Irish Freelancer

philo122

Hello there

I just started a new account on here as i got off on the wrong foot with the mods on the previous post.Sorry guys !!!They have given me permission to post some shots here,I hope its ok !!!

Irish freelancer (26), fairly new to photography......Ive been on assignments for the past two years now mainly in Gaza,Afghanistan,Jordan and Algeria.

I know its highly unlikley I will get any PMs, but if anyone requires help or needs fixers,translators or drivers across the M.E / Asia / Africa for assignments please PM me I should be back online around 2morrow nite.

Just a small sample on my work if thats ok.
Phil.





(above) Saharawi Refugee,Liberated Territory.Algeria



(above) Displaced child,Jalalabad.Afghanistan



(above) A boys body,Khani Younis.Gaza City

AnCatDubh

couple of queries out of curiosity;

why freelance?
why troubled parts of the world?
what precautions for personal safety?
did you approach any agencies ?
what are your opinions of the likes of magnum agency?

Ricky91t

Did you do photograph in college?Or just work your ways up the ranks?

philo122

Why Freelance ?

Getting commissioned by a big agency can be tough. I only have around 5 assignments covered so my portfolio is not huge yet. I usually find that researching my own assignments can be more rewarding. A lot of big photography agencies will just embed someone in Iraqi or Afghanistan. The images from these areas are starting to become quite generic and competition between photographers for publication is fierce....Freelance can be great because you have more freedom and can research your own ideas / stories. If you images are half decent and you have a news worthy story it’s not all that hard to sell to the media, althought I may retract that given the current economic climate!!

why troubled parts of the world?

I cover assignments mainly for NGOs and Charities most work in war or conflict zones. Some assignments are not necessarily in troubled areas. For example my last assignment was in the Smara refugee camps in Algeria, the camps are perfectly safe but the people living in the camps are being neglected and there are human rights violations occurring daily. It is these stories that lack the coverage in the media they deserve

did you approach any agencies

Again as above, it’s tough to get in full time with agencies. I find working for NGOs or Charities much more rewarding. Going full time without agency representation could prove costly and making a full time living from it is near impossible. The industry is extremely competitive and nearly 100 per cent sown up. Selling images for big money can really depend on being in the right place at the right time !!!

What are your opinions of the likes of magnum agency?

Magnum I suppose it’s every photographers dream to get in with them.Ultimatley there the best of the best, but most guys on there have years of experience and have been in the game a long time. There are thousands of amazing undiscovered photographers well worthy of Magnum status,if your aim is to go Magnum its a long long road ahead....

philo122

Ricky91t

No college,completly self taught...

I suppose I just picked it up as I went a long(Alot of bad images).Im still on a learning curve but seem to get a little better each assignment(I hope !!!!)

Mycroft H

I honestly dont think that a degree is that important in photography, if the work is good then thats good enough for most papers or agencys.


Was talking to my uncles friend when in new york. As he knew i was interested in photography, i was introduced to him.


He was working for the new york times for 4 and a half years for their photog.

Anyway i came to talk about my college choices, specifically a photography course. He said that 95% were hired on there previous work in magaziens and local newspapers and the other 5% were hired from art/design work they did in college.


He said a good portfolio is what they look for insted of a bit of paper saying you can do it.

He himself had a b.a in history.

Anyway sorry for ot. Oh and op your shots are worthy of any broadsheet imo. Try magnum as stated.....

philo122

landyman

Cheers dude

Completley agree with you..You can learn for 4 years about how to take a good shot but when you get out in the field its a different story, but I suppose whatever works,each to there own and all !!

I think a degree in journalism is the way to go if someone was thinking of taking up photo journalism.

AnCatDubh

So a couple more (again from the curiosity) in no particular order

• why do you think your photographic journey has brought you on the kind of assignment that you've posted rather than ending up shooting weddings? (nothing wrong with that either)
• do you shoot exclusively digital or do you see film playing a role in your assignments?
• what would you say is your favourite image that you've ever taken? / can you post here or describe what it is about the photography that makes it your favourite?
• you have described yourself as being on a learning curve - would you care to share your photographic ambitions?
• What is in your kit bag / What is your gear list?

philo122

why do you think your photographic journey has brought you on the kind of assignment that you've posted rather than ending up shooting weddings? (nothing wrong with that either)

I can't really answer that one because I have no idea how I ended up in this area of photography.I remember picking up a book in a dentists waiting room a while ago on the ''Worlds Greatest Photojournalists'' and I suppose maybe that had some affect on me !!!
Of course there is nothing wrong with shoooting weddings at all,its all forms of photography and I would advise for young photographers starting out, that in photography the enjoyment you get from it is most important !!!

do you shoot exclusively digital or do you see film playing a role in your assignments?

Yes I shoot digital but my real love is film.I have a really old Minolta x500 that I take more personal shots on.The raw gritty quality of film always surpasses digital in my opinion.....I have never been asked to do an assignment on film,sure I would love too, but its never come up.

what would you say is your favourite image that you've ever taken? / can you post here or describe what it is about the photography that makes it your favourite?

Favourite Image


This was the outside of a small refugee centre in the Smara Refugee Camp in Algeria.I showed the image later that night to some of the locals and one guy said ''no matter how dark our situation,they can not take our sunlight ''... Cheesy I know, but for me it made the image more special....

you have described yourself as being on a learning curve - would you care to share your photographic ambitions?

Yeah sure I am.

Im still a complete novice.I only have around 2 years behind a lens.My ambitions are to look back in maybe 10-15 years and have a portfolio I am proud of thats my main ambition.I love showing regular people images and seing there reactions.

If down the line I was chosen by Magnum or some big agency yeah that would be great but highly unlikely.....

What is in your kit bag / What is your gear list?

Eos 350d (Battered)
Eos 5d
Sigma lens 10-22mm (wide angle)
Canon 17-40mm (Holy Grail for PJ)
Canon EF 300m f2.8 (Borrowed)
Malboro lights (Essential)
Vallium etc etc ha ha

philo122

Another Freelancer or creative photographer needed to represent Ireland in the competition below.Im going to enter but I need one more Irish person to join my team.Please PM me if anyone is interested.

http://www.youngcreatives.com/ireland/

Also I think this could be good for more young creative Irish photographers on the board to enter.

Cheers

AnimalRights

Good informative thread.

ConorD87

philo122 wrote: »

Another Freelancer or creative photographer needed to represent Ireland in the competition below.Im going to enter but I need one more Irish person to join my team.Please PM me if anyone is interested.

http://www.youngcreatives.com/ireland/

Also I think this could be good for more young creative Irish photographers on the board to enter.

Cheers

Hi,
I can't seem to see any information on their website as to entry requirements, I saw the age limit etc. but what are the exact details ? I wouldn't want to drag your amazing photos down with my brutal attempts but if you are really stuck for someone drop me a PM .

Conor

Anouilh

landyman wrote: »

I honestly dont think that a degree is that important in photography, if the work is good then thats good enough for most papers or agencys.

While this is very true, or was so in journalism, a degree in photography should offer many avenues that would be closed without a hard won piece of paper.

Any Arts degree should give a rounded education that links very well with photography. However, the opportunity to have access to a training where all the necessary equipment is easily to hand and where there are experts to give guidance should save would-be professional photographers a lot of time. I am self taught and often have the sensation of trying to re-invent the wheel as I rummage for information on the Internet. A friend who is doing a degree course, with one or two words, has saved me months of puzzlement, especially when it comes to making sense of white balance.

It might be useful for members if they could share links to the best courses available. I know this has come up in other threads, but it's always useful to know what may be available in the new college year.

KylieWyley

i've read up on a number of degree courses and a lot of them strike me as containing a lot of filler. while the practical guidance from trained professionals might save a lot of time and speed up the learning process, they also contain a lot of critical studies modules, with titles along the lines of "the history of photography" and "the importance of visual communications", that stretch out the courses to 4 years.

I would imagine that in the eyes of industry professionals, real world experience would be more preferable to studying general abstract theoretical modules of no particular relevance.

melekalikimaka

KylieWyley wrote: »

f "the history of photography" and "the importance of visual communications".

both very relevent for anyone who either
a. plans to make a life out of photography
b. whats to work with photography with marketing/media... anything really

thebaz

Hey Phil good to see you here too, your getting round today, Pix.ie and here in 1 day.

Phil is getting a bit of grilling here , just to vouch for him, he is one of my Irish favorites on flickr, and has has been for awhile.

So welcome, I'm here from time to time, not as much as I used to.

b

KylieWyley

but thats all theoretical...
it might look nice on a cv saying you've studied x, y and z but it will be glossed over at any interview and prospective employers will want to see hard physical evidence of your abilities rather than what a piece of paper says you should know.

its the same to a large extent in any industry. while a college course can be effective in guiding you towards acquiring hard and soft skills, it is evidence of these skills in application that are more attractive to employers. having come from a background in law, an industry where one might assume that it is those persons with the most qualifations and education that are the most attractive individuals, my peers and i find its actually the case that education is glossed over and experience and skills are focused on. often times, its not even people with law degrees that are getting jobs because of their diversity of experience and knowledge.

however, it is true that people will usually find themselves in that catch 22 situation where you are looking for experience but you can't get any because people will only take on experienced individuals, so in that regard a college course might be helpful in opening up avenues. BUT, i just think that 4 years is an awful long time.

Anouilh

thebaz wrote: »

Phil is getting a bit of grilling here

I hope that is not what my posts indicate. I'm genuinely interested in how people choose their profession, whatever it may be. The conversation seems to show that everybody is genuinely interest in Phil and his work.

KylieWyley

agreed.

i just think kudos to you phil. you've shown great initiative, drive and determination that others might not have the tenacity to do so (say, recent college graduates of photography, that might fall foul of the trap that often bedevils manys the college graduate of any discipline - that they expect a job to simply fall on their lap because they've done the bookwork at 3rd level).

question: lacking the resources that a pro working for an agency might have (a local translator for example? an adviser to brief on security?), how did you cope with trying to relate to your subjects ?

melekalikimaka

KylieWyley wrote: »

i just think kudos to you phil. you've shown great initiative, drive and determination that others might not have the tenacity to do so (say, recent college graduates of photography, that might fall foul of the trap that often bedevils manys the college graduate of any discipline - that they expect a job to simply fall on their lap because they've done the bookwork at 3rd level).

a college course in photography is a hell of alot more than 'bookwork' its very hands on, you come out with a degree and a very competitive portfolio amoung other skills related to the photography industry

KylieWyley

yeah, i understand that, and i don't want to offend anybody here who might be doing such a course.

i just think that 4 years is a long time to be in structured education, and this could be shortened if the emphasis was solely on the hard skills rather than a mix between that and critical work. essays should not be involved in photography. as ansel adams once said "A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words."

don't get me wrong, these courses are definitely not without their merits, i guess i'm just an advocate of real world experience. others may differ with my opinion and thats fine.
i'm not alone in this thinking though:

landyman wrote: »

I honestly dont think that a degree is that important in photography, if the work is good then thats good enough for most papers or agencys.


Was talking to my uncles friend when in new york. As he knew i was interested in photography, i was introduced to him.


He was working for the new york times for 4 and a half years for their photog.

Anyway i came to talk about my college choices, specifically a photography course. He said that 95% were hired on there previous work in magaziens and local newspapers and the other 5% were hired from art/design work they did in college.

at the end of the day, however one chooses to launch a career trajectory is up to themselves. if phil chose not to study a degree, thats his own personal choice. fair play to him for trying to use his skills to forge a tangible career in an area that he has an obvious passion for!

thebaz

Anouilh wrote: »

I hope that is not what my posts indicate. I'm genuinely interested in how people choose their profession, whatever it may be. The conversation seems to show that everybody is genuinely interest in Phil and his work.

not at all Anouilh - he started the thread saying he got off to a bad foot here - thats all :-)

AnCatDubh

thebaz wrote: »

he started the thread saying he got off to a bad foot here

Ach, that was about a week and a half ago and as we hope you'd expect the mods helped and assisted as best as possible which yielded this thread and there's been no problem with it. Tbh, the thread has turned into quite an interesting one.

Anouilh

thebaz wrote: »

not at all Anouilh - he started the thread saying he got off to a bad foot here - thats all :-)

Thank you. Everybody seems to take time to find their feet here. The fact that the Internet cannot represent "tone" and nuances can lead to confusion, as the analysts so often explain.

I cannot find any link to Phil's Flickr account, if such exists. I would be interested to see more of his work there.

Keeping on topic, the question of how a photographer learns their trade is worth sharing. Often the more public photographers and journalists get a lot of coverage, but there are so many other types of work within photography. Scientists working with microscopes, for example... an aspect of photography that is not often discussed here.

The fact that a degree takes four years may seem off-putting, but the Summer months are set aside for individual project work, often with the possibility of getting a travel bursary. I sometimes think I should do a course, but then the thought that the fee would cover a new lens keeps me focused on teaching myself.

irish147

GREAT Images and work you have done Phil :)

Anouilh

melekalikimaka wrote: »

a college course in photography is a hell of alot more than 'bookwork' its very hands on, you come out with a degree and a very competitive portfolio amoung other skills related to the photography industry

Also, having close contact over several years with professional photographers who have already found their way in the vast world that has developed around image making is a wonderful opportunity. Many teachers are very generous with helping students to find contacts in the areas that most interest them.

As for "book learning", that is never wasted.

njburke

Phils images in the OP are non visible, anyone got a link to the mentioned flickr / pix.ie account so I can browse his work.

AnCatDubh

I think they have been altered since originally posted.

I believe this is his pix.ie account.

Not sure about the flickr.

From previous post I think this is his light staker account