I must admit I didn’t notice it at first but the patter of tiny feet seems to have all but died away. Where did they go to? What happened to all the young wannabe news photographers touting their portfolios on CDs and websites around the picture desks?
The business has changed radically in the past 10 years; in the UK numbers of staff photographers at national newspaper have drastically diminished, but those papers are still full of pictures as are the online news media.
Maybe it’s just a capital thing, perhaps the cost of life in the big city is prohibitively expensive and they’re all out there in the provinces somewhere learning their trade.
I certainly hope so because without new blood coming into the industry we have a problem.
If the wannabes aren’t wannabes anymore, what do they wannabe instead?
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The wannabees are all out there with camera phones, P&S and DSLR’s all submitting images through the BBC and Sky hoping to have their images published in the name of fame, and allowing rights grabs left right and centre.
The young are being conditioned that images have no value, share them on Flikr, submit them online to Sky, I’m guessing that anyone that is serious about earning from a camera is going to be looking at fashion, commercial and social and not journalism.
- Posted by Mike“A few bad apples…”
Perhaps the reason (if you’d allow a random person to speculate) is that the public’s perception of journalistic photographers is limited to the paparazzi? This, coupled with many schools here in the US teaching not photography, but videography as the ‘way’ of the future, could be the reason for the decline?
Some kids will read stories of photographic journalists getting harmed, taken for ransom, or just killed in the line of duty and get scared off. Others, will see that, and find a sense of duty to bring back the untold story, pain, suffering, and yes, even joy and happiness of others around the world and in our backyards. All of that start when children are very young, and are encouraged to capture the moment (and are praised for their work with honest praise…). The trick is to turn a passing interest into a passion when there are so many other fun things for kids to do.
Unfortunately, photographic jornalism is not the only profession lacking a sufficient pipeline to keep the doors open for children worldwide!
- Posted by BernardReasons mentioned aboved are plausable, but personally for me, from a teenager who does wish to enter photographic journalism, I think there are just too many barriers to entry.
One of the main barriers is information failure. How in the world do I become a journalistic photographer? Do I take a Ph.D in photography in some big university? Or can i just walk in with my portfolio with a GCSE O level certificate?
Even for me, I don’t even know how to build up a portfolio, considering that I’ve been into photography for 5 years.
Secondly, there is a impression in my mind (and I assume others) that there aren’t space for new journalistic photographers. After all, how many photographers can your local news agency hire? 3 or 4? This is futher impressed upon me that I don’t see ads running in my local recruit page looking for journalistic photographers. Perhaps there are, but far and few between.
These are just a few of the reason I can think off off hand now but I do not believe that there aren’t any youths interested in this field.
By the way, I don’t see listings for photographers in the carrers section on the reuters homepage.^^
- Posted by SeanWhat happened?
I do not know of those before me, but I am here! As a 22 year old, madly passionate amateur trying to find out how I can get in, I can tell you it is not easy. Ok so I have no qualifications, not a great start, but whom do I speak to? Who can advise me where to go? It is not like other jobs that are advertised in papers. I mean I even know where to look for a consultancy job within the NHS. Some of us dream of working for Reuters, but with out any direction its extremely hard. And as the gentleman above said “I dont see listings for photographers in the carrers section on the reuters homepage” I have looked worldwide with no luck!
- Posted by JonI run a photography club in Bangalore,India. We have photographers with amazing photojournalistic talents,most of them working with software companies and BPOs (including me).Beleive me,if given an opportunity,we would not think twice before choosing photo-journalism as a career.Unfortunately,I have never seen any of the tabloids or agencies recruiting photographers…amusingly we sometimes wonder how do they actually recruit photographers!We would love to know.
- Posted by Srikant ChakrabortyHello everyone.
Here are a few things that I would like to add.
- More and more people are turning away from Photojournalism. To them, this is something fletched and far away.
Consider the points. Already many of us here have said, there are no ads anywhere. Recruitment is usually done by scouting the local academy’s and hiring them.
I am from Bangladesh. Pathshala is a well reputed institute in this region and most of its graduates are working in the dailies with their pictures. Surprisingly, all uses Nikons ( teacher’s influence maybe
).
Secondly, it might appear to a “wannabe” - that the money might not be much - or it might not be a good job that would pay for my life.
That is something very important, if not, most important. There are ametuers ( like myself ) and there are wanna-bes.
I know what to hit, which picture needs cropping and which picture should stay on the front and get 6 column space.
Wannabes, however, lacks the Knowledge and Skills and Information and Most Importantly ( in most cases ) - The Desire and Love for Photography and Journalism in general.
Today, more people have turned towards Photography, rather than Photojournalism.
Photography isn’t bad at all ! It pays pretty good with less trouble. You can just go to the garden, get some macros or sit in your studio and shoot beautiful girls.
To view my claim on this, please visit FlickR and check things out a little over there - it is full of Photographs of this and that. Very little about events and photojournalism in general.
Finally, thank you very much for raising this topic. It was much needed to be discussed and for me to let you know a thing or two from this part of the world.
Best Regards everyone.
- Posted by EhabI find this post quite funny…
Reason why there are no “wannabes” is because of what Reuters is doing right now…setting up a website where one can throw in their lucky shot of a major catastrophe, event, etc.
This is the future of photojournalism…john doe takes a crappy low res picture with his cell phone of a breaking event and emails it to Reuters and before you know it every editor at Reuters is happy because they got the shot they need. The photo is terrible in terms of composition and resolution but heck its a free photo for Reuters and the editors are happy. Meanwhile the struggling freelancer has to sell his photos for jack didley therefore he finds another job.
NOBODY CAN ENTER THE INDUSTRY SELLING HIS/HER PHOTO FOR CHUMP CHANGE!!!! If one is passionate about photojournalism but how the heck can they enter the industry? There is hardly any jobs out there to begin with and pretty soon there wont be any at all. So what is the point?
If you are wondering why there aerent any “wannabes” take a look at what your company and others around the world are doing to change the industry…
Whoever wrote this post…let me tell you that your job is uncertain in the next few years.
- Posted by RSM