Being A Photojournalist

[DodoAngel]

Haloz to all!

Just wanted to ask what does it take to be a Photojournalist. Are there any qualifications that you need to be a full time photojournalist? Such as degrees?

So far from what i know singapore has almost nothing for such a qualification, and the nearest will be all the way in Australia to pursue a degree in such.

Can any working as one or know please share some information with me? And also what are the prospects of working as one in Singapore. Thanks

 

[renegade150]

i'm not 1 but having a dedicated portfolio to photojour would certainly matter most.

 

[+evenstar]

results in GP or similar? i can help you check if i manage to get a contract with SPH soon..

 

[trlnlty]

when i was really interested in being a pj, i know interning helps ALOT. You hvae to get your name out there.

 

[ckuang]

www.nppa.org is a great way to start your search

 

[raincool2005]

Haloz to all!

Just wanted to ask what does it take to be a Photojournalist. Are there any qualifications that you need to be a full time photojournalist? Such as degrees?

So far from what i know singapore has almost nothing for such a qualification, and the nearest will be all the way in Australia to pursue a degree in such.

Can any working as one or know please share some information with me? And also what are the prospects of working as one in Singapore. Thanks

same here.. i am moving towards this industry. After 10 years of working , i realised what my passion really is.
:sweat:

 

[Stoned]

Haloz to all!

Just wanted to ask what does it take to be a Photojournalist. Are there any qualifications that you need to be a full time photojournalist? Such as degrees?

So far from what i know singapore has almost nothing for such a qualification, and the nearest will be all the way in Australia to pursue a degree in such.

Can any working as one or know please share some information with me? And also what are the prospects of working as one in Singapore. Thanks

Actually Singapore has a new journalism course in NTU. IIRC, you can branch out into photojournalism from year 2 or year 3 or something to that effect.

 

[glennyong]

usually SPH take in people who have relevant skills like Diploma /Degree in Mass Communication or etc.

Or you can pick up courses with offer modules with Journalism.

TP offers Visual Communication.

other then that. u need some networking and very good portfolio, resume and some background.

the work as PJ at SPH requires u to work irregular hours. and you must have a strong will and determination and passion to keep your work and social life interesting.

Nevertheless. what is more important is have calibre. look for companies who can give you opportunities to travel overseas and shoot in the frontlines. local news agencies focus more on local news. send you out and cover stories. and seldom you see our homegrown talents going into the frontlines of east timor to station there and cover news for 2-3months at a time. simply because put it this way. wee are still singapore. not functioning like big time news agencies else where.

(i edit this line: to prevet further flames)

 

[glennyong]

and as long u as one is a photographer, he/she aspires to be a photojournalist.

as yourself this questionS

WHAT IS SO FREAKIN SPECIAL ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WILL MAKE YOUR EMPLOYERS NOT THINK TWICE AND HIRE YOU.

WHAT MAKES YOU SPECIAL. WHAT MAKES YOU GREAT AND INDISPENSIBLE.

 

[glennyong]

and if u are enlisting. join SAF flim unit. better get exposed early too.

linking networking may not be good also. sometimes i mean.

go study and dun think so much.

 

[raincool2005]

normally, how much do a PJ earns ?

 

[nightwolf75]

SPH is nothing. aim for big companies like Reuters.

while ST might not be the paragon of good news reporting (depending on one's point of view of wat media freedom is), ur statement smacks of bullsh1t. to say SPH photojournalism/journalism is nothing is a smack on the faces of all the hardworking reporters and PJs who work for SPH - whom i might add have won accolades from regional and international PJ/journalism competitions regularly. best example is the award-winning photos from the asian tsunami.

are u even good enuf to qualify to work in SPH in the first place to even allow for u to turn ur nose up at SPH?

fyi - reuters, strictly speaking, is a news clearing house. while they have reporters of their own, they rely on (the industry term) stringers in local media and freelancers to contribute stories and pics.

 

[glennyong]

nightwolf. i hope you didnt take it too seriously.

what i meant was that i wanted him to aspire for something high.

SPH is not nothing, but they work diffferently from other agencies. PJs here most of the time work locally from what i see. seldom you hear them going else where and report from the frontlines.

i may have interpreted my message wrongly. its not full loads of crap..

its up to one on how to inteprete my message.

on a personal note, you took it a little too seriously.

 

[nightwolf75]

nightwolf. i hope you didnt take it too seriously.

what i meant was that i wanted him to aspire for something high.

SPH is not nothing, but they work diffferently from other agencies. PJs here most of the time work locally from what i see. seldom you hear them going else where and report from the frontlines.

i may have interpreted my message wrongly. its not full loads of crap..

its up to one on how to inteprete my message.

on a personal note, you took it a little too seriously.

since u are a superuser now, pls think 2-3 times b4 typing.

re-look wat u have written, and think again the meaning...

aspiring high is good. but, one must start somewhere. i know of a CSer here who's a PJ (formerly in HK, now back home working here), and i know PJs like him work their arses off getting the story, even if they are not in some 'big time' news agency.

oh yeah... obviously u dun read local newspapers. our PJs dun go frontlines? wat is frontlines to u? in the trenches of iraq? might i direct u to some excellent PJ work done 2 yrs back of a photo essay by TNP in afghanistan, the asian tsunami and a revisit of the aceh published last yr.

 

[glennyong]

those are the few who are known figures. terrence and etc. i know.

not as in covering major events in iraq or what. but like small events around the world. bring other news that you dun see on the normal newspapers.

true that one has to start somewhere. but nevertheless you need to have dreams.

superuser ornot. its still a normal member. and i havent use any of the abilities yet. nor am i given special previledges.

and yes i dun really read local newspapers. except for fridays saturdays and sundays, the rest of the time is wall street journals and new york times... :dunno:

i have no issues with sph. its just that young guns like the TS needs to be inspired not brought down by some pgs here.

 

[raincool2005]

since u are a superuser now, pls think 2-3 times b4 typing.

re-look wat u have written, and think again the meaning...

aspiring high is good. but, one must start somewhere. i know of a CSer here who's a PJ (formerly in HK, now back home working here), and i know PJs like him work their arses off getting the story, even if they are not in some 'big time' news agency.

oh yeah... obviously u dun read local newspapers. our PJs dun go frontlines? wat is frontlines to u? in the trenches of iraq? might i direct u to some excellent PJ work done 2 yrs back of a photo essay by TNP in afghanistan, the asian tsunami and a revisit of the aceh published last yr.

i once saw BBC TV had a special program to remember their fallen colleagues who are some photojournalists and TV crew. They were killed in friendly fire and accidents. :think:

 

[+evenstar]

i once saw BBC TV had a special program to remember their fallen colleagues who are some photojournalists and TV crew. They were killed in friendly fire and accidents. :think:

from a photojournalist killed by shelling in the iraq war

 

[raincool2005]

from a photojournalist killed by shelling in the iraq war

during Iraq war.. the cameras and lenses are black tapped to prevent sands from entering. There is no way to change lens or charge batteries.

 

[nightwolf75]

superuser ornot. its still a normal member. and i havent use any of the abilities yet. nor am i given special previledges.

true. but by the fact dat u are given the status of a superuser means a little more responsibility in wat u type.

and yes i dun really read local newspapers. except for fridays saturdays and sundays, the rest of the time is wall street journals and new york times... :dunno:

so... u are making ur previous statements in relative vacuum to some seriously good works by our local PJs. if u got the time to take ur head out from reading the ang moh papers, might i suggest u go attend Bryan van der Beek's documentary photography over at objectifs.

oh yeah. in case ur nose is out of joint - AWSJ, NYT, newsweek, times etc... i do read. thank God for the Internet.

i have no issues with sph. its just that young guns like the TS needs to be inspired not brought down by some pgs here.

yes, some needs inspiring. i always admire CSers who got the guts to go out and do something they like, esp if it's in photography. once u have a family and bills to pay... the sense of gung-ho is gone for most.

however, empty statements dun help either. think abt it.

 

[DodoAngel]

and if u are enlisting. join SAF flim unit. better get exposed early too.

linking networking may not be good also. sometimes i mean.

go study and dun think so much.

hmmm yeah i'll be entering army next year. how do u go about joining the SAF flim unit? wad do they normally do?