By Pam Morris PSC Graduate Advanced Diploma 2017
The Advanced Diploma Photojournalism (PJ) major at PSC has developed student internship programs with a number of local media organisations. In 2016, five Melbourne-based companies offered final-year PJ students internships ranging from one assignment to a series of assignments and mentoring over several weeks.
· The Northsider, a community online newspaper covering Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs
· RoyalAuto, the largest-circulating monthly magazine in Australia, published by the RACV
· The Age newspaper (Fairfax Media)
· The Weekly Review (Fairfax Media)
· Bauer Trader Media, covering a range of motoring-oriented magazines
As a final year PJ student, I was given the opportunity to work with RoyalAuto, The Age and The Weekly Review. Selection was based on submission of a portfolio of work and a subsequent interview. The portfolio-based assessment process of PSC was very useful in providing me with a full range of photographs representing a range of genres to support my application. The PJ course had also included numerous guest lecturers from various branches of the industry who spoke about the workflow and industry expectations of a working photographer, which was very useful background information in knowing what to expect as an intern.
Each of the internships provided me with quite different experiences and learning outcomes.
RoyalAuto Magazine
Art Director Lisa Luscombe met with me to discuss the brief for a feature about a hike into Lake Elizabeth and its environs, located in the Otway Ranges. The text included descriptions of the bushland and local flora and fauna. My assignment was to shoot images that supported the text but particularly to try to get a good photo of a platypus in the wild, photos of local businesses in the township of Forrest, and a ‘hero’ shot of the lake that was moody and atmospheric and could be used as either a double page spread or a front cover. I was given four weeks to complete the assignment and deliver a minimum of 200 publishable images and a 90 second video.
In order to successfully execute the assignment I needed to :
· research each of the botanical and zoological subjects in the text so I could know when and where to look for them and recognise them when I saw them.
· research the long-term weather forecast to find a prediction of the only two days of clear weather in August which did not have a 100% chance of rain and fog in the Otways.
· liaise in advance with each business owner in Forrest to enlist their cooperation to allow their staff and patrons to be photographed and determine the most amenable day and time.
· plan the sequence of shooting locations, budget, photographic equipment list and transportation and accommodation for two days in the Otway ranges.
This assignment provided me with the following learning outcomes:
· format and content of a photographic brief
· expectations of an art editor in terms of quantity, quality and variety of images required, i.e. close-up, wide angle, different points of view, portrait, landscape, with people, without people etc.
· requirements for model releases for subjects in images and how to approach strangers to get permission
· organisation and planning requirements for executing a shoot
· photographic equipment lists for both still images and video
RoyalAuto paid a fixed fee for the assignment which covered my expenses and some of my time. The many things I learned were reward over and above that, in addition to which two RoyalAuto readers contacted me to purchase large prints of the opening double-page image of Lake Elizabeth. This image also won a Silver award at the recent Epson AIPP Victorian Professional Photographer of the Year Awards.
The Age
Leigh Henningham, Picture Editor of The Age, described this year’s internship as extremely constrained compared to recent years due to recent significant reduction in staff photographer numbers. Initially he hoped to give me one day a week assisting staff shooter Simon Schluter and perhaps some individual assignments at the end of the four week internship.
In actuality, I assisted Simon Schluter on the first morning and attended two assignments with Joe Armao and one with Penny Stephens. I was lucky enough to be given my own assignments from Day 2 and over the period of the next four weeks was responsible for 11 assignments on my own.
On each assignment:
· I was sent a short brief, usually one two sentences describing what the journalist required, contact details of journalist and client, location, time allocated for the shoot and deadline for the images to be on the Picture Editor’s desk.
· The brief was usually provided on the morning of the shoot, occasionally the night before and in some cases an hour before.
· The photographic genres varied broadly and included event media launches, busy restaurants, still life food shots which needed styling, environmental portraits of well-known people including actors on film sets, comedians, rock stars, footballers and medical researchers, and architectural shots.
· The deadline was usually the same afternoon or the next morning if it was a late afternoon shoot. In one case I had to immediately upload JPEGs of my shots using a Wi-Fi router connected to my camera to a publicity agent who wanted to scrutinise all images before I left the location.
· The number of publishable images required was usually a choice of four for each requirement in the brief, each image covering different points of view, portrait and landscape formats, detail, wide angle, etc.
· Each brief could have up to two to eight requirements (i.e. up to 32 publishable images required) and had an allocated shoot duration of between 15 minutes and two hours.
· Each image needed to be titled, keyworded, and captioned before being uploaded to the editor. High resolution JPEGs can take up to three minutes each to upload so this had to be factored into the workflow in order to meet the deadline.
· Post production using editing software was absolutely minimal since the image turnaround in some cases was only two hours and involved up to 30 publishable images to be uploaded.
Working at The Age provided me with the following learning outcomes:
· Bring the editor the picture, not excuses – it is more important to get an imperfect shot than no shot at all.
· Work as quickly and efficiently as possible, get it right the first time. Each assignment was different and you need to conceptually walk through the shoot plan in advance to ensure that you take the right equipment and correctly sequence the shots to optimise the available time.
· Remember to collect the relevant information during the shoot so you can later correctly title and caption the images
· Be technically and compositionally accurate at the time of shooting so the final image is in camera; in most cases, there is no time to rely on post-processing to fix mistakes.
· When shooting at sensitive locations ensure that you know what you are permitted to shoot and what is prohibited.
· Always (where possible) contact the client on location as soon as you receive the assignment brief as sometimes there has been a communication mix-up and they have not been informed that you are coming. Provide clients with advice on how prepare themselves, their staff or their premises for the shoot to avoid wasting time after you arrive.
· If shooting in a public space or inside a building liaise with security before starting and if necessary provide evidence of your current public liability insurance certificates.
· Be mindful of unattended light stands, camera bags or tripods in crowded public areas.
· Get to know the people at the location, be friendly and supportive so the photographs are a collaborative effort and richer for additional input.
· If in a media scrum be courteous and supportive of fellow photographers and videographers. Everyone is there to get their own story, so plan your shot, get in and out of the key position as quickly as possible and watch out for getting in videographers’ shots!
· At an event arrive early, find the organiser and get an onsite rundown of the event; if possible walk through it in advance to work out the best time and place to get the required shots. Work with event managers to arrange for the key people to be available where you would like to have them for the shoot. Set your lights up in advance so you can shoot quickly.
· Keep informed of weather forecasts and be prepared to get up early to get the best light or rearrange shoot times to optimise the outcome.
· Minimise the amount of equipment you take, plan carefully to pare it down to the essentials. Often you’ll need to park some distance from the shoot and will have to carry everything on your person.
· Always make it obvious what you are shooting when the public are involved so if people do not want to be in your shot they can let you know or move away.
· Always be on the lookout for great backgrounds for shoots, contact the PR people for the location and enlist their cooperation and support for your planned shoot. They like to have their place showcased and it provides you with different options.
· Always include lighting gear (flash, reflector etc.) in your kit as in every shoot location I found I needed to use additional lighting.
· Wear a lanyard with identification and high-vis jacket or vest if shooting in public. This lets people know that you are a professional photographer doing a job and they tend to leave you alone. If they ask, be courteous and tell them how the image is going to be used.
· Unpack as soon as you return from a shoot, upload your memory card and backup images, recharge all your batteries and refresh your kit so you are ready to shoot again with five minutes’ notice.
The Weekly Review
When The Weekly Review team offered me an internship mid-2016 they had a team of six photographers, but by the time my internship started in April 2017 staff cuts had reduced the team to one photographer (Michael Rayner) and Picture Editor Kylie Thompson. My role was mainly to assist Michael and gain on-the-job experience.
(Note: I worked on both The Age and The Weekly Review internships concurrently in the month of April which sometimes meant four assignments in a day.)
For assignments at TWR:
· I would meet Michael on location or at the office and en route to each job Michael explained the brief and discussed how he would like me to assist. We had a wide variety of briefs, from shooting celebrities in their homes to stopping people in the street to be subjects.
· In studio shoots I would assist Michael with testing the lighting setups prior to the celebrities’ arrival. The scheduled shoot time was usually very tight and in both cases the subjects were 30 mins late, which restricted the available time even more. With them came their stylists, PR managers and make-up artists. Michael had to patiently work around these attendants who would suddenly interrupt the shoot to fix a stray hair or wardrobe malfunction.
· My job was to carry equipment, place the lighting, make technical adjustments, get reflectors, lenses etc. and look out for potential shooting locations or potential subjects.
· Occasionally I had to be the “person in the street” when we needed someone in the shot.
· In my third week I was given a brief to shoot a portrait of a maths teacher at a private school. TWR needed both an inside classroom shot with maths prop in the background and outside garden shots, portrait and landscape. The shoot had been scheduled for one hour but when I arrived the teacher had 15 minutes between classes, so I had to work very quickly.
Working with Michael Rayner, who has several decades of experience as a professional photographer, was very enlightening and I had the following learning outcomes:
· Always dress professionally when shooting on location, as without warning you could be asked to mix with smartly dressed customers and assistants in a high-end retail store or to play a role in the shoot yourself.
· Make it your priority to get the required shots first and then experiment with other ideas.
· Wear comfortable shoes as you will be on your feet all day. Dress appropriately to allow you to climb ladders or lie on the ground.
· Take plenty of coins with you as most location shoots require parking at meters.
· Take the time to talk to your subjects and be interested in what they have to say. Try and find out “who they are” so you can portray them appropriately.
· Always be ready to improvise and change plans. If the shoot isn’t working, stop, rethink and start again.
· Keep challenging yourself by always thinking of new ways to shoot the same thing so your work looks fresh and innovative.
· Take business cards with you everywhere so the people you photograph or meet in the course of the job can contact you.
· Be patient with the client who is late, disorganised, keeps you waiting, is bored, disinterested, or only gives you five minutes. Use all your social skills to engage them and get their cooperation. Usually the images will reflect their mood and yours, so do your best to make it a good experience.
· Keep an electronic diary of all your shoots and briefs (I used Microsoft OneNote on my IPad) where you record all the contact details and copies of the images of the published stories with their online URL links. You will then have all the information on your person if asked to provide evidence of your experience in future interviews.
Summary
It wasn’t until I started distilling my internship experiences that I realised how much I learned in just a few short weeks.
I was honoured to be mentored by such an experienced picture editors and art directors as Leigh Henningham, Lisa Luscombe and Kylie Thompson. It was immensely instructive to work with such well-known photographers as Michael Rayner, Joe Armao, Simon Schluter and Penny Stephens. I am very grateful for the opportunity that these organisations and PSC offered me and acknowledge the huge benefit of developing such significant contacts in the photographic Industry. I sincerely hope these contacts will be very useful in my future career.
I would like to thank PSC and in particular Bill Bachman, whose dedication and persistence ensured that this internship program was a success and provided students with the necessary industry experience and photographic skills to enable them to begin working as a professional photographer.