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Newspapers staff photogs, what's your Plan B?
G.M. Andrews, Photographer
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Mobile | AL | USA | Posted: 5:25 AM on 12.20.09 |
->> While reading some of the "Life after Newspapers" stories on the front page, I started thinking.
As long as I've been a newspaper photographer, I've told photo students, interns, stringers, and amateur shutterbugs to always have a "Plan B".
That is, always have another idea for a pose; always have a backup location if the light doesn't work or the weather is bad; always have spare batteries/film/cards/keys, etc. Always have another option in mind to make your picture should Murphy's Law come into play.
With the downturn in the economy and the continuing bad news for newspapers, many shooters are having to find new jobs or opening their own businesses, or go back to school.
My question to other shooters still working at papers, are you now thinking of a "Plan B" should the layoffs visit your staff?
Are you buying personal gear for the day you have to turn the issue/pool stuff in? Are you investigating business license costs in your city? Are you starting up a website?
Does your Plan B mean you leave the photojournalism world altogether?
And for photographers who have been laid off, did you have a Plan B in place before you separated from your paper?
Discuss. |
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David Manning, Photographer
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Athens | GA | | Posted: 9:45 AM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> Bartending/housepainting. |
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Grant Blankenship, Photographer
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Macon | GA | USA | Posted: 10:35 AM on 12.20.09 |
->> I've been working steadily on my Plan B since this time last year when I thought my newspaper job was about to evaporate.
For the longest time, I was content to do the best job at my newspaper gig I could. I didn't participate much in the larger photojournalism community, things like having a decent website with a good cross section of my work to look at or even doing much here in Sportsshooter.
When I was about to be cut loose, I realized what a mistake that had been. I realized that if I was going to stay in this photography thing past this job, I would need to do something which I had previously found sort of distasteful, namely "develop my brand".
Still a work in progress, that, but I have revved up my website and I participate far more here. I use Google Analytics to see where folks are coming from to see my work and I am reasonably assured from that data that I am at least an echo of a thought in people's minds when it comes to photographers they have seen.
So here I am. From here I feel like I am in a good spot to make a good pitch for myself as a shooter at another newspaper or media holding or whatever this biz will be called in five years. I also feel like with a little more work and some pushing, some cold calls and some refining of my portraiture, I can move from here into something like freelance/commercial work.
This year I plan on pushing harder on getting more outside work based on what I have to show. Call that Plan B.2
What I have found is that it is really hard to make any transition quickly these days. |
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N. Scott Trimble, Photographer
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Lake Oswego | OR | USA | Posted: 12:59 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> I started my plan be in 2003, when I saw what was happening to newspapers and jumped into video production. I returned to papers twice since then balancing and even helping usher in the video boom, but developing a strategy to take off on my own when the ax fell. I left and brought my family to a new city live Plan B, but got picked up by a newspaper again and enjoyed the staff life, until that paper laid me off.
Plan B kicked in and with the economy, all that was accomplished was really only depleting the savings we had marketing and advertising, and add a baby to the mix, am now sinking as neither photography or film work has gained an audience.
I am trying to find a plan C now, the doesn't include "do you want fries with that?"
I won't lie, I am scared of losing my dream again, and this time, its not only me that will suffer with it. |
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Robert Caplin, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 1:07 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> Going along with what Grant was saying, it's integral to have an online home for your portfolio and everything about you.
I've been a freelancer from the start of my career, which I've now found was a blessing...though when I was just starting I thought I'd have to have a staff position to survive. But the fact is, the industry is becoming more and more dependent on freelancers....so it's very important to brand yourself and advertise your work to stand out from the rest....and no better way then to have a stellar web presence.
My designer, Laia Prats (http://LaiaPrats.com), did a great job incorporating everything "me" into my website: http://RobertCaplin.com.
Not only is it important to have your portfolio displayed beautifully, but you also need to think about how you're going to bring traffic to you website. I've found that blogging has brought my traffic wayyyyy up. So incorporating a blog into your website will definitely help bring eyes to your work.
Another big key is to figure out an online archiving system to make searchable everything you photograph. I use http://PhotoShelter.com By having your archives integrated into your website, not only do you make your website HUGLY optimized for search engines (SEO), but you can begin making money from your stock that's just sitting on your hard drive. You never know what an image buyer needs.
Laia really did a stellar job custom-integrating my blog and my PhotoShelter archives to look identical to my website. If you notice when you click on my blog or archives, you'll actually be pulled to blogspot and PhotoShelter, but it looks seamless due to the design.
Lastly, I'd highly recommend getting linked into any and all social networking websites: Facebook, MySpace, Linked-In, Twitter, SportsShooter, etc, etc. Having your website linked out in the social networking sphere will bring your traffic up. Many of my editors and clients are connected with me through these social networking sites. I've had editors call me to use photos I've posted on my blog and Facebook. I've been hired to shoot corporate events and weddings via Facebook. Clients need to know who you are before they can hire you. It used to be that the only way was to send a portfolio or visit the editor at their office, now you can connect to them in so many ways.
The sooner you get all your ducks in a row, the sooner your business will take off. There is a cost to all of this both in time and money, but that cost is an important investment in your business.
I've seen so many CRAPPY photographers get amazing jobs because they had slick websites and were great networkers. I've also seen tons of stellar photographers go into debt because they can't get work. It's all about marketing yourself and keeping your name and work current.
Happy Holidays!
Robert
PS - Here's a code that will save new customers $10 on an annual membership of PhotoShelter at the standard or pro levels: psHR2XKKX7. PhotoShelter is the backbone to my business and gives me the ability to access my images and deliver them from anywhere with an internet connection. |
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Corey Perrine, Photographer
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Hudson | NH | USA | Posted: 2:44 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> I suppose I'm gonna keep on doing this as long as there is a paper around.
It also depends on my financial circumstances.
It also depends on my patients.
Currently I'm unmarried, no kids and my only regular payments are an apartment, car and insurance. I'm a newspaper guy for now. I'm, as I call it, "George Bushing it" (a.k.a. staying the course), until I feel I'm ready to branch out past newsprint. Newspapers are a great training ground you can't get anywhere else there's value there you can't put a price tag on.
Yes, lots of "ships" are sinking, but the whole newspaper world is not imploding. They still have employees. They still need content filled. Yes, they are in trouble but not so much as they will go extinct. At least that's my perfect hopeful optimism.
It used to be you had to be a good solid regional photographer to get a good top 100 newspaper job. Now adays, you have to be a nationally prominent name. And still even then, I've had friends passed up and even laid off. It's a hard course today but not impossible. I've been laid off in my career before and my plan b, tucking tail and turning home to freelance, was averted by two job offers in 2006. But that was 2006 and it's almost 2010. I'm not sure if the next time comes, if it comes, I'd be so fortunate.
I currently have friends living at home, on unemployment and with that hope that a savior will come to save the news industry like Steve Jobs did to music. I have my hopes with the color Kindle and SI's touch screen but this thread is about plan b's.
In short, my plan b is this: I'm keeping in good faith and doing my part in kicking butt at work. I'm getting lost in lives and stories and making it so that I'm so valuable to my newsroom, if the axe should fall, I'm a tough decision regardless, to get rid of. If I'm handed the pink slip, I go home to the D.C. area with head held high and tail tucked in. I get a patch job and dig into the freelance world. After one year if things aren't going well for me financially, I go back to school. Yes, a masters in visual communication will be my "throw away major," as some would call it at this time. But even so, even if I still fail after that I can at least say I succeeded in pursuing my dreams and goals. I put up a good fight. I'd rather live life without regrets than being tormented with a head full of what ifs. |
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Jeff Mills, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 3:02 PM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> I'm looking into going back to school to get a degree in the health care field to fall back upon as I think it would be nice to be in a career that is growing and very in demand for a change. Population isn't getting younger, nor healthier so the projected outlooks continue to grow. |
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Steve Apps, Photographer
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Madison | WI | USA | Posted: 3:59 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> I have been planning for the past two years for the day my newspaper job ends. I love working for papers and I'm in it till the end, but I'm ready for that day to come.
Have saved and invested money to buy personal gear. Invested in Livebook website and Photoshelter archive and integration.
Reluctantly joined social network sites, and bit my tongue as I posted links to my photo blog. Kind of like this.
http://steveappsblog.com/
If you really want to know how to do it right, look at Robert Caplin's post and site. You can't be better linked in to the social sites than him.
http://robertcaplin.blogspot.com/
If all else fails I always have my girlsfriend/partner. I will stay home drink beer and take care of the dog while she works and pays the bills. |
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Derek Montgomery, Photographer
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Duluth | MN | USA | Posted: 3:59 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> The writing on the wall came for me late in 2008 during one of our union meetings and I started stashing some extra cash away here and there, but the biggest thing I did for myself and to prepare for life after newspapers was get a good attractive website up and running before the hammer came down.
I went with Livebooks and they have been awesome. They are even more affordable now with their monthly packages and payment plans. Ironically, the morning I approved the final site design for my website, I was laid off.
My old site was an HTML website and did the job, but was neither attractive nor all that easy to navigate. My new Livebooks site propelled near the top of the search rankings for photographers in Duluth when it came to a variety of categories. I think doing that along with starting a blog at the same time really helped to boost my search engine rankings.
I all of a sudden started receiving freelance requests that never came in before and that I know were not related to people at my old newspaper sending my way. Most said they found me online and liked my website, etc. etc. I really think the great SEO job of Livebooks along with the SEO built in to my blog really helped me out in those first few months.
So in the end, I think having a strong website along with a blog to work in tandem to propel your search engine rankings is a huge thing. That's free marketing for you right there and it helped me as I adjusted after being laid off. |
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Nuno Gonçalves, Photographer
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Braga | Portugal | | Posted: 4:45 PM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> Porn Star... |
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Harrison Shull, Photographer
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Fayetteville, WV | Asheville, NC | | Posted: 5:21 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> I dunno... I've never been a staff shooter - freelance since 1993. It seems to me that stepping from the "frying pan" of staff work to the "fire" of the freelance world is hardly a "plan B." I guess you'll own your copyrights now but don't kid yourself into believing that it will be easy street.
The advice I give to all youngsters and maybe now more often more aged shooters transitioning their work environment is to do something more along the lines of what Jeff Mills suggests above. Get a real job with real pay, real benefits, and a good schedule. Nursing is a great example that gets you a job anywhere in the US, pays relatively well, has good benefits, and only takes up three days of your week. This paradigm frees you up to shoot what you want and market to who you want on your terms.
Far too often bad deals are taken by folks too desperate to keep their head above water to realize the longterm implications of what they are doing. A good job that gives you income and benefits independent of photography FREES you up to say "no" to bad deals and shoot what stimulates you creatively. This will yield consistently unique and strong work that brings good clients. And then maybe you can be a photog full time if it works. But if not... you have a fallback career that is always in need.
My jaded $0.02 but maybe worth less! |
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Nathan Papes, Photographer
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Springfield | MO | United States | Posted: 6:32 PM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> Marry rich... That might actually be plan A |
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Preston Mack, Photographer
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Orlando | FL | USA | Posted: 8:06 PM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> Don't get sick |
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Byron Hetzler, Photographer
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Granby | CO | USA | Posted: 10:37 PM on 12.20.09 |
| ->> My Plan B is to become the "Loco Gringo" who walks along the beach in Mexico with my pet iguana and charge tourists $5 to have their picture taken with it. |
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Grant Blankenship, Photographer
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Macon | GA | USA | Posted: 10:43 PM on 12.20.09 |
->> From Corey...
"In short, my plan b is this: I'm keeping in good faith and doing my part in kicking butt at work."
I try and keep to that as best I can, as well. |
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Vinny Tennis, Photographer
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New Holland | PA | USA | Posted: 10:21 AM on 12.21.09 |
->> Last summer I volunteered at our church camp for campers with mental challenges. It was a very rewarding week. When I talked about my experience with a friend, she said the elementary school is hiring a personal care assistant for students with autism. I applied, did not get it, but was offered a substitute position district wide. Long story short, sub a few times, they really like me, got hired. Currently working with an emotional support student, soon to be moved into the life skills class, many of us know it as special ed, depending on your age. This is plan C with summers off!!
I have always been a part-time photographer shooting mostly in the evenings, planning to fill the positions of those who retired at the paper. Retirements came and the openings did not. Over the last year my hours have been cut back by more than half of what I used to get. I would still love to be a photojournalist. Coming up with a plan B to stay in photography is still in the works. But with the summers off from school I can fill in for the staff photogs taking a summer vacation. |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | Lower 48 | Posted: 10:43 AM on 12.21.09 |
->> The other day I was thinking that if there's one thing my career in newspapers has best prepared me for, it's probably to be that guy you see walking with a shovel behind the elephants at parades.
Oh, and on a serious note, thanks to Matt, Andy and Gary for penning those articles. Honest and helpful; much appreciated, guys.
- gerry - |
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Hal Smith, Photographer
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Sedalia | MO | USA | Posted: 11:34 AM on 12.21.09 |
| ->> "would you like fries with that." |
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Dave Doonan, Photographer
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Kingston | TN | USA | Posted: 11:21 PM on 12.21.09 |
| ->> greeter at Walmart |
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Ingrid Barrentine, Photographer
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Tacoma | WA | USA | Posted: 12:34 AM on 12.22.09 |
->> I've been laid off twice.
So now I write stories and am getting a degree in environmental studies while working full time at a weekly.
I hope to work for an environmental agency or publication if I get laid off. |
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