If you put your mind to it, you too could takes pictures like this. Photo journalist Brian Ach briefly goes through some of the highs and mostly lows of becoming a wire service photographer. As you might have expected, it’s not that glamorous of a job and usually entails lots of waiting around, strange hours, and not promptly getting paid. Writes Ach, “It typically takes at least 3-6 months after you start stringing to see any money at all from the agency. Being a newbie among veteran staffers and stringers means typically you will not be getting the A- list gigs. You might not even make the C-list, which means your pictures will not be in demand. That means even less money.” But the rigors of the job also include isolation and taunts from older hacks, after all you’re just a “stringer”:

Most wire service photographers in NYC have been shooting for years. They know the rules, both the local laws and the self-imposed; and they follow them to the letter. It’s very hard to break into this tight-knit group. Most photographers do not even bother to learn the name of “the new guy” for at least several months. That’s because most newbies don’t last that long. When they have to get a certain shot every day just to be able to pay their rent, tensions can run high. For most newcomers, it’s just not worth the hassle, making their old comfy desk job look better than it really was.
Still want in? You’d have to be crazy. Grab that SLR, head out to Hollywood, and bottom feed for celebrity cooch shots, at least they pay. |JPGMag|