Photo Journalist

Photojournalists document history with a camera, photographing newsworthy people, places and events for newspapers, journals or magazines.

Covering complex and emotionally challenging events, a photojournalist strives to capture the essence of the subject matter, relating the facts of a story through visuals.

Photojournalists must work with people to uncover information that may not be initially apparent. At the same time, they must maintain a nonbiased perspective and seek out more than one side of the story.

SKILLS

Curiosity and persistence are valuable characteristics when gathering information from knowledgeable sources in order to accurately represent the story.
Because newsworthy events cannot always be predicted, photojournalists must be quick thinking, flexible and emotionally stable. Assignments are not always appealing or easily accessible, making them be both physically and emotionally draining.
Creativity, imagination and an artistic eye enable photojournalists to organize powerful images that will effectively relay the story. An up-to-date portfolio displaying a wide range of subject matter along with related work experience is key to landing a job.

EDUCATION

Traditionally, positions in photojournalism require a college degree in journalism or photography, however degrees outside the typical are also recommended to give deeper insight into other fields.
Photojournalists are encouraged to study writing, because they function as reporters and need to get the accurate spelling of names of people in the photo and enough information to create a compelling caption.

OUTLOOK

Competition is high with the number of interested individuals much greater than the number of openings.
With the rapid advancements on the World Wide Web creating a growing number of online versions of newspapers, journals and magazines, photojournalists will be needed to supply the digital images.