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In this interview we asked David about his path to become a professional photographer and more specifically, the official photographer for Endicott College. David gained a lot of his skills working for newspapers, photographing different types of events like sports and political rallies. Now, he is responsible for photographing student-life around campus, photographing the school’s President and creating content for the school’s website and social media.
David chose photography, unsure of what career path to take. He had set out to try different subjects but none sparked his creativity side. In doing so, he eventually circled back to photography and realized that he could actually build a career as a photographer.
Shortly after graduation, David completed a semester long internship at Salem News, which provided him with insight into the world of photojournalism. Here, he gained experience photographing town events such as Halloween in Salem, political rallies, and sports games at the local universities and colleges. Through this internship, David learned how to work efficiently within strict deadlines.
Following his internship, David held positions at several different news organizations. Most notably, he was hired as a full time staff photographer for Salem News. He was given more responsibility and entrusted with photographing different types of events throughout the North Shore and elsewhere, such as political rallies and photographing professional sports.
When the opportunity to be the official school’s photographer opened, David jumped at the position. After his previous job experience, he knew he could handle the job requirements and apply new ideas, like incorporating videography for a Life-On-Campus-Experience project.
Photographers have technical skills and need an artistic eye to photograph people, landscapes, locations, food and a variety of objects. A photographer can work different types of events like, weddings, sports, fundraisers and many more. Photographers are artists with a camera.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, photography jobs are declining as companies focus on hiring project-based freelancers. The area of self-employed photographers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2018 to 2028 due to new technologies like drones, which are in high demand in real-estate and weddings.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
10% increase for self-employed only.
$34,000 per year.
This depends on how many projects a self-employed photographer takes on or on the size of the organization.
Start build a work portfolio.
High school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the scariest part is putting
your self out there.
To stay competitive in the photography industry, one must have business skills, software skills, customer service skills, interpersonal skills to network, be detail oriented and above all an artistic ability. Photographers usually take classes or earn a bachelor’s degree to improve their skills and employment prospects. This will also allow a photographer to build a portfolio.
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.
– Helen Keller
