Freelance, regular or staff: career insights for young photojournalists from Brent Stirton

Photojournalism is a much sought-after career, but if you're a student or recent graduate, what are the best ways to find regular work? Is doing freelance assignments the best way to begin, and can they lead to staff jobs? And what are the chances of getting regular work from that one-off big assignment?

To answer these questions, we asked the multi-award-winning photojournalist and Canon Ambassador Brent Stirton for his views. Brent has been a full-time professional since 1995 and has covered stories for major publications including The New York Times, Der Spiegel and National Geographic as well as NGOs such as Human Rights Watch. He has won numerous prizes including 13 coveted World Press Photo awards and is currently a senior correspondent for Getty Images and a National Geographic Explorer.

Here, Brent, who is also a speaker at this year's Canon Student Development Programme, talks about different routes into photojournalism and the future for freelance photojournalists, as well as offering some invaluable advice on the kit needed by those starting out in the profession.

When beginning a career in photojournalism, Brent says the most important thing is to build up the finance that will allow you to pursue your projects and develop a portfolio. "Try to work towards a really clear vision of what you want to do, and then find a job, live lean, and do whatever you need to do to save some capital, then go and do a project," he says. "That project can be in your own country, even your own town, or overseas.

"You need to be able to make unique images of a situation or issue that people haven't thought about or haven't looked at for a while. If you're interested in wildlife, for example, think of a place to go where there's a species you're particularly drawn to. If you're interested in conflict, find a lesser-known conflict. Ultimately, you need to build a portfolio that really shows who you are."

Being a successful freelancer means regularly coming up with strong, original ideas and turning those ideas into high-quality bodies of work. It gives you the freedom to work on your own projects, though financial survival depends on getting regular work and this path doesn't offer the security of a staff job.

If you're a young photojournalist aiming to get regular freelance work, it's vital to nurture relationships with picture editors. "When you're starting out, you have to break into the profession and it's not easy," says Brent. "If you're proposing a story, make sure it's in line with the kind of things a particular publication usually works on. Then send a short introductory email including a couple of pieces of your work, no more than five. They need to be really good. Tell them what you're working on and that you'd like to submit some work to them on a regular basis for consideration.

"Picture editors are constantly receiving emails and they're looking for something professional which says who you are, what you're doing and why they should look at your work. After your initial approach, follow up in a subtle fashion; don't bombard them with daily emails and don't be demanding."

If you're lucky enough to be offered a one-off dream freelance assignment on a subject or issue you want to cover, it's important to seize that chance. "It's amazing how casual some people can be about opportunities," says Brent. "There's some serious talent in the world of photojournalism, so if you have the chance to do any kind of work like that, you really need to do an amazing job."

That piece of work can be an important springboard to more freelance work or even a staff job.

Unlike many professions, photojournalism doesn't offer a clear career path. Working as a staff photographer is often seen as the photojournalist's main career goal, as it provides the security of a regular income and financial backing for the projects you want to do. Then, if you're successful in a staff job, you can go on to develop in a management role. However, Brent says staff jobs also come with their own demands and limitations.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking that you get everything you want in a staff job," he says. "Media businesses are run on very tight margins these days, especially print. But this is a golden time for television and documentary work, so you're more likely to be successful with shooting video than still images for print.

Photojournalists have to work in a range of challenging environments so Brent advises investing in good-quality kit. "Buy the best kit you can afford," he says. "Buying a Canon EOS R6, EOS R7 or EOS R8 as opposed to an EOS R5 is perfectly acceptable. If you can't afford the latest kit, the second-hand market has some amazing deals.

"You need something that's going to work no matter what happens, and allows you to work in low light because you're going to find yourself in those conditions more often than you think.

"As a photojournalist you're probably going to swap out your camera bodies every five years because they get worn down, so lenses are a more long-term investment. These days, zoom lenses are really good and I can literally do my job with a single body and Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM and Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lenses. Once you have reliable kit, putting your money into financing your projects is a better way to go."

Brent is keen to give aspiring photojournalists a clear idea of potential pitfalls, but overall says it's undoubtedly a great job to do. "Our profession is hugely romanticised, but ultimately if you want to survive in it, you need some level of business knowledge," he says. "It's a job and people forget that, so you need a business plan, you need determination and discipline, and you need talent.

"Very few of us doing this job are wealthy or successful – the rewards you get from it are based on passion and on the fact that you genuinely care about the issues. It's not an easy career choice. But at the end of the day if you can get it right, it is an amazing life to be a photojournalist or to be a photographer in general."