Whether you're launching a career in photojournalism, or are an industry veteran, there are photojournalism resources that can help you learn new skills or refine your technique. Photojournalism education includes formal training, on-the-job training, mentorships and continuing education opportunities like courses, workshops, seminars and conferences. Even after you've received a degree, you'll want to keep up with photojournalism info throughout your career.

As with the journalism industry as a whole, photojournalism is a competitive industry, and honing your skills can help your career thrive. Photojournalism education and training options include:

1. Formal photojournalism training at a college, university or art or technical school
2. Mentorship programs through professional organizations
3. Workshops and seminars
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get a photojournalism degree

An undergraduate or graduate degree in photojournalism provides you not only the technical skills needed for photography, but also the artistic and even ethical aspects. Most two-year and four-year universities offer degrees in photography and/or photojournalism, as do many art schools and some technical schools.

I recommend: The Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism offers a photojournalism program that teaches both beginning photojournalism and advanced documentary photography, which are integrated with reporting and writing courses. Or, search for photojournalism programs at CollegeToolkit.

Seek photojournalism information from experts through a mentorship program

Both new and experienced photojournalists can benefit from mentorship programs, which pair participants with veteran photographers for one-on-one guidance. Through these relationships, participants can receive critiques of their work, advice and networking opportunities.

I recommend: The National Press Photographers Association offers a mentorship program that pairs NPPA members with veteran print or television photojournalists. The mentorship usually lasts at least a year, and participants can have more than one mentor, and participants can choose a mentor from anywhere across the country, not just in their own city or state. Women Photojournalists of Washington offers a six-month mentorship program open to students and to staff and freelance photographers.

Get specialized photojournalist information through workshops and seminars

If you're an established photojournalist, seminars can help you learn about new methods and trends within the industry, or allow you to gain more experience or knowledge in specific areas. And, because they're short-term, lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days, you don't have to worry about juggling full-time work and your education.

I recommend: The Poynter Institute offers online seminars in visual journalism, in topics ranging from basic technical skills to ethical issues. For more intensive, one-on-one training, attend the Eddie Adams Workshop, a four-day gathering of professional photojournalists and 100 students who attend tuition-free, and are selected based on their portfolios.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Attending any college, and especially top photojournalism schools, can be expensive. Many professional associations offer scholarships, fellowships or other financial assistance, or can refer you to other programs that help fund education. Many of these programs are open to both beginning students and professionals returning to school.

Pursuing a career in photojournalism is a serious undertaking. The field of photojournalism isn't all glamour and glitz. It can certainly lead to awards and impressive paychecks, but the field is quite competitive, even at the entry level, and requires an intense passion and the discipline to persist in a market overflowing with people holding cameras.

As you weave through photojournalism resources, think about the core reasons you are interested in photojournalism:

1. If it's your desire to capture the front page photo that displays the havoc a natural disaster can wreak, it's necessary to have the survival skills to keep yourself alive as you photograph a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, flood, or other natural disaster.

2. Find a niche in photojournalism. The most successful photojournalists are well-rounded and can cover any type of activity.

3. Keep up with technology. Film can't be your medium of choice. You need to know how to work with digital editing software. Digital photography is necessary to survive in this competitive field; you need to deliver your high-quality photos quickly.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Explore different ways to obtain photojournalism education

Although a photojournalism degree is not a specific requirement to break into the field, at least exploring some classes and getting some education will not only help you decide if it is the right field for you, but it will also help you network with professionals, which can lead to a future job. Apprenticeships and internships are great ways to delve into the action and see what is involved firsthand.

I recommend: A great place to start your search for education is with the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) which provides a listing of US and international schools that offer photojournalism programs and courses. The Educational Portal offers photojournalism info on degree programs, addresses freelancing, and has a list of recommended schools for those interested in photojournalism.

Discover where the photojournalism jobs are

Photojournalist information is found in magazines, newspapers, and via the Web. A desire to be in the field makes you naturally inclined to seek out professionals already doing the job. Regardless of whether you are new to the field, or have been in it for a while, connecting and networking with other photojournalists is a must.

I recommend: While searching regular job boards, such as Monster and Careerbuilder for photojournalism jobs, join forums such as Photo.net where you can obtain job leads through online conversations. Search JournalismJobs.com for nationwide job postings.

Associate with photojournalism organizations

Being associated with a professional photojournalism organization will add power to your credentials and will attract the customers that seek your expertise and professionalism.

I recommend: Register with the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) if you are going to focus on this niche of photojournalism. Get exposure for your work, access to classifieds and message boards, along with photo critiques by other photographers by joining the American Photojournalist.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Read through a photojournalism magazine and take notes. Record photographer names, types of images that catch your eye, and any reference material you can get your hands on to broaden your base of photojournalism information.

The most critical element of a photojournalist's toolkit is the camera. In order to understand what newspaper, magazine or even Internet clients are asking for, the photojournalist needs to understand the camera and the terminology associated with it.

While there's a lot to cover in the world of photojournalism-related key terms, this vocabulary will get you started and give you a basis from which you can converse intelligently with clients or photojournalist contractors.

Action Steps
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Ambient light

Ambient lighting is the natural lighting already present in a photographer's scene before any lighting or filtering lenses are applied.

I recommend: MediaCollege.com explains ambient lighting and how it may work for or against a photographer.

Focal length

The focal length is essentially the distance from the optical center of the lens to the light-sensitive 'chip' inside your camera. Combined with angle of view, focal length determines how 'far' and how 'wide' your camera sees.

I recommend: CyberCollege explains how the focal length of a lens affects how the subject is perceived.

F-stop

The aperture, also referred to as the f-stop setting, is how wide the iris of the camera lens opens. How wide the iris opens determines how much light comes through the lens.

I recommend: HomePhotog.com gives a tutorial on how to use the aperture and F-stop settings on your camera.

Angle of view

The angle of view on a camera lens is how much of an image is captured by the lens. A larger angle shows more objects, while a smaller angle shows fewer objects but they are bigger and more well-defined.

I recommend: KenRockwell.com explains the concept of angle of view and how to calculate it.

JPEG

JPEG, or .jpg as it might appear on file names, stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the standard format for sharing photos on a computer and over the Internet.

I recommend: Tech-FAQ explains the JPEG name and how the JPEG format applies to different types of photos and illustrations.

Megapixels and dots per inch

Megapixels and dots per inch are both ways of measuring image quality. The first pertains to digital images and the second to how many dots a printer can squeeze into each inch of a printed image. In both cases, the higher the number, the better resolution of the image.

I recommend: wiseGEEK defines megapixels and dots per inch, and their relation to picture quality.