Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, is often overlooked in the broader narrative of New York City, yet it holds a vibrant and deeply rooted cultural identity. On one of the first warm days of the year, I spent several hours documenting the everyday life of this neighborhood—from bustling street vendors and boardwalk strolls to quiet moments under the elevated train tracks.

This photowalk wasn’t just about capturing images but telling the stories of a community that exists in the margins of mainstream NYC coverage. My goal was to highlight the human connections, small exchanges, and fleeting moments that define this place.

📸 Shot on: Sony Alpha a1 II 🔗 Full article & images: Read here

https://nycinfocus.com/2025/01/31/a-photojournalists-journey-through-brighton-beach-capturing-the-essence-of-a-hidden-brooklyn-gem/

Discussion & Questions for Fellow Photojournalists: • How do you approach photographing neighborhoods with rich cultural history while being respectful to its residents? • What techniques do you use to balance composition, movement, and emotion in street photography? • Do you have a personal photojournalism project that focuses on an underrepresented community? Share your insights!

Would love to hear your thoughts on approach, storytelling, and ethical considerations in capturing everyday life. Constructive feedback is always welcome.

Hello guys for the last year before I travel to Africa I been thinking about pursuing photojournalism it's been on my mind, When i first arrived here in my country there was a refugees camp next to my hometown and the stories they told me about how bad the war was in sudan made me think to become a photojournalist I have only little bit of experience how to use a professional camera, and I'm studying CS right now I'm thinking of dropping out and pursuing to become photojournalist I really want to become a war photojournalist but I don't think I can support my self while being a photojournalist so my question is should I drop out or should I focus on my current major (sorry if my English is not that good)

I live in Scotland, and I generally shoot performances and protests, submitting through Alamy, or shooting directly for the performers or for a few small magazines.

I’d rather submit directly to news desks, as many of the other press photographers do, but as it’s pretty competitive (with some friendliness on top), I can’t really ask them about this.

I’ve googled and searched threads etc, but I was hoping someone could advise on how it works here in the UK, submitting directly to news desks, is it just a case of sending a few low res watermarked images with captions, and they’ll get in touch if they want to buy the full res versions?

As the performance photos are to accompany reviews which will be submitted overnight, it’s not a case of getting images to them before anyone else.

As for anything newsy… I’ve found enough info in here and online about that, so I don’t need to ask!

Many thanks in advance.

Has anyone attended these? He’s an experienced photojournalist (NatGeo, etc) and his 10-day workshops (India, Indonesia, USA) look great but are quite high in price $3-4k. Yes, they’re only open to 15-20people but wondering if anyone has attended them and any thoughts?

https://www.stanmeyer.com/indiaworkshop2025/#register

Looking for a handful of websites to get them started. Thank you!

This was probably inevitable and is no good news for photographers in the race to the absolute bottom for payment for their pictures.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/getty-images-shutterstock-merger-photographers-2595558

TLDR: Title

Hey all, I'm been pursuing documentary photography on my time and currently in the middle of a project. My hope was to finish 2-3 projects and then use that as a portfolio for photojournalism, ideally for hard hitting or impactful stories.

But I realized I have no idea if I would actually like it. I live in a top 3 major city so I know I won't be a magnum photographer and I really don't want to cover baseball games like smaller, local newspapers.

Just had a few questions:

• Do you like your job?
• Do you get to work on long form projects or is it mainly daily life?
• Do you feel like your work is impactful?
• Do you feel like you're just a camera for hire or can you be creative with your shots?
• Is it a joy to work with a camera everyday or is it like any other job?

I just want to learn the reality of this field instead of diving all in and realizing I made a mistake. Thanks!

Good evening everyone. I’m a photographer in my 20s that takes a lot of photos. I’ve traveled the world and have worked some great colleges for work(events).

It took me a while to find what I love, and I see photojournalism and documentary as something I can’t express my love to.

Photography has became somewhat of a diary that I can’t express with words, rather than words. Please feel free to look through my website and see If I do have the eyes for it.

Last night, a fire happened at my city thet burned a historic house, I managed to jump in and capture photos, please feel free to critique them.

My website; in the making:https://blndabdullah.myportfolio.com/home

The fire: https://blndabdullah.myportfolio.com/its-just-gone-the-tragic-morgan-manning-house-fire

Thank you all!

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireStory/credited-historys-indelible-photos-new-documentary-questions-117764352

All I’m going to say is if people are going to go after Nick Ut they better be 100000% correct. Nick is a legend. If this documentary is anything other than an open and close slam dunk no doubt he didn’t take it, these filmmakers and anyone who participated in it should be ashamed of themselves.

What sort of bag do you daily drive, your camera and laptop ? I keep getting so many ads for various bags and want to hear some real stories.

Hello All
I am a protest and general photographer based in Chicago and will be coming in for my fifth inaugural. I am looking for a source of permitted and unpermitted protests but have not been seeing any sources. I ahve been checking the Capitol Police, Metro police, instagram, etc but not seeing a whole lot other than the Women's March on Nov 18 2025. Anyone know of a decent source of events that are scheduled? I know most groups keep it internal but any info is helpful. I am in town the 18th through the 23rd.

How do you gain access to these types of situations? Like blocked off roads. Do you have to get press passes? If so, do you have to have certain credentials to acquire that?

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

Read the latest instalment in our photojournalism series, Underexposed, by Calgary-based photographer Leah Hennel: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-blackfoot-bison-ranch-alberta-underexposed/

I’ve been a photographer in some capacity for 20 years or so but only recently started a dayjob with enough flexibility to really focus on photojournalism.

I’m covering planned protests downtown in a few weeks, a charity boxing event at the end of the month (50/50 sports and human interest), and a Muay Thai exhibition next month.

I’m not the type to blow money on new gear for no reason, but I want to give myself the best odds, and I’m wondering if a new lens would be a worthwhile investment.

Current Kit

Bodies

• D810
• D7100

FX Lenses

• Tokina AT-X PRO 17-35mm f4
• Nikon NIKKOR 50mm f1.4G
• Nikon NIKKOR 50mm f1.8G
• Nikon NIKKOR 85mm f1.8D

DX Lenses

• Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR
• Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G

I know the standard PJ kit is a 24-70 and a 70-200. I was thinking about adding one or the other, but I’m torn on which makes the most sense right now. My main body is FF and my second body is a crop sensor, so that's something else to consider.

Maybe I need something else entirely, or maybe I’m good with what I have—I don’t want to buy a new toy, I want to improve my ability to get the shot.

Help me stop overthinking this.

Hi everyone,

I’m starting a photo agency in London, focusing on news coverage locally and internationally. It’s been a dream of mine for a while, and I’ve finally taken the leap to make it happen. But honestly, trying to build it alone is overwhelming, and I’m looking for like-minded people to join me.

A little about me: I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism and previously worked as a picture editor at one of the biggest newspapers. I recently quit that job to focus entirely on building this agency.

Right now, I can’t offer salaries, but if you’re someone who’s creative, driven, and excited about photography and journalism, I’d love to team up. As soon as we achieve success, everyone’s contributions will be rewarded fairly. Whether you want to contribute ideas, skills, or just your passion to build something meaningful, I’d love to hear from you.

If this resonates with you, drop me a message. Let’s make something great together.

I filmed some unique and timely footage of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsing a week ago, and that incident made national news. I reached out to over a dozen news outlets over verious means including email, social media, Signal app, and calling over the phone to try and sell the footage. Often I'd email the person who wrote a story on the topic. About 45min after the event, I did a man-on-street interview for the local station of a national outlet and exchanged contact info since they expressed interest in my footage. Further email correspondence revealed that they expected it for free with attribution and CC'd a manager for approval to purchase that didn't move forward. My brother got some still photos of the event and sold three of them the SF Standard. https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/23/santa-cruz-pier-breaks-ocean-swell/#:~:text=Owen-,Zimbauer,-Santa%20Cruz%20City

I know it's last week's news now, but in retrospect is there a better way that I could approach this? I feel like we have pop culture visions of Peter Parker approaching J Jonah Jameson and getting paid for his Spiderman shots but that doesn't reflect reality. Would stock photo/video sites (like Getty or Alamy) be the right route here? Any insight is appreciated

I posted my video to youtube over a week ago, added here for context. Several comments point out that this is probably the earliest and most complete footage overview of the incident
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK7tFB93BpQ

Does anyone in this sub use either of these? (I'm sure there are opinions about them...) I know the Canon lens is the best. But that's also why it's the most expensive (even used). I'm hoping to get some user feedback and opinions are OK too. Thanks all!

I want to be a photojournalist but I am a little confused on what programs i need to get into. Most colleges I’ve looked at don’t offer an official photojournalism program but instead offer journalism and photography separately. In order to become a photojournalist do I go just go for the journalism degree along with skills with photography apart from any schooling?

Hi! I'm looking for alternatives to the Stringr app. Directories to place b-roll, press conference footage, and even produced packages for news outlets to license. What are some of the best options heading into 2025?
My beat is the federal government.

This is a link I found online:

It is an "Open call for news photographers across Eastern Europe".

https://www.thepictures.uk/p/open-call-for-news-photographers?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0FpsYBreS4-guRw1SP2w8AmpNYIXZ3O2tVN4O3gcWCi0K9s_QuRPgepBs_aem_JbUxMOS1RlfknIWqcGcXLA

It has all the standard arrangements as a contributor photo agency, like Nur Photo, but behind all that, all I could find about this organization, VX Pictures, is just one guy. I won't make any comments about the guy, or how he presents himself. I couldn't find anything about the "VX Media," though.

The weirdest part is the application form.

When I pressed the "Apply now" button, because why not, It opened a Google form that was, in fact, a contract for signature and not an application form. I am all in for straightforwardness, but signing a contract before even some first contact? Nope.

Anyway, I thought it would be good to share, if anyone wants to share any info, and please let me know if I am wrong to be skeptical about this.

All the best.

Do you think Mirrorless is good for Photojournalism?

Any suggestion under 700 euro? ty!

Edit: Ty all for your answers!

so i should check for a used A7ii or A7rII Nikon Z6, Z7 

I'll sometimes shoot a personal project that is a short video profile or portrait of someone I find interesting, and share that photo or video on Instagram. Lately I've had several subjects ask me to add them as "collaborators" to the post or reel, so that the content shows up on their feed for their followers.

Is this a conflict of interest? I'd love to extend the reach of my work, but I don't want to give the appearance that they had any editorial control over the image, or that there was any exchange of value for creating the image. (Maybe adding an account as a collaborator is a thing of value in and of itself?)

I've looked at how local publications that I respect handle this, and they only use collabs to feature the writers and photographers that worked on their posts. I think if the term was different (e.g. "featured" rather than "collaborator") I'd be more comfortable.

Does anyone have journalistic guidelines on using this kind of feature on social media?

CatchLight and Prism Photo Workshop are inviting news professionals who work in local media to participate in a survey to assess common barriers to visual reporting. Participants will be entered into a gift card raffle for $250 in camera equipment for their newsroom. https://www.catchlight.io/news/2024/12/17/survey-assessing-the-barriers-for-visual-journalism-in-rural-communities

Does anyone have experience as a corps member with Report for America as a photographer? Wondering what that experience is like, including the application process, as most corps members seem to be writers. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m a high school student who wants to become a conflict photojournalist. I don’t have a romanticized idea of this career—I know it’s tough physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve thought a lot about the trauma and challenges that come with this work, but I’m still drawn to it. I really believe photojournalism can shed light on the struggles of people suffering and bring attention to their stories. I've always wanted to purse journalism.

I’m looking for advice on how to pursue this path. What steps can I take now, as a high school student, to prepare for this career? What kind of education or training should I look into?

I’d really appreciate any guidance, tips, or stories from people who’ve been in this field. Please don’t assume I’m romanticizing this, I know how hard it is, and I’m still serious about it.

Ive been working as a photographer for quite a few years, but mostly stepped away from the industry about 8 years ago to open an unrelated business. I’ve done very occasional freelance work since then, but only 2-3 small jobs a year. Now, we’ve made the difficult decision to shutter our business and relocate to a completely different city where I’ve never worked before to be closer to family, and I’d like to try to get back into photography and photojournalism. I’m the past, I had fairly steady work as a stringer for multiple smaller news papers. I’ve started the process of trying to get my name out there, sending introductory emails to the photo editors at the major print media organizations in my new home, but my website and online portfolio could certainly use some refreshing. Would anyone be so kind as to take a look and give me your thoughts? I promise to take all criticisms as constructive. You can find it at: www.SamuelPerryPhotography.com/portfolio

How many times as a photojournalist have you encountered something where you felt that your life was in danger and it was directed at you? I’m curious about this topic because I feel like people don’t talk about this enough I don’t need to know the details but I would like to know statistically how often has it happened in your career?

(apologies in advance for my grammar, english is not my main language)

I am a documentary-ish/commercial photographer that lives in a city 2 hours away from were i was born. I still visit there to see my parents. Frequently enough: once a month at the very least.

Ever since the covid lockdowns (when i couldn't visit at all), i've been having this idea brewing in the back of my head that is finally beginning to take shape. Related to some nostalgia over seeing how much the small city/big town i grew up in is changing, i want to document its streets, people and everyday life through anecdotes and photography (maybe some documentary / street photography).

I was wondering if you guys could help me out with general advice and logistics as to how to remain consistent on this / how to go about it / how would yo do it, taking into consideration the fact that i can't visit more often (about every 3-5 weeks) but i can stay a bit longer in those visits (3-6 days maybe).

Maybe the answers would be obvious to you, but not quite to me (i struggle if i dont have a plan of action). I'd appreciate if you could tell me how you would approach this if it were a long-term assignment or something like that. How do you keep anchored to the topics and findings, what type of notes you make, how do you organize your days, what would be necessary prior to the visits, how do you find a line to follow, how do you keep focused...

Anything will be of great help. Thanks in advance!

Hi

I'm newer to photojournalism and Im considering doing a story about a third party political candidate for an upcoming election in my area, id be following the candidate while their out door knocking, out in public talking to people, working with volunteers and stuff like that.

I was wondering if I would need to get model releases of everyone who appears in my photos or not?

To clarify, I would talk and get approval from the candidate themselves to do something like this, I'm more so wondering about other people when he's out in public campaigning or whatever, is it OK to include them in the photo without a model release?

I am currently a journalism major in college, and I thinking about dropping out. For a little context, I am not American (even though I attend college in DC) and college has been the main source of my anxiety in the past years and it even lead me to suicidal ideation in the past. During thanksgiving my older sister who also lives in the US suggested that I should drop out of college and go back to Brazil to start working in the photography industry. She said that spending some time organizing and working more on my portfolio would be more valuable than simply a degree in journalism. I had some experience with various forms of photography through the university’s newspaper. Because of my mental health I already took a temporary absence leave from college and failed some classes, so I still have 2 more years to go. My problem with college was never a matter of intelectual capability or the language barrier, but my mental health stopping me from doing the necessary work. I need to know how many doors in the photojournalism industry I will be closing if I drop out of college.