The changing face of photojournalism - Indiana University School of ...

Beijing, 2004Degree: BA’02 (communication andculture); Indiana Daily Student photographerLocation: New York, N.Y.Employers/clients: Time Magazine,World Picture News, National GeographicSelected awards/accomplishments:Eddie Adams Workshop faculty 2006-2009; helped produce Time’s ObamaInaugural Issue and the Michael Jacksonspecial commemorative issueAdvice: “You’re only as good as yourweakest pictures. You have to have akickass portfolio, so get people to reviewit. Have a personal project, and stay intouch with editors.”Contact: deirdreread@gmail.comDeirdre Read, BA’02Deirdre Finzer Read was a shooter for theIndiana Daily Student, a photo assistantto Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalistEddie Adams and a photo editor at WorldPicture News, and more recently, at Timemagazine.As an editor, Read had a unique vantagepoint to watch an industry in flux.She was in daily contact with photographersand could see who was rising, whowas falling and why. Earlier this year, thechanges she was witnessing caught upwith her. She was laid off from her job atTime — while on maternity leave — alongwith most of her department, due toacross-the-board cuts at the magazine.Read’s now at National Geographic,and she’s optimistic about her own prospectsand those of photojournalism ingeneral.“There will always be a place for stillphotography,” she says. “Anyone canread it. No matter what language youspeak, anyone can read it.”She knows the road ahead maybe tough.“Everyone is trying to get the gig,” sheadmits. “You see people at the top of thegame, and they’re struggling too.”Still, she encourages people to pursuetheir dreams.“If you’re passionate about it, doorswill open for you,” she says. “For up-andcomingphotographers, you have to findyour voice, your own style, and you haveto work hard to make yourself stand out.”She’s a believer in the importance ofprofessional organizations like the NationalPress Photographers Association and thesupport net they provide for photojournalists.“Our business is about relationships,”she says. “You have to network, you haveto get out there and meet people. Go toworkshops and conferences and makethose connections.”Finally, she says, remember thefundamentals.“We’re all out there trying to tellpeople’s stories,” she reminds photojournalists.“If we keep doing that,we’ll be successful.”< 28 > newswire / Spring 2010