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If you wanted to break into a new industry, who would you ask? Somebody who knows all about it, right? Well, that’s why we got Jason Geil ( whose photos have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone Magazine) to give us some real-world tips about how to get started in professional photojournalism. If you already make loads of money as a professional photographer, this article isn’t for you (although we still love you). This article is for those of you trying to hone your photography skills enough to break into the field of photojournalism. Maybe you’re not planning to quit your day-job, but a little extra income from your photography each month wouldn’t hurt either. We’ve got nine tips to help you get your news photos out of your camera and into the public eye. Next stop: Pulitzer Prize! 9 Tips for Breaking into Photojournalism p.s. Photojojo (whoa, that’s us!) is looking for a part-time intern to wrangle our bits and bytes. If you’re a super enthusiastic code juggler who wants to help raise Photojojo’s level of programmatic amazingness, give us a yell! Photo credit: Spc. Karah Cohen, U.S. Army |
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New Year’s Day brought crummy news: JPG Magazine is calling it quits. Ever since husband and wife duo Heather Champ and Derek Powazek founded the picture-filled print pub to create a truly democratic photo magazine, it’s been something very special. The good news: last-minute efforts to save the business mean the site will be live for a few more days. That’s just enough time to check out some of their greatest hits and download their back issues in PDF. Here’s a smattering of our all-time favorites to get you started:
Thanks to everybody at JPG for the great work you’ve done over the last two years. What’ll we do without you? JPG Magazine The Top JPG Photographers Every Issue of JPG (PDFs, 223.4MB) Save JPG p.s. There’s hope that JPG could be acquired and carry on. Our fingers and toes are crossed. |
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We didn’t do any of our resolutions from last year, did you? The problem is, we always pick stuff we ought to do, not stuff we want to do. Here’s the thing- if it’s not fun, you won’t stick with it. Our advice is, pick ONE resolution that really sounds awesome, and do that one. Why commit to a whole bunch of things that you don’t want to do? Need help picking that single resolution? Have a look through our humungous list of 22 photo possibilities* for the upcoming year. (Although one resolution is the strict limit, we invite you to dabble frivolously, irresponsibly and noncommittally with anything else on this list.) 22 Photo New Year’s Resolutions for 2009 *Three more than last year! Holy mackerel! Photo credit: wÅ‚odi. |
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Here at Photojojo, we’ve dallied with all the major winter holidays. Chrismukkawanzaa, St. Bodagisil’s Day, The Feast of a Thousand Hams… you name it, we’ve tried it. But Festivus is our favorite. As many of you know, Festivus was popularized 11 years ago by an episode of “Seinfeld” and is now celebrated by discerning holiday-makers around the globe. Unbeknownst to many, Festivus was in fact started in the 1960s by the father of a future Seinfeld writer. Festivus (long may it live) has three fine traditions:
One of these traditions is a bit difficult for us, but we’re leading up to that. If you want to learn how to celebrate the finest winter holiday the Photojojo way (i.e. with cameras, photos and a double helping of silly), keep reading. p.s. Like us? Nominate @photojojo for a Shorty Award with a quick twitter. Photo credit: Mark Demeny |
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Well, to be fair, we can’t really promise you any minions. Minions are hard to come by these days. But still, fame and glory! And in some cases, cash money! Contests build character. They make you take a long hard look at your photos and admit that some of them are really, really good. What have you got to lose? 12 Photography Contests to Enter Right Now p.s. Turkey Day Special — 1st time ever sale on Eye-Fi (gives any camera Wi-Fi). (We’re young and foolish and this price is crazy. Take advantage.) p.p.s. Our super-popular new Super-secret Spy Lens is finally back in stock! Get it while it lasts. [Buy Now] |
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We all remember our first camera, whether it was digital, 35mm or Polaroid. But we might not remember taking our first picture. And why not? Because most of us started taking photographs when we were little. There’s something about cameras that draws kids like a magnet. Teaching a child how to take pictures could be the spark that starts a life-long interest. Grab your kid, or a friend’s kid (or that strange toddler that followed you home from the convenience store after you bought two cases of Tastykakes) and open their eyes to the world of photography! Turn Your Kid Into a Photographer Photo credit: Thomas Hawk |
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You already know what motion blur is: the subject’s in focus, but it’s moving so fast that the background streaks into a mere blur. And you already know what kind of photos look great with motion blur:
But we’ll bet you hadn’t thought of using it for slow-moving subjects. Wind, water and clouds look surreal and dream-like when photographed slowly enough to capture their movement. The next time you wake up to a dark and windy day, don’t snuggle back under the covers with a cup of hot cocoa. Those are the best days to catch clouds and wind on the move. So bundle up, grab the tripod and stop down to your tiniest aperture: it’s time to go out and explore the other side of motion photography. (Then you can go back to bed.) Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Capturing Motion Blur 45 Brilliant Motion-Blur Photos p.s. Thanks to everybody who came out for our recent Photo Safaris in New York City and San Francisco! We totally have the best fans anywhere. If you haven’t already, sign up for updates. We’ve one in SF this weekend. Photo credits: T.MoE, Extra Medium and Mace2000 |
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In honor of the Dia de los Muertos (November 2nd), we’re digging up a lesser-known piece of photographic history. Memorial photography was the common practice of taking a person’s portrait after they passed away. Since our culture now fears death more than we mourn it, these photos are seen today as macabre. But it was actually a beautiful tradition that helped families keep a small memento of the loved ones they had lost. Though it’s a bit of a departure from our usual fare, we wanted to share some history that’s gone but not forgotten. Memorial Photography p.s. This article does show photos of dead people, so don’t click through if that kind of thing freaks you out. |
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Nights on the Riviera… Life at Photojojo is one mad whirl of unbridled hedonism. What? It totally is. Mad, we tell you. Whirly. Okay, fine, we didn’t really think you’d buy that. But if we did lead lives like that, you better believe we’d have some great photos to show for it. If there’s one thing we know, it’s how to take an awesome portrait at night. Use a tripod, moderate your flash… oh heck, just keep reading. Everything you need to know is in here. Photojojo’s Guide to Night Portraits p.s. We had a great turnout for the Macro-zoom-ography Contest! The winners are: subbyguy, mazzer, and Jana. Thanks to everyone who entered- you made it really hard to choose! p.p.s. Want to take some spooky ghost pictures this Halloween? Try capturing the mystery of entopic phenomena! Photo credit: sgoralnick. |
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The photographer’s worst nightmare: being hauled out from behind the lens and forced to stand in front of a camera. Why must people photograph us? Yes, photographers are adorable, and yes, we have unparalleled style. But we are shy, and we prefer to hide behind our cameras like frightened woodland creatures behind large trees. Still, people do insist on taking our pictures. So, what to do when you can’t avoid being photographed? Stand tall and follow our tips for instant photogenicity. The Top Ten Ways To Look Good in Pictures |
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