Photo editor's have their say - The good, the bad, and the ugly - PHOTOGRAPHER edition
How is it working with photographers from the editorial perspective?
Hello :)
On the 200th anniversary of photography (maybe, but it’s heavily debated), I’ve flipped my previous post on its head.
After explaining the various photographer - photo editor relationships I’ve had, I decided to ask some photo editors about their tips and guidelines when they hire photographers.
Here’s what two lovely gentlemen Cengiz Yar, visuals editor of Rest Of World, and Gilles Steinmann, photography editor at NZZ, had to say. Enjoy.
To better working relationships all round!
Cengiz oversees visuals at Rest of World, he's photo edited for Roads & Kingdoms, Explore Parts Unknown, and the Guardian. He writes a semi-monthly, photography-ish newsletter called Yar Mail and his first photobook This Alabaster Grave, focused on the Iraqi city of Mosul, launched this week on Kickstarter.
Q - What would be your best simple tip for photographers pitching you/photo editors in general?
A - The most important aspect of pitching (IMO) is knowing your audience. 90% of the pitches that hit my desk, now or in previous roles, have nothing to do with the publication I work for. So those pitches are starting at zero. There’s no way I’d go about buying, funding, or publishing them because they don’t fit the work I do. If you’re going to spend the time to pitch someone, which is essentially convincing an editor to buy a story, then spend some time researching what they work on, what their publication focuses on, and how your work might fit into it.
Q - You’re experienced as both a photographer, and a photo editor, what are the things you think people on both sides neglect about the other (if they haven’t worked on both sides)?
A - I think editors often forget about the logistical difficulties of being a photographer. How costly it is. The risk of assignments. The unstable schedules. The challenges of actually making the work. I’ve been on the receiving end of those phone calls, where an editor clearly didn’t do the work before reaching out, and it’s frustrating. On the other side of things, I don’t think most photographers understand how photo editing is far more than just sequencing photos. There’s a ton of background, organizational, and production work that goes into the job. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes to get to the point where someone can be hired and their photos be used. My favorite part of the job is actually editing and sequencing photos, but that’s like 5% of my day.
Q - How can photographers be better when working with editors?
A - Ask more questions. If you’re unsure about something, ask about it. Ask for a brief, filing info, and expenses for travel. How many photos should I file? Is Dropbox okay or do you have an FTP system? Do you want to make selects or expect fully processed edits?
If the photo editor hasn’t given you everything you need, just ask them. I try to work from a place realizing that not every photographer knows what I might be expecting and other editors probably have wildly different expectations than I do. So I try (I’m admittedly not perfect at this) to share as much as I can when commissioning someone for the first time.
The second thing, which goes in hand with the first, is to have confidence in yourself. I reach out to people because I believe in their abilities, often based on work I’ve seen them do before. Go make more good work. That editor trusts you to do you. (These are both pieces of advice I wish I could go back and give myself a decade ago)
Unsolicited piece of advice. Hit up those emails. Remind editors of what you’re working on and where you’re working on it. Stop solely relying on social media to get you work. The most successful photographers I know have a diverse marketing approach for their work - mailers, email blasts, and social media. And the absolute best way to market yourself, get some IN-PERSON meetings: coffees, dinners, beers.
Gilles Steinmann director of photography for the daily newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) in Switzerland.
Q - How can photographers be better when working with editors?
A - • Share a mobile phone that works with Whatsapp, to get in touch quickly
• fill in the ITPC fields: correct name of the protagonist, name of the photographer, copyrights!
Q - What would be your best simple tip for photographers pitching you/photo editors more generally?
A - • Email with a PDF and a really good edit
Q - What are the things you think people working on both ends neglect about the other (photographers and photo editors)
A - • Communication between the correspondent and photographer: Work out a strategy on how both want to collaborate in the field. Inform the correspondent that the photographer also sees interesting people and can guide their attention to that protagonist.
There you go - they graciously left out some of the ‘worst’ examples, so it’s more of a how to do your job better as a photographer, when working with an editor.
As always, leaving you with some links to photography related cud to chew:
Some beautiful Astronomy Photographer to give you some perspective on life
Magnum Photos Jonas Bendiksen discusses his career, and offers tips and advice to other photographers. Down to earth, not pretentious.
Enjoy your week. Cheers,
Bradley