Want to become a press photographer

[Ben1223]

I want to become a press photographer but I don't have a degree in journalism.
Is it possible to become one without a degree in a relevant/related field?
How does one go about doing this?
To photojournalists and press photographers out there I appreciate your
advice.

[Jed]

Can't speak for Singapore where I would expect paper qualifications are more important, but there are plenty of my colleagues over here in the UK who have no formal photographic qualifications at all.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Ben1223 I want to become a press photographer but I don't have a degree in journalism. Is it possible to become one without a degree in a relevant/related field? How does one go about doing this? To photojournalists and press photographers out there I appreciate your advice.

Like Jed I can't talk about the situation in Singapore, but I can give you some sage advice. Namely, go have a chat with the photographic editor at any of the larger Singapore based Newspapers, (eg: Straits Times etc) and find out specificially from him/her what is required locally.

[igpenguin]

Like Ian said, just approach any of the photo desks at the local papers. The English-language papers always had and welcome interns or part-timers; job openings for full time positions come up once in a while. I also know of at least one photojournalist who applied unsolicited to SPH HR and now is a full-time staff. A journalism or photojournalism background is not a prerequisite.

[Ben1223]

Originally Posted by igpenguin Like Ian said, just approach any of the photo desks at the local papers. The English-language papers always had and welcome interns or part-timers; job openings for full time positions come up once in a while. I also know of at least one photojournalist who applied unsolicited to SPH HR and now is a full-time staff. A journalism or photojournalism background is not a prerequisite.

Thanks to all of you who replied so far. How do I go about convincing these people to take me as an intern (or take me seriously)? Do I need to show them a portfolio?

[SniperD]

Try doing a simple story... and show them the shots as your portfolio

[kiama]

read this thread

[Ben1223]

Originally Posted by kiama read this thread

thanks for the link. the discussions are very informative.
Jed and Ian gave good insights.
What they have also said is very inspiring. I'll definitely chase this dream.

I hope I get to meet some Clubsnap members who work for the press.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Ben1223 Thanks to all of you who replied so far. How do I go about convincing these people to take me as an intern (or take me seriously)? Do I need to show them a portfolio?

When you seek advice from them they will explain what you need to present in order to be taken seriously, though the basics don't vary much from paper to paper, different editors and HR departments have different requirements. Also you should be aware that jounalism and photojournalism are graded professions, where you start at the bottom and progress up the ladder according to your demonstrated abilities and experience. Starting at the bottom is to be expected.