Career path research | Professional studies | Year two

Further research

I recently researched into the career path of a photographers assistant, and got quite a lot of information about the ins and outs of the job and also any qualifications needed and what skills you must have, from this i wanted to look at another type of photography that interests me, and as my current project is editorial i thought i would kill two birds with one stone and gain knowledge to help me with the current project and also to give me a better understanding of the job in hand in the professional world for pro studies. 

Below is the information i found out from the skillset website i have also used the same information for my normal photography blog. 

Researching editorial photography

http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles_and_stories/job_roles/373_advertising_and_editorial_photographer

Advertising and editorial photography

Industries: advertising and marketing communications | Photo imaging | Publishing

Summary of the jobs

• Taking photographs for advertising purposes is primarily to help describe and sell products and ideas. 
• Taking photographs for editorial purposes are primarily to go alongside an article in various media formats. 

To do the role

To do either role you need to be able to do and have the qualities listed below:

• Be willing to travel and meet people to solve visual challenges, not only that you have to want to do so and actually enjoy it. 
• Be able to interpret a story through original photographic images. 
• Understand the principles of compassion, appreciate shape, form, colour and tone. 
• Be organized practical and creative.
• Calm and friendly attitude you need to cope well with busy and stressful situations.
• In order to promote yourself you need to be very motivated and self driven as well as self confident.
• Good communication skills.
• Know how to use image manipulation and image management software.

What roles does an advertising and editorial photographer do?

• Advertising photographers want to capture well lit photographs that capture the essence of the product they are trying to sell and promote. Usually in a specific area such as food, furniture, engineering, cars or financial services. 
• On the other hand editorial photographers produce images that will accompany featured articles in newspapers, magazines, websites, chapters of book and also text in company brochures. They could be working both in studios or on location. The photographer is usually briefed by the publications editor or the picture editor. They are then expected to meet the brief or exceed the expectations. 

Any qualifications needed for the job?

Officially no qualification is needed to do this job, its all about having a strong portfolio, track record and a good reputation. 

You can get established in this work through selected college schemes that give you the technical grounds and also some work placement opportunities. 

What is the best route in?

You can either enter into this industry by becoming a photography assistant or even just learning on the job.

Working as an assistant photographer means you will gain invaluable experience like learning from and already established photographer, meeting clients, models and also art directors. 


What i discovered from both researching editorial photography and also photography assistants is that it does say amongst the research on editorial that a good path into the job is through becoming a photographers assistant first.

Career Paths Research | Professional Studies | Year Two

Photography Assistant

http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles_and_stories/job_roles/374_assistant_photographer

Basic roles of a photography assistant are all about doing whatever the photographer needs, as an assistant you need to make sure the shoot runs smoothly, assist the photographer in any way you can during and also dealing in administration. scouting shoot locations etc. 
This role will require you to do the following:

• be willing to learn

• be organised and practical

• understand how to operate digital and traditional cameras, and scanning equipment

• anticipate the needs of the photographer

• have excellent communication skills

• be able to foresee and evaluate potential problems, and deal with them calmly

• be skilled in image-manipulation and image-management software

• possess good office skills

• pay close attention to detail

Becoming an assistant to a photographer that you look up to or an up and coming photographer is a really good way to open lots of doors as a photographer, not only are you learning from an already established photographer but you have the time and facilities to create your own portfolio all whilst getting better.

This takes out the stress of owning the business themselves it means they can focus all their time on learning. One downside to this job is that it doesn't pay well, a lot of these job opportunities are in London, which is a very expensive place to live, this can cause issues financially for assistants. This is something that i almost consider a deal breaker for me, although the life lessons are priceless, the cost of living is just too high in some cases meaning sacrifice getting the job would be all i could do. 


Do you need any qualifications for this role?The advanced Apprenticeship in photo imaging is something that is recommended to have if you are looking into possibly getting a job as an assistant, also having a higher education in photography is something they may possibly look for. 

However in some instances due to it being a entry-level job some photographers may hire people with little of no experience, training them there and then. But experience even in the smallest amount is preferred. 

If you are hired by a photographer who is studio based a good thing to have knowledge on is setting up and taking down equipment such as lighting and backdrops. Once you are aware of how a photo shoots runs and how to run it you could be introduced to important people behind the shoot such as models, art directors, clients. The photographer may also give you an insight on future project and get you to work closely with them. 

Back to earning little money being a photographers assistant. Sometimes it is recommended that you serve as an assistant to a hand full of photographers this would benefit you massively in two ways, not only does it keep your monthly wages looking like that of a normal 9-5 worker but it also will give you a massive insight into the ways different photographers work and you may pick up various different traits that are good to have. Some photographers cannot even afford to employ one assistant then others may have several.

Where might the role take me?

• Advertising and Editorial Photographer

• General Practice or Social Photographer

• Unit Stills Photographer

• Fashion Photographer

• Press Photographer or Photojournalist

• Corporate (Industrial and Commercial) Photographer

• Staff Photographer

I like the idea of going to a photographer and helping him out being their assistant would teach me valuable lessons and traits that i couldn't get anywhere else, the money side of this job worries me tremendously, but i do know i like the idea of possibly having my own studio one day, portraiture and editorial photography interest me massively, and i feel in the future it could be beneficial for me to learn and work alongside an established photographer. 

Professional studies | Year Two

Competitions and Awards

There a many photography competitions out there and it can be hard to determine which are legit or the best of the best. Finding out which are the ones you should be going for takes research and in depth analysis of previous years and also reading through their terms and conditions.

A hand full of competitions that are looked to as some of the best are:

1. Lens Culture Awards
2. AOP STudent/Open Awards
3. Fujifilm Student Awards
4. New York Photo Awards
5. National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize
6. RPS Awards

1. Lens culture awards actually have an online/printable guide entitled 'How to get the most out of photography competitions'. There are 12 steps on what to look for and to judge photography competitions before you enter them. Bellow i will summarize and pick out key points for each step given. 

• Hosting organisation: look for well known and respected organisations that are hosting competitions. This way you know they are legit and wont scam you etc. Make sure they are dedicated to what the competition involves. This is because if they are all of the things listed above this means that you can have many opportunities like exposure, appearances in their magazine and added career prospects.
• The jury: One of the best things for you when entering competitions is if the judging panel is second to none. You want the right people viewing your work. Getting the right people looking at your work can mean the difference between getting published in magazines and other publications, it can also give you contacts which are crucial and a great asset to have.
• exposure opportunities- exhibitions: Being in exhibitions is one of the best things you can have behind you not only does this legitimize you in the photography industry but it also would look amazing on CV's.
• exposure opportunities- Printed publications: Having your work printed in award winning publications alongside award winning work will have long lasting benefits for you as a photographer it also means that your work can still be viewed by important and influential people if they themselves are unable to attend an exhibition. People all around the world will be able to view your work and it also used for referencing material and research by many photographer some of which are massively influential. 
• Exposure opportunities- online: After the cash prizes and awards are all said and done having your work online can be massively beneficial for you. We live in a technological work and the internet is very much a part of our everyday lives not through social networking sites etc. There are thousands of overnight success stories of people going viral quite literally over night, this could be you. 
• Cash awards: Cash awards although they may seem amazing can actually fund you in future projects or get you new equipment. This in return can potentially fund you and keep you focused on your work. But it is always good to remember that although it is good winning the cash photography awards can benefit you in other ways such as getting your work seen by many people. 
• Theme: Themed competitions give you the opportunity to showcase your speciality. Show what you are best at. If you take your time to look at competitions that have a theme you are particularly good at this can give you a better shot at winning and getting your work out there. As well as this it can also make you stand out and show what your work entails, what message you bring forward. 
• Eligibility: Things such as age, location, theme and levels are things you should be looking out for certain competitions look for specific things that entrants should fit into. Also pay close attention to the instructions so that you get it right things like naming, numbering the photos, adding captions and text can be very important. 
• Entry fees: Entry fees to competitions are what keeps the competitions funded each year, some can be as low as £10 but can be considerably more, make sure you check this to see whether this is something you can afford. Also on occasion some competitions will ask you to pay extra fees for exhibition costs etc. This will all be listed in the terms and conditions. 
• Photographer rights: It is crucial you make sure you own all copyrights to your work, this prevents people being able to take your work and use it for your own. Some will want to use your work for promotional purposes but you have to make sure you still own copyrights and that you are credited for the work. Make sure it is done fairly.
• Feedback from previous winners: Looking at the previous winners experiences before entering a competition will give you a better understanding on whether the competition is worthwhile entering. Things to look out for are whether their work has been featured elsewhere or the winners themselves saying how the competition has helped them.
• After the competition: Look for competitions that give you added publication online etc, this could mean added publication worldwide after the competition has ended. There could be added perks such as memberships which can be given even if you are not selected as a winner. 

About lens culture:

For the last 10 years lens culture has become one of the most respected resources of commentary photography, In their words they have been committed to discovering and promoting the best of the global photography community. They strive to find the most exciting work from all around the world in a wide range on styles of photography. 
Lens Culture international exposure awards is now in its 50th year.

AOP Student/Open Awards
The AOP is one of the leading organisations representing those in the professional photographic industry. The association of photographers was initially formed in 1968. One thing the AOP pride themselves on is that their aims are the same today as they were when they first started. These are to promote and protect the worth and standing of its members, to vigorously defend, educate and lobby for the interests and rights of all photographers, especially in the commercial photographic industry.
Anyone can be a member? Their list of people is as follows:

• Advertising agencies
• design groups
• assistants
• agents
• colleges
• students
• and anyone else with an interest in professional photography.

Once you are a member your work can be published in:

• world wide magazines
• newspapers
• books 
• and advertisement campaigns.

If members produce fine art work their work can be sold and collected through traditional galleries and online. 
They describe their sense of community and that you wont find a place that brings all types of photographers together anywhere else.

New York Photo Awards
The New York Photo Awards was established in 2008, and since then more then 25,000 photographers have submitted their work, it is estimated that 150,000 photos on a whole has been submitted. All viewed by a team of judges who are the tom names in the genre of fine art, documentary, advertising, book publishing and  multimedia industries in the US and abroad. 
National Portrait Gallery Photographic Portrait Prize
This organisation was founded in 1856, the aim of the national portrait gallery, London is to premote the medium of portraits, the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who are as we speak making history and molding the culture through the apprecuation and understanding of portraiture in all media.

Competitions i have entered
Recently i decided i should put my work out there by entering competitions. This is something i would never have dreamed of doing just last year, but what i have realised is i am a lot more confident in the work i've done between now and then. Resulting in my wanting to give it a go. The one aspect that scared me a great deal was that this i a global competition, people all over the world can submit their work this makes me question whether i am good enough as of yet.
The competition i have entered is the World Photography Organisation student awards for anyone aged 19 or under. I submitted a portrait which i will show below:

I chose this portrait because i think it is a very powerful image. Showing how hard and mucky working in hands on industries can be, i also think it is one of the best portrait i have capture thus far in my photography experience. 
I made sure to use the lens culture guide to competitions, i also thoroughly read the terms and conditions and i know i hold all rights to my photography. 
There will be 10 photographs selected one of which will be a winner. If you are the winner you get sony camera equipment given to you, i read that i can be as much as 25,000 euros worth. You also get travel cost to london and two nights in a hotel to attend the award ceremony and also your work will be put up in an exhibition. 

The closing date for this competition is the 16th of December 2014.

The judging panel consists of Tom Hind, Jacqueline Hassink and Krishna Sheth.