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January 26, 1998 I have frequently spoken to camera clubs, school career day events and photojournalism classes in high school and universities about my career as a newspaper photographer. It never ceases to amaze me how often misconceptions regarding the job comes up.
Well, boys and girls, if the truth be known; yes, I do have an exciting job. It’s a job like no other and I would rather do what I’m doing than anything else that I know of. I have been in four foreign countries and all over the USA in pursuit of my photographs. I have chased an awful lot of fire and police calls. (My family loves it when I walk into the house reeking of smoke and God knows what kind of chemicals.) And I have photographed every president since Eisenhower plus three Popes and any number of princes, princesses and kings and queens. And throw in a bunch of show business people and, yes, I am a very lucky guy. BUT....that’s been over a span of almost 40 years. Do you think that I cover those kind of assignments day in and day out? Do you want my assessment of this job? Newspaper photography is 97 percent boredom and tedium and 3 percent excitement and glamour. That’s right, boys and girls. If you have your heart set on becoming a newspaper photographer because of your perceived notions of glamour and excitement, you are in for a rude awakening. We spend more time on head shots and real estate than anything else that’s printed in the newspaper. And Newsday is not unique. Read the papers in your area. Take a look at how many stories are illustrated by head shots. Oh, it may be an environmental head shot rather than one in the strict portraiture sense, but it will be a head shot none the less. And what do I mean by “real estate?” Look at the photos of fire follows (pictures taken the day after the fire) and intersections where someone was killed or where the civic association wants to put up a stop light. There are pictures of new shopping malls and photos of the video porn shop that the D.A. wants to close down. “Head Shots and Real Estate.” Our staff sings a little ditty using those words when ever anyone asks what we covered today. I wish we could do more relevant photography to illustrate our stories, but it takes a lot of effort on the part of editors and writers, as well as the photographers, to come up with better picture ideas. And don’t forget, we are working under deadlines much of the time. We take a terrible amount of ordinary and mundane photographs in the course of a day. And, I am lucky because I work for a large paper in a news active part of the country. So I do get to cover some decent jobs from time to time. I do shoot 97 percent of “head shots and real estate,” that’s true. But, I am here to tell you that the remaining 3 percent makes it all worthwhile. Hang in there, kiddies. It’s really a great job. Just keep everything in perspective and you'll be all right. And who's to say that one of those ordinary “head shots” might not turn out to be one of the most interesting people that you'll ever meet? Good luck. Dick Kraus, Staff Photographer Newsday January 26, 1998
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Dick
Kraus
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Contributor
since 1998
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Behind
the Viewfinder - A Year in the Life of Photojournalism |
