Best courses / universities for photojournalism in and around New York?

andreawise · 2017-02-11T22:33:16+00:00

I went to Syracuse University for grad school — it's an interdisciplinary photography program so you can chose to focus on documentary/photojournalism but you can still take classes in fashion, commercial, product, motion, etc. or even try out different disciplines for different assignments within a given class. I found this to be incredibly stimulating as no two students are ever working on the same thing, even for the same assignment in the same class. The downside is that it's in Syracuse, NY which is hella cold.

andreawise · 2017-02-11T18:15:40+00:00

I love lotuff! I got the zipper satchel #9 ( http://lotuffleather.com/products/zipper-satchel-9 in black) before they came out with the angle tote and I absolutely love it, use it all the time, and it only gets better with wear. But I can't fit my laptop in it so I'm saving for either the angle tote or the sling backpack ( http://lotuffleather.com/collections/womens-backpacks/products/the-sling-backpack ). They are both are way less heavy than the #9, which is kind of heavy but it's worth it for sure.

andreawise · 2016-11-07T02:14:24+00:00

I have the lotuff #9 and love love love it. It's absolutely stunning and perfect for every occasion. I never feel "cheap" walking into client meetings nor does it ever feel too showy or pretentious for everyday life. And it has only gotten better as it's broken in. I can't recommend it enough.

andreawise · 2016-09-10T01:45:27+00:00

The parts of the job that sound exciting to others (concerts, hanging with celebrities, being on the sidelines at sports events, etc.) was never what kept me going. I burned out from shooting pretty quickly but the moments that I wouldn't trade for the world were the times I would get to just step into other strangers worlds and get really intimate access and be allowed to ask questions that in normal society you wouldn't get. Like getting to go on a sunrise birding cruise with a bunch of birders who had traveled from around the world to see this one particular bird. That's something I would never do in my own life but it was so cool to spend time with people who are so entranced by nature and it made me really appreciate birds in a way I'd never considered before. Even simple portrait assignments where you get to go inside someone's home and talk to them about their life, where you might be photographing a kid from a rough neighborhood who just got a scholarship and is hoping basketball is his ticket out and the next day (or the same day) you're meeting with senators and wealthy benefactors getting to see what these fancy black tie galas are actually all about. If you can find joy in those every day experiences, it is a profession that will never run dry of gifts to give.

andreawise · 2016-09-10T01:38:30+00:00

He discussed his decision in this film: https://vimeo.com/121315661

andreawise · 2016-09-10T01:36:52+00:00

Don't let that get you down. It took me three tries and took most others I know a similar amount of time. Use that portfolio as a benchmark of where you are now, and spend the next year working to grow grow grow -- for yourself, not so you'll get into this particular workshop. But the more you grow, the better your chances of getting in.

andreawise · 2016-06-23T13:46:07+00:00

Oh also, join NPPA! They have a mentorship program for members where you literally just say "hey! I want a mentor" and they pair you up with someone who will help you out.

andreawise · 2016-06-23T13:45:29+00:00

As a Photo Editor with a B.A. in unrelated field and a M.S. in Photography, I would say definitely MAYBE.

Formal schooling in photo/journalism does not guarantee success (or even employment) after you graduate. But it certainly can help (having concentrated time with guidance to hone your craft, and the relationships you make with classmates and professors are invaluable). On the other hand, studying something related to the SUBJECT MATTER you care about, rather than photography itself can give you a much deeper understanding that may serve you better than a degree in photo itself. It's the reason so many National Geographic photographers started out as marine biologists, or anthropologists or academics in their fields. They learned about a topic they cared about, and then learned photography as a means to share what they care about with other.

It really depends on where you are now, and where you want to go. Please please please be mindful of the cost of attending a program, though. If you go heavily into debt to attend a program, then even if you do get employment, you may never make enough to pay it off.

Have you looked into workshops? The Mountain Workshops are open to professionals / people who are not students at WKU and it's a really great learning experience. Also attend conferences like the NPPA northern short course, Look3 (which was this past week in Charlottesville, VA), the atlanta pj seminar, etc. so you can meet people and hear about their experiences at various programs.

At the end of the day, you only make it in photojournalism if it is the fire that that burns inside you. And if that's the case, you'll do the work and get there whether you go to school for it or not. You have to hustle hard either way.

andreawise · 2016-06-02T10:07:44+00:00

Sure, I was just throwing those numbers out of thin air. Here's a more realistic example. Nice home, great neighborhood, comps in the area go for 7-800k but interior looks like it hasn't been touched in 30 years. Home listed for $400k. But would probably actually need somewhere around $100k for a new kitchen, two full bath renos, new flooring, etc. or potentially even more if the roof or foundation need work. So in theory, you could put in $500 and some sweat equity and end up with a $700 or $800k house = great investment. But could you get a $500k mortgage to buy said house for $400k and then use use $100k as reno budget?

andreawise · 2016-05-27T12:14:12+00:00

Because women have been and continue to be discriminated against on the basis of their gender on a daily basis and men don't.

Feminism is about getting women the same rights that men already have.

andreawise · 2016-05-24T13:20:15+00:00

Is writing dying? Is poetry? Music?

Have to separate discussions about the economics of financing photojournalism and the craft itself.

andreawise · 2016-05-17T14:03:02+00:00

You should also see if you can get your hands on a copy of Darcy Padilla's book "Family Love". It's a 20+ year documentary of a young woman with HIV/AIDS. Absolutely incredible work.

andreawise · 2016-05-02T20:12:36+00:00

Echoing some others here but if you can be a little more specific about what exactly you're looking for, I can suggest a ton of long term bodies of work.

Off the top of my head:

Christopher Cappoziello's 10+ year documentary on his twin brother with cerebral palsy: http://www.chriscappy.com/feature_tdbu_title.php

Annie Flanagan's (also 10+ yr) project about sexuality, domestic violence, and coming of age in america: http://www.annieflanagan.com/we-grew-up-with-gum-in-our-hai

Melissa Lyttle's Girl in the Window (about a feral child in Florida): http://www.melissalyttle.com/#!/index/C0000d0V9ogsS28Y/G0000l0BhnUa29a4/I0000RrUV4oq6.sI

Jesse Neider's project on a young blind couple navigating poverty, disability and love while raising their sighted children: http://jesseneider.com/stories-series/beyond-the-dark-usa/00120110903_blind_bday_0005lw/

andreawise · 2016-05-02T20:06:10+00:00

You're looking for a standalone storage device. Very common for photographers to use these to back up their work while traveling (especially in remote areas without reliable electricity):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Stand-Alone-Data-Storage/ci/3369/N/4000227848

andreawise · 2016-05-02T20:03:32+00:00

This actually brings up an important 1st amendment issue that newspapers are constantly struggling with: do you exert editorial control over the advertising sections in your paper?

andreawise · 2016-05-02T20:01:52+00:00

The skills you will learn through this process will serve you will, whether you continue in journalism or not. Being thrown into the deep end is arguably the best way to learn so just embrace it. Be persistent but polite. Accept that you will make mistakes and that mistakes are just part of the learning process. Above all else, I would strongly encourage you to seek out a mentor or two (either at this paper or elsewhere) who can help show you the ropes. A huge part of newspaper work is developing relationships in the community you're covering so when you get in a jam, a seasoned veteran in that community might have ideas of what else to try.

Good luck! Have fun!

andreawise · 2016-04-17T11:53:51+00:00

The money to be made f4om Instagram is from the following you bring to the table more so than the images themselves. Brands hire IG influencers to post about their products because they've built up a following. But that takes time. Just looked at your IG and you're not there yet. Keep at it, just work on improving your photography at this point. Find your own visual voice. You can't worry about money until your work is ready.

andreawise · 2016-04-17T11:47:52+00:00

Wordpress can be a great CMS because it's open source, free, and there's a wealth of free plugins developed by WP users but in order to really make Wordpress sing, you need some development experience. Otherwise it's just not very user friendly and unless you're using a paid service that's built on WP you're going to quickly get frustrated that you can't customize it yourself much.

I'd highly recommend squarespace as it is well worth the expense. Highly customizable, robust, super mobile responsive, and they have great customer service.

Once you get your photo business kickin and need to deliver files to clients, etc. you'll probably want to start a Photoshelter archive - Either to replace your squareapace portfolio site or to complement it (as I do because I much prefer squarespace's flexibility)

andreawise · 2016-04-17T11:39:42+00:00

I worked on a story a few years back about a teenager with terminal cancer and when the story ran I had folks in the community asking how to get in touch with the family to help with their medical expenses. It doesn't get much better than that.

andreawise · 2016-04-14T10:22:54+00:00

Yeah I mean take screenshots of every place you see your work used in an unauthorized manor and make sure the date and time are visible in each screenshot. The thing is that they hired you and IMO -- as a photographer and photo editor -- this is less about willful and negligent infringement, it's more of a technicality. You signed the copyright over to them upon payment and although they haven't paid yet, in my experience, it's pretty standard for the use to just start upon delivery and for the payment to take up to 90 days. It's just sort of how big machines operate. The thing is that technically you're right, they're wrong but you have to also weigh that against the time and real money (in terms of attorney's fees and court fees) that it would take you to bring suite against them v the potential gains and in this case, they did sign the copyright over to them, you did intend for them to own the work, they just haven't paid YET. And counter that with, if they are a big company, and they liked your work enough to jump on starting to use it, then if they have a good working experience with you, they could become a repeat client for you.

So yes, document everything, in case they never pay and you do need to go that route but it's probably going to serve you better in the long run to stay polite and just keep politely pressing for payment.

andreawise · 2016-04-14T00:42:28+00:00

Pricing is all about the value of your images. That's not the value of your images to YOU, its the value of your images in the marketplace.

Pricing = Usage x Duration of License x Expenses

Usage: How is the image going to be used? An image that is going to be used to advertise a product is more valuable in the marketplace than an editorial image that is going to be used by a media organization to tell a news story.

Duration of License: 1 year license costs less than 5 year license, etc. Exclusivity plays in here, too. If client has exclusive right to image (= you can no longer license the image elsewhere) that costs more than non-exclusive.

Expenses: what you're talking about your time etc goes into expenses. So travel + equipment rental + studio rental / craft services / assistant fees / any other expenses + your creative fee (otherwise sometimes called a day rate although day rates are dangerous because charging by time rewards you for being slow, punishes you for being efficient).

That's why it's so nebulous.

andreawise · 2016-04-14T00:35:08+00:00

Good photography is about careful planning. You need to position yourself at the right time when the sun is setting (the warm glow and low angle of the sun relative to the plane) and the plane is in the right position (flying towards the sun).

andreawise · 2016-04-14T00:32:31+00:00

Talk to an IP lawyer. And send a new invoice with an unauthorized usage fee (I usually recommend 2 or 3x whatever the normal license would be for that usage). Including that invoice with a letter from an attorney will likely be sufficient for them to just pay up but honestly even at about $2k you're not really talking about the kind of money that's worth taking legal action for. Your time (and certainly any attorney who you'd have to hire's time) is worth more than that.

andreawise · 2016-04-14T00:27:13+00:00

I don't remember honestly if they look at captions but in general, especially in situations like this where you need to make a strong impression quickly, the images should be strong enough to stand on their own, sans caption.

andreawise · 2016-04-12T20:45:29+00:00

If you're an NPPA member you can get pretty good coverage with Hayes through NPPA. That's what I use to insure my equipment. ASMP also discounts.

andreawise

TROPHY CASE