'Good' Internships

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2004-04-14

'Good' Internships
By Jim McNay, Brooks Institute of Photography

Hey, rookie! Do you want an internship? Or do you want a good internship?

There's a difference right?

In the beginning, you may or may not have a choice. You may find you need to take the first internship that comes along. That's an acceptable way to start.

But let's just say you want to exercise some choice here. You start by researching the places you’d like to work for and for which you might be qualified given your background and experience.

Look at the books that display some of the excellent newspaper and magazine work being produced. Among these are the annual volumes from the Best of Photojournalism contest as well as the books that show winning work from the Society for News Design competition. Look at the publications you'd like to work for on the Web. While the electronic presence may not always reflect the printed version, sometimes there is enough posted on the Web to get a good understanding of the photography in the publication, or at least what the staff is producing, whether it is used in print or not.

And while it is a bit retro, one way to see what a newspaper is publishing and understand what is being done is to subscribe, if only for a month. If two or three students each do this with different publications and then share them among each other, it is like subscribing to three publications for the cost of one.

And if people at your school or your circle of friends are internship savvy, ask them if they have heard about places you are considering.

Another way to check out a publication about which you are serious: Find the last intern and call them up. Ask them about their experience. What was their regular assignment load? What kinds of assignments were they given? Were they integrated right into the regular flow of the staff photographers? Or were they given lesser assignments as the least senior photographer in the building that term?

Another question: Was there any kind of coaching or mentoring along the way? And was there an expectation the student should produce an in-depth story or project in the course of the internship? Some of the best internships incorporate this expectation into an intern's time at the publication and cut the intern loose to complete the project before returning to school.

Bottom line: There are Good Internships out there, but they may have to be hunted out. Students have to be smart about their search, even in the beginning.

Photographers, particularly those in school or seeking to break into the photojournalism, are welcome to send ideas for future columns to Jim McNay at jim.mcnay@brooks.edu.

Questions about getting started in photojournalism that might be answered in future columns are also welcome.

Related Links:

Jim McNay's Member Page

Brooks NPPA Student Chapter

Brooks Institute of Photography

Related Email Addresses:

Jim McNay: jim.mcnay@brooks.edu