5 Business Tips for Making It as a Photojournalist

Making a living as a photojournalist isn't what it used to be. But making a living is still possible.

For those who don't know, Natalie Keyssar is a Canon explorer of light who primarily practices in the world of photojournalism. Based out of Brooklyn, NY, Her work focuses on the personal effects of political turmoil and conflict, youth culture, and migration. Her work has been supported by The Pulitzer Center, The Magnum Foundation, The National Geographic Society, and the IWMF, among many others. So in short, she knows what she is talking about. And when I had the chance to sit down for a virtual chat with her, she sent me a list of a few topics to choose from. So rather than choose one, I asked to choose them all, and she gracefully agreed. So, this virtual chat ended up being broken up into two sections. This section is about the business of photojournalism, and the other section is about tips for telling better stories. But what I love about this chat is that Natalie doesn't consider herself a business expert. But simply has been in the industry for long enough that she has figured out what does and does not work for her. To me, this is more valuable than someone who claims to have everything figured out but is coincidently no longer practicing the topic they claim to understand.  

Grant and Competitions

Kicking things off, Natalie talks about the importance of submitting to grants and competitions. With grants, the application process can be cutthroat and heartbreaking. Because even though the photojournalist industry as a whole is smaller, the number of people wanting to make a living is still high. So, the competition to win a grant or award is high. But Natalie explains that even just the process of editing and submitting is great simply to learn how to put your best foot forward. And even if you don't win, you are still getting your work in front of the people who make decisions. This means simply submitting could help you stand out for future applications or pitches (more on pitches later). However, even the process of finding a grant to submit could be a hard task. So Natalie mentioned a resource called Picter, which is a platform that hosts the application process for various grants and competitions. When it comes to competitions, not only are they a great way to get your name onto people's radars (if you win), but they are also a great place to look for inspiration. because it's helpful to see what types of images are winning and what types of work and stories are being celebrated. I feel this is important not only to see if your work is on par with the images that are winning, but it's also helpful to see the ways you have to differentiate yourself and create work that is different from what is currently mainstream.

Pitching 

Natalie starts this conversation by saying that pitching is one of the most underrated ways to promote yourself and get your name in front of important people. Not only that, but she thinks it's one of the best ways to steer your career in the direction you want it to go. Because instead of waiting for the phone to ring or applying to jobs that "sort of fit", you instead get to choose your own story and define the type of work you will become known for.  Editors, as a whole, are also massively overworked, so coming to them with an idea that already has all the details ironed out removes some of that burden from their plate. So if your pitch gets picked up, you have now defined the type of work you become known for. But even if your pitches don't get picked up, this process still lets editors know the type of work you are truly passionate about. So, although you may get hired for other types of work, they still associate you with the type of work you're interested in. So if those types of jobs do ever come up, you'll be the name that comes to mind first. 

How to Negotiate Pricing 

One of the hardest parts of any industry is learning how to price yourself. And Natalie makes a really great point about not wanting always to have the "lowest price". While having the lowest price may win you a few jobs, as a whole, this approach devalues the industry and leads to clients thinking that good photography is cheap. This makes it so that photographers have to work more and harder for lower pay. It's here that Natalie shares some of the industry standards for day rates, such as around $500 for a national newspaper story, while also sharing that there are some great ways to make money in addition to the day rate. This can come in the form of getting extra compensation for things like travel, gear rental (which you can rent from yourself), research, post-production, etc. When it comes to licensing, Natalie recommended tools like Getty Image Calculator to get an idea of a price that is close to an industry standard. One of the most important tips I gathered from this section is to always let the client give you their budget first and then always try to get more since most people never actually start a negotiation at their max budget.

Self Promotion

Self-promotion is one of the best ways to get your name in front of important eyes. But it can also feel like a daunting and difficult task. Here, Natalie explains that her process is a bit different from her workshop partner, Daniella Zalcman. Where as, Danielle likes the route of sending prints, cards, and other types of thoughtful materials. Natalie prefers the simple act of sharing on social media and sending pitches. As we talked about before, pitching is a great way not only to win potential jobs but also to get your name and interests in front of people who make decisions. Natalie is also really passionate about the stories she works on, so just the simple act of sharing and consistently talking about and sharing those stories is a great way to show your passion for what you do.    

Choosing Collaborators

when I think of collaborators these days, I think about the process of making a collaboration post on Instagram. But for this section, Natalie is talking about finding your audience and knowing your market. Knowing what types of stories you want to tell, whether short-term stories or long-term projects, do you want to be in the field of documenting celebrities and pop culture? Or do you want to tell stories centered on the food industry? You essentially want to find the area of your market you are interested in and, from there, find the people that align with you. Are there editors in your market that gravitate toward your style that you can concentrate your pitches on? You can also create partnerships with peers who are in the same niche, and you can bounce ideas off. The main idea here is to build a sort of Rolodex of the main people in your market that you want to work with. 

Conclusion

Anything business-related is going to be a complex topic and each of these subjects could easily be a full-day class. But these bite-sized nuggets are true gold and can, at the very least, get you in the right direction. For me, the biggest takeaway was the power of pitching. While you won't always get a yes, just the act of putting your ideas onto paper and out into the universe can only be a benefit for your career. If you had any type of lightbulb moment from this chat, if love to hear it in the comment. And if this topic interests you, it might be worth checking out more from Natalie.