Expert: Don Wood - 11/6/2005

Question
Hello,

I would like to turn my photographic talent into a career. I'm currently working on getting a small concert photography business going in my area.

I am also interested in doing freelance photography and working with newspapers. How do I break into this? I have some college photography classes with a 3.8 gpa. Unfortunately, going back to college is not an option for me.

any advice would be appreciated.

Examples of my concert work are available at:

www.savatage.com (go to Multimedia, then Images, and I have 3 batches of pics)

and http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=31842752&blogID=...

Thank you very much for any tips you can give me on getting into Newspaper photography.  

Answer
As far as the concert business is concerned, you're probably going along all right as you are.
As to the newspaper work, you will have to make contact with your local paper to see what you need to do to break into the trade. In the small papers, a reporter is usually handed a camera, and is expected to take a picture to illustrate his story. After you learn the trade, then you make application to the larger newspapers that can afford to hand out the same assignment to the photog and the reporter.
When I broke in, I went to the publisher and asked if he needed any part-time help. I was gradually given assignments. Sometimes my time card would show 4-5 hours. Many of these view photographers as being a luxury so they pay accordingly.  Needless to say, you don't quit your fulltime job that pays the rent. food, living expenses, gas, etc.
Hope this helps, good luck.
Don