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Applying for Newspaper Jobs - Assemble a Photo Portfolio

In this day and age of budget cuts and multi-tasking, most entry-level journalists will be required to submit their own photos to accompany their stories.

Many editors will ask you to submit some photos as part of your application process.

You should practice taking news photos to build your portfolio.

Here are some tips:


  • Take photos of people. Old buildings, flowers and tranquil lakes are pretty, but they aren't where the action is. As a news photographer you will be taking photos of people doing things, so start practicing.



  • Take candid photos. When you pull out your camera you may find that people stop whatever they are doing and grin at you. Encourage them to relax and carry on with what they were doing, for example, fixing a car, knitting a baby blanket or playing guitar. You might have to stick around for a while and establish a rapport until they become comfortable around the camera.



  • Talk to strangers. To be a successful journalist, you need to be able to approach people you don't know. Don't just take pictures of your friends. Get out there and look for interesting people. Explain why you want to take their picture and ask them for their name and their story.



  • Make notes. When you are asked for a photo sample, the editor will also be expecting a caption, which is called "cutline" in newspaper lingo. Your cutline should contain all the details about the photo, including the full names of the people in the photo, the date it was taken, what are the people doing, why are they doing it, and where are they.



  • Learn the settings on your camera. Experiment with things like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The more familiar you are with the results, the more comfortable you will be adapting to any situation. As a reporter, you will need to be very adaptable.



  • Don't fix it in Photoshop. Changing the levels and cropping the photo are fine, but as soon as you start removing details from the background (like the tree growing out of your subject's head) or reversing the photo, you've altered the reality of what actually happened. That's a no-no.



  • Aim for variety. The editor will want to know that you are a versatile photographer. Take pictures in a variety of situations, for example, sporting events, theatrical performances, concerts, kids' birthday parties. All of these types of situations require different skills, which will be invaluable on the job.


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