelling errors can sink a great portfolio. Spend as much time on the captions as you do toning the photos.
EX: We had a candidate mail their portfolio here to the Daily Progress addressed to The Daily Press, naming the City Editor as the Photo Editor. We will never know what was in that package. It was never opened. |
|
David Eulitt, Photographer
|
Kansas City | MO | USA | Posted: 7:38 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> "And for the record, I'm never one to talk anyone out of anything (well, something like this, anyway ... if we were talking hookers, blow and a run from the cops, then, well ...)"
On the rare occasion, I love this message board...priceless, G.J.... |
|
Jeremy Harmon, Photo Editor, Photographer
|
Salt Lake City | UT | USA | Posted: 7:54 PM on 05.21.09 |
->> This is a bit of an aside, but I get a fair number of portfolios from prospective interns and we don't have an internship. We used to, but not anymore. In fact, the internship was cancelled before I started working here. I honestly don't know where people are getting my name as the contact guy in regards to "our internship." But I get nice little packages with a letter that says, "Mr. Harmon, I am writing to apply for the [SEASON NAME HERE] internship at The Salt Lake Tribune."
I feel bad for the students because they obviously have put a lot of work into their portfolios and mailing a bunch of them out isn't exactly cheap either. This will sound stupid, but you may want to double check with the places you are applying at that they actually have an internship program. If a position is advertised on ss.com or the jib or something like that, you're okay. But like I said, somehow people are getting the idea that we have an internship, and we don't. |
|
Joseph Molieri, Student/Intern, Photographer
|
Ardmore | PA | US | Posted: 10:04 PM on 05.24.09 |
->> Thank you all for your advice.
This was the portfolio in question:
http://josephmolieri.com/portfolio/portfolio/
I think I will re-craft my portfolio to better target who its being submitted to. And double double check that text.
Some of this has been very helpful thank you all for your time. |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|