The Typical Day of a Photographer

Photographers' lives may seem glamorous, and sometimes they are. But just like with any job, those who choose to be photographers can have some tedium thrown in as well. Still, since most photographers get to use their creativity in everyday work and since their work changes from day to day, the life can be exhilarating.

History

When the American Civil War began in 1860, photographers who were in a news profession and had been restricted largely to the studio, took their cumbersome equipment, glass plate negatives, chemicals, tents and assistants on the road. Matthew Brady became the most famous of the bunch and created many classic images of the horrors of the war, but he was not the only photographer traveling with the armies of the times. These early photo pioneers basically created the pattern others would follow with on-the-move photography. Their model would remain for many years to come.

Function

Today, photographers can travel much lighter and most do. Usually, the first thing in the morning, the photographer will check her equipment, cleaning some components, such as lenses, camera mirrors and tripods. Next, the photographer will check the media on which she will record the day's work. In the case of film, a variety of types of film suited for different uses, such as indoor work, outdoor work, portraits, landscapes and architecture, will be chosen, usually in large quantity. Since this is stored in a freezer to preserve color balance, it must be removed from the cold and allowed to warm for a time. For digital photography, the photographer checks out all the memory disks. These routinely will be reformatted to everything from them.

Types

The average photographer will travel with one large camera bag. This will contain two camera bodies, a wide-angle and a telephoto lens, as well as a couple of zoom lenses. There may be a lens extender and lens shades as well. The bag also will hold a notebook, pens and pencils, extra batteries, memory cards, electronic flash units, lens-cleaning tissue and a small tool kit for on-the-fly camera or lens repairs.

Time Frame

Most photographer set their own schedules if they are independent. If they work for a company they will be given assignments. News photographers have a little of both. For a typical newspaper photographer, he will have some set assignments for the day, such as a Chamber of Commerce breakfast, a third-grade field trip to a museum or a meet-the-candidates night event, as well as be "assigned" to look for "enterprise" photos. These are photos photographers look for in the everyday life around them. They could be anything from a child on a swing, to a barn raising, to a horse and buggy on the street.

Considerations

For newspaper photographers, each day is different. Along with assigned and enterprise photos, there also are breaking news photos sometimes. If a car accident occurs, for example, photographers generally rush to the scene either on their own or after a call from an editor or reporter. Newspaper and other photographers also must find time in their days to upload the photos to computers or develop the film. News photographers often will stop at the newsroom during a lull and upload the photos then. If they have time, they will format the photos, adjust the colors, size them and add caption information. For an independent photographer, this can be done at set times, usually at the end of the work day.

Potential

News photographers must produce the photos for the newspaper, but that doesn't necessarily mean make prints. In many fast-paced newsrooms, editors simply will look on photos on the computer screen and pick those they want. This way, if the photographer shot 30 photos and the editor only wants three, time can be saved. The editor will import the photos electronically into the as yet unprinted newspaper page without ever seeing a print.

Benefits

Wedding and studio photographers, as well as those in other fields, may need to make sample prints and most often proofs, sheets with small versions of the photos, for their clients. This can mean time in a darkroom if working with film or time with the computer and a proofing printer. An additional chore for independent photographers is getting business. This can mean creating advertisements for newspapers, magazines or television, and building a business website with representational photos displayed.