Do you see yourself as a photographer and storyteller? Then a career as a photojournalist may be right for you. Photojournalism is presenting a story through photographs. This profession incorporates expert knowledge on photography techniques, the instinct to capture newsworthy moments and the ability to work in different settings.
Types of Photojournalism
Photojournalism is capturing and sharing newsworthy shots. In many cases, photojournalists work for magazine or newspaper publications—print or online. Photos generally concentrate on current news, events, interests or topics.
There are two types of photojournalism:
- Using photos to support a story
- Using photos as the primary venue or vehicle to tell a story
In the first type of photojournalism, the photojournalist takes pictures that help to illustrate the points in the article or story. In the second type, the picture captured illustrates the story.
Additionally, photojournalism covers different aspects of photography:
- Features photojournalism
- Sports photojournalism
- Environmental photojournalism
Features photojournalism covers topics of human interests, like entertainment, science and business. Sports journalism captures athletes and sporting events. Environment photojournalism covers the portraits of people in their natural environments, such as construction worker doing work at a construction site.
Education
Pursing a photography degree may be a good option if you want to start a career in photojournalism. Photojournalists in particular often require a Bachelor’s Degree.* There are many online and campus options that can help guide you in studies in Documentary, Fine Arts, Journalism, Lighting, and more. With the necessary education and practice, you could learn the tricks and techniques for this particular profession and be able to inform and educate people about newsworthy topics through photos. On top of this, passion and talent in photography are usually important components for a career in this field.
Career Outlook
Photographers in this field and other areas will be needed for years to come. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, photographer jobs are expected to grow by 13% between 2010 and 2020.*
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