Documentary Photography Talk

James Allen

Advice & Notes:

• Graduated in Photography in 2012 from Falmouth University
• Works as freelancer photographer
• Produces personal projects
• Suggests looking at internships that are paid to gain true experience
• Interact with people to ensure that you have a strong project
• Don’t be frightened to talk to people
• Your personal work has to stand out; make it relavent. This would include current projects such as Brexit, Trump and other political issues
• Make the work seem timeless but also important for the era
• Be empathetic towards people and always be humble
• Appreciate where you are and where you can go as a photographer
• Employers remember you for being polite and outgoing
• Be an expert on the subject that you’re studying. Don’t get caught out on not knowing what your own project is about
• Don’t give up on projects or being a photographer in a creative industry; you have to stay positive
• Make sure as a graduate in photography that you do not produce work for ‘exposure’. Ensure that you get paid, people are willing to avoid paying photographers or other creatives
• It is important to have a constantly updated website and easy accessed site to expose work
• With internships, make sure they’re also paid and ensure that it is relevant in the area you want to go into eventually — Look at internships for The Guardian and The Telegraph
• Keep networking with people
• It is important to show your work to new people and make sure that work is constantly updated on sites
• Instagram is a key site to use publicly
• Have business cards to hand out to people who are interested in in your work and ensure they’re suitable to hand out
• Learn business and be good at it!

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