Freelance Question?

[photophorous]

I could probably ask a bunch of questions on this topic, but I'm going to focus on this one right now.

Hypothetically speaking, if I had some photos I thought where news worthy, could I submit the same photos to multiple publications, all at the same time? Or, would I have to wait until one of them rejected me before I moved on to another?

If you have any general resources for learning about freelance photojournalism, I'd like to hear about those too.

Thanks!

Paul

[SmartWombat]

Yes, you can.
Depends on the contract you send with them !

[photophorous]

Yes, you can.
Depends on the contract you send with them !

So, I should send a contract with the photos? Oh man, have I got a lot to learn..

I've been reading about this on the web, but I still feel like I'm clueless. Do you have any advice for resources...books or websites...that will give more information on this whole process?

Thanks for your help!

Paul

[Asylum Steve]

Hypothetically speaking, if I had some photos I thought where news worthy, could I submit the same photos to multiple publications, all at the same time?

I would not send pics on spec (up front without being paid or hired) to a publication, and I certainly wouldn't send them with any kind of contract, before at least talking to someone at the pub to see what their policies are.

Every publication is different, and it may depend on whether the pub is local, regional, or national, and who their competition is in a market.

Some don't care where else a pic runs. Others are highly protective of their content, even if it's just in the same town or city, and the embarassment of having a competitor with the same photo could mean you'll be blacklisted with them in the future.

If it were me, I would set up a "wish list" of publications in the order you would like the shot to be in, then approach them one at a time. Let them know you would appreciate a quick decision. If the shot is rejected, move on to the next on your list.

Sure, you can take a scattergun approach and solicit many pubs at once, but if one accepts, and they're willing to pay for an exclusive, you're going to have to withdraw all the other offers, and that could be awkward...

[photophorous]

I would not send pics on spec (up front without being paid or hired) to a publication, and I certainly wouldn't send them with any kind of contract, before at least talking to someone at the pub to see what their policies are.

Every publication is different, and it may depend on whether the pub is local, regional, or national, and who their competition is in a market.

Some don't care where else a pic runs. Others are highly protective of their content, even if it's just in the same town or city, and the embarassment of having a competitor with the same photo could mean you'll be blacklisted with them in the future.

If it were me, I would set up a "wish list" of publications in the order you would like the shot to be in, then approach them one at a time. Let them know you would appreciate a quick decision. If the shot is rejected, move on to the next on your list.

Sure, you can take a scattergun approach and solicit many pubs at once, but if one accepts, and they're willing to pay for an exclusive, you're going to have to withdraw all the other offers, and that could be awkward...

Thanks for the advice, Steve.

So, you think it's a bad idea to send pics before talking to someone? Should I call or email, describe the pics, and only send them if they're interested? Or, should I call before I even have pics, to introduce myself and find out about any submission guidlines?

What you said about a scattergun approach makes sense. I started making a list already, so I'll take the one-at-a-time approach.

This is all assuming I ever get a news worthy photo. I just want to be prepared, because I'm planning to try some new things.

Thanks again,
Paul

[Asylum Steve]

So, you think it's a bad idea to send pics before talking to someone? Should I call or email, describe the pics, and only send them if they're interested? Or, should I call before I even have pics, to introduce myself and find out about any submission guidlines?

To answer your first question, that's called an unsolicited submission, and it's the riskiest and probably most bothersome for them, only because a given publication probably gets a lot of these, and I'm guessing most of them are relatively poor quality.

So, without an actual pulitzer prize candidate in your hands, you have a little time to work with, so I would take a better approach. Find out ahead of time what their submission guidelines are.

They are numerous ways to accomplish this. And keep in mind that talking to someone on the phone for any length of time is going to be the greatest drain on a pub's time and resources, and the approach they'll have the least patience with.

Many pubs have their submission policies right on their TOC (Table of Contents) page, or near it, in small print. If not, you can find the names (and if you're lucky phone numbers or email addresses) of the folks you want to ask. Art Director, Photo Editor, Managing Editor, News Desk, or something similar is a tipoff that they deal with photographers.

Most staff members at most pubs will take the time to answer a simple phone call or email (which, of course means keep it simple). If they are not the right person, they will usually tell you or refer you or connect you to those who are. Make sure you write all this info down for future reference, because you don't want to bother anyone any more than necessary if they're not the one who can help you.

Once you have the needed info, you can take two approaches. Either wait for those great pics and then approach them again, or try to get a meeting to introduce yourself and show samples of your work.

The latter is much harder, but if you can swing it, you'll (hopefully) make an impression with them, making it much more likely they'll take your call when you have something new for them...

[photophorous]

To answer your first question, that's called an unsolicited submission, and it's the riskiest and probably most bothersome for them, only because a given publication probably gets a lot of these, and I'm guessing most of them are relatively poor quality.

So, without an actual pulitzer prize candidate in your hands, you have a little time to work with, so I would take a better approach. Find out ahead of time what their submission guidelines are.

They are numerous ways to accomplish this. And keep in mind that talking to someone on the phone for any length of time is going to be the greatest drain on a pub's time and resources, and the approach they'll have the least patience with.

Many pubs have their submission policies right on their TOC (Table of Contents) page, or near it, in small print. If not, you can find the names (and if you're lucky phone numbers or email addresses) of the folks you want to ask. Art Director, Photo Editor, Managing Editor, News Desk, or something similar is a tipoff that they deal with photographers.

Most staff members at most pubs will take the time to answer a simple phone call or email (which, of course means keep it simple). If they are not the right person, they will usually tell you or refer you or connect you to those who are. Make sure you write all this info down for future reference, because you don't want to bother anyone any more than necessary if they're not the one who can help you.

Once you have the needed info, you can take two approaches. Either wait for those great pics and then approach them again, or try to get a meeting to introduce yourself and show samples of your work.

The latter is much harder, but if you can swing it, you'll (hopefully) make an impression with them, making it much more likely they'll take your call when you have something new for them...

This is very helpful, Steve. I appreciate you taking the time.

My goal is to get a little photojournalism experience and build up a portfolio. Right now, I have nothing to show...not news related, anyway.

I haven't been able to find specific submission guidelines posted on any of the publications' websites, but I have found some contact information. So, I'll send some emails to introduce myself and request the submission guidelines.

Paul

[Asylum Steve]

This is very helpful, Steve. I appreciate you taking the time...

No problem. It's Friday... :thumbsup:

What you have to keep telling yourself is the folks that pay are always looking for new sources and talent. You just have to put yourself in a position to get noticed...

[MarcusK]

Hey Paul,

I've been doing some research on that same topic as well, i'll send you the links i found to be usefull, just give me some time to refind them (i have the bad habit of not categorizing properly my links....everything except my links)...in the mean time you can check out:
http://digitaljournalist.org
They have some great articles, if you check the archives>columns

Other than what Steve already said, there is one thing i would add, and stress upon as being crucial...if you are interested in going into photojournalism, you need guts, what i mean is you need to be blunt, for a publication to take you seriously as opposed to someone with a camera we send for something mildly interesting for the local community... so, do your best to barge into their offices.... A photojournalist who can find the way to get into their offices un-invited... would most surely capture their attention... Be nice, but not that nice.... Be bold, but not too cocky....

I've been around many editors, and i know their attitude, like steve said, they get so many requests that it takes something different to capture their attention... If you can write, it would help too....

This might of course vary from one place to the next, but generally speaking in phtojournalism, blunt-forward-confident-courageous is a combination they look for!

Having good pictures always helps too

Marc

[SmartWombat]

To answer your first question, that's called an unsolicited submission, and it's the riskiest and probably most bothersome for them, only because a given publication probably gets a lot of these, and I'm guessing most of them are relatively poor quality.

Understatement !
But there are some magazines that will, according to one editor I talked to, publish "any rubbish they are sent" because "if it's unsolicited they don't pay" and so what's better than free?
He actually wants quality and for his magazine will go out and commission good photographers that he's come across to provide photographs of events, with specific requirements for his double page spreads.

Only one of my images he liked, and it didn't have a single race car in it !

[photophorous]

Hey Paul,

I've been doing some research on that same topic as well, i'll send you the links i found to be usefull, just give me some time to refind them (i have the bad habit of not categorizing properly my links....everything except my links)...in the mean time you can check out:
http://digitaljournalist.org
They have some great articles, if you check the archives>columns

Other than what Steve already said, there is one thing i would add, and stress upon as being crucial...if you are interested in going into photojournalism, you need guts, what i mean is you need to be blunt, for a publication to take you seriously as opposed to someone with a camera we send for something mildly interesting for the local community... so, do your best to barge into their offices.... A photojournalist who can find the way to get into their offices un-invited... would most surely capture their attention... Be nice, but not that nice.... Be bold, but not too cocky....

I've been around many editors, and i know their attitude, like steve said, they get so many requests that it takes something different to capture their attention... If you can write, it would help too....

This might of course vary from one place to the next, but generally speaking in phtojournalism, blunt-forward-confident-courageous is a combination they look for!

Having good pictures always helps too

Marc

Hi Marcus,

If you have more links, please send them to me. I've been looking at digitaljournalist already, and that's a good site.

I'm not sure if I want to do photojournalism or not. I'm trying to figure that out. I figured if I'm going to be out shooting like a photojournalist, I need to know what to do after I get a good shot.

Thanks for your advice.

Paul

[MarcusK]

Ok so since you are considering your options, here some links that helped:

http://www.blackbook.com/index.php
http://www.reduxpictures.com/reps/index.html (might help)
http://www.davenitsche.com/ (conceptual)
http://www.wildlifefotofilm.de/
http://www.phototramp.com/
http://www.robertsemeniuk.com/
http://www.ppmag.com/
http://www.mitchellfunk.com/people1/03.html
http://www.boutwellstudio.com/
http://www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/fashion/shoot2004/

Among my misplaced links these were the highest ranked so i saw them quick...most are for inspirational purposes...sorry could not find the rest...in any case, the more i pop into some of them, the more i'll send you....

For choosing a particular path, i suggest you google it... and do get some magazines, usually they are the ones with all the links to the best sites about photography.... and search each website to find the others.... I have alot of design links hence why it is hard for me to find the photo links....
But googling will take you there no hassle.... Try to find all possible 3 word combinations with of the words being Photograph (er - y - s) you'll find what you're looking for, these should be able to give you an idea of possibilities, and offer you links elsewhere...

As for the legalities, i can't help, and haven't looked, since i am not in the US, and therefore i need to know my own set of rules...which is why i simply go and ask... again, be blunt...just walk in to a publication, and ask for the deadlines for submissions, and regulations that they may have....don't sell yourself cheap, and you're done... All that remains, is finding the good photo, and walking in again... when you have your photos on hand and you show them... if its good they will want it and try to hussle you for it... ... that's when you know you got a good photo on your hands....

Hope this helps, coz so far, this is the best i can do...

Cheers,
Marc

[Ronnoco]

Keep in mind, that you need to gain a perspective on what the particular editor thinks is a good photo. You might be shocked at how different his_her opinion is from yours.

One of my first experiences was submitting what I thought were super photos only to have the editor pick out photos that I almost threw out, for publication. I quickly learned that editors often look at a photo in relation to the publication as opposed to the isolated quality of the image.

Ronnoco

[photophorous]

Marcus, Thanks for the links and the advice. It'll take me a little while to get through all of that, but it looks like some good stuff.

Ronnoco, Thanks for commenting. What you're saying about the editor's perspective makes perfect sense to me. Now I just have to figure out what the editor wants.

I sent some emails to photo editors at local papers last week asking about submission guidelines, and so far I've only received one reply. It was from the big daily in town. She said they only work with freelance photographers on a contract basis, and that I could send a resume and portfolio for consideration. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but not a big surprise either.

Paul

[dhyravy]

You might want to check out this blog. It is all about this subject and has great insights from a seasoned pro as well as other contributors.

HTTP://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/

[photophorous]

You might want to check out this blog. It is all about this subject and has great insights from a seasoned pro as well as other contributors.

HTTP://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the link, Daniel. Lots of good stuff there.

Paul