PHOTOJOURNALIST

Photojournalism is described in Careers for Shutterbugs and Other Candid Types as “reporting with a camera.” Photojournalists tell a story with images.

Photojournalists cover many types of stories. Someone who works for a local newspaper may photograph car accidents or school plays. A photojournalist who works for a newsmagazine such as Newsweek might cover peace talks in the Middle East or a presidential election. Sports photographers might shoot the NBA basketball season from start to finish, in cities all over the country.

As a photojournalist you may work for one publication or agency, or you can choose to be a freelancer. This means that you would work for many different companies or publications. If you really like to travel, being a freelance photojournalist may be the right option for you.

Another way to be guaranteed some travel time is to work for a major publication such as Time magazine, which could send you all over the world to cover stories. Photojournalists employed by sports photo agencies also cover a lot of ground. As a sports photographer covering professional baseball, for example, your typical day might consist of getting up early to travel to the field and check your equipment. In the afternoon you would get your cameras set up in the ballpark. You might socialize with the other reporters or even the players. During the game you would be busy capturing the action on the field. Most of the real work happens after the game. You would quickly check the shots you got during the game and pick the best ones. If you worked for a newspaper you would rush to send the pictures (digital cameras are making this increasingly faster) to the newsroom. They need to get the photos so that they can get them printed in the morning edition.