#thephotointern

[thephotointern]

Eat, Shop, Intern: Where & Why

We all know the importance of getting your foot in the door, but where exactly do those perfectly pedicured toes of yours belong? 

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  Now that the boys have filled you in on finding the internships and the interview process; I’ve complied this short list of the best places to intern at and that’ll turn that resume into a high roller.

  1. The Agency

Agencies are a good place to learn the ins & outs of production, creative marketing, business/industries standards, and meeting successful photographers.  In my experience smaller agencies tend to give you bigger responsibilities.  With a smaller staff you can quickly become acquainted with everyone sooner.  Not to mention there could be a chance or two for you to help out on set.  At the very least you get to stay cool during those dreadful summer heat waves.

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2. Editorial

Magazines have always had that “ohhh” effect on most of us. [wow gif]  I’m sure plenty of us began our photo adventure flipping through the glossy sheets of a magazine, but which ones should we actually give our time and metro swipes to? In my experience the bigger names get the best reaction.  Smaller magazines have more creative freedom since their advertisers aren’t as involved, but the bigger mag can paint a better picture.  Not only would you be working alongside creatives that have been in the industry for years and are on the top of their game, but it can also help you picture yourself in a few years from now.  When it comes to gloss, go big or go home

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3. Photographer

Who best to teach you how to take your photos from crit and turning them into spending money, then the photographer who’s “been there, done that.”  The toughie with interning for a photographer is that you probably won’t be the only intern and there will probably be a first, second, and pet before you. Still, the best photographer you could intern for is the one whose work is closes to your style and interest.

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Take your minimum wage job at the cage and turn it into real life experience.  Most studios have interns run their equipment/grip rooms doing things you most likely already know how to do; minus the casual run ins with Karlie Kloss and Sean O’Pry. Oh and of course, the left over 5 star catering.

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5. Retouching House

These might be the toughest to score, since they require you to already have a specific knowledge of editing software, but if you can actually use the magic wand tool successfully – flaunt it.

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  -L

[thephotointern]

Where to Find Internships

There are two routes. You can either intern for an organization or an independent photographer. Depending on what you want to do will determine the way you go about finding out if they are hiring interns.

If you want to intern for an individual photographer, you need to contact them directly. Before you do that, you need to know who they are and what they do better than they do. You need to have this information embedded. Be advised, you may be contacting their assistant or management.

If you want to intern for an organization, you need to do research. The best place to find internships is the internet. Below are the best places you can search for internships. For any login information to these websites, please message us by clicking the "ASK AN INTERN" link on our homepage with your name and RIT email address.

Be sure to search basic keywords in these website's search engines such as "photo," "photo intern" and or "creative intern."

LinkedIn

Indeed

Ed2010

Intern Match

Craigslist (seriously)

ArtJob.org

GraduateJobs.com

RIT Job Zone

RIT Alumni Association

American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP)

RAWB

[thephotointern]

Layout of a Resume

Think of the creation of your resume as a process.  The initial intent is to get down on paper what you want someone to know about you.  This is your time to brag about what you know, but keep it simple.  It should be a short, sweet, condensed single page document of your processional background.  At a certain point, you will be applying for jobs that are so specific you will be able to tailor your resume just for that position.

Tip: Make sure to choose a font and color scheme that is simple.  This will match the design of your branding which we will talk about later.

Your resume should have at least four sections containing your:

Education

Skills

Work Experience

References

Contact Information

Your contact information should be clear and legible at the top of your resume.  It should include your:

Name

Email

Photo number

Website

Education

Include any honors, awards, activities, GPA, professional associations, or anything else related to your education you feel important.  If you work while you're in school, you can put that here.  If you are transfer student, you should list your most current school (RIT) first and the school you transferred from second.  This should be formatted the same way as the RIT information.  It should include:

Rochester Institute of Technology

School of Photographic Arts & Sciences

BFA, Professional Photographic Illustration

Major:

Minor:

Concentration:

Skills

Here you should include what you know in terms of things such as camera formats, lighting, printing, retouching, processing, retouching, computer platforms, and computer softwares.  It is important to list your strongest skill-sets for the position you are applying to.  This is best presented as a bullet list versus lines of texted separated by commas.

Work Experience

Depending on the your background, you should break this into two or more sections, one that includes "relevant or related" experiences and one that includes your "other" experiences.  You want to to give a description of your duties with the name of the place you worked, your title, the location, and the dates you worked.  If you don't have a lot of work experience, you can include volunteeer work, activities, interested, travel, or even other spoken languages, anything you believe will help.

References 

References are people you have worked for which may include faculty members at school.  Be sure to ask permission before you use someone as a reference.  It should include the following:

Persons Name

Organization

Title

Phone number

Email address

- RAWB

[thephotointern]

Hi, my name is Robert but people call me RAWB.

I spent this past summer in NYC interning at Milk Studios and for still life photographer Lisa Shin.  For Lisa, I assisted onset, reviewed images tethering, ran props back and forth from stores to the studio, ordered food for everyone on shoot days, went on coffee runs, answered the phone, took notes, printed two portfolios for a show, and made sure the studio was well kept.  For Milk, I built up and broke down lighting carts photographers and their crews would rent for the day with their studio space.  In the middle of the summer, they offered me a freelance position with a day rate of $150. My advice: Be invested in the work you are producing with your photographer (it makes it that much more fulfilling) and if you're going to work at Milk, be ready to work long hours.

I learned quickly I didn't enjoy working in-studio so I searched architectural photographers in the area and landed an assisting job with David Sundberg.  David works for Esto Photographics, Ezra Stoller's architectural photography firm.

Esto is a photo agency specializing in images of the built environment. With assignment work and a comprehensive picture library, they connect photographers and their work with designers, publishers, and others interested in the photographs.

My experience taught me that even if you are unsure of what you are doing, to try.  You are in school to find out what you like and what you don't like. If I didn't get myself to NYC that summer to try working in these studios, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do what I wanted and make the connections I did along the way.

I hope The Photo Intern gives you insight of what you are looking for and how to find it.  If you would like to contact me, email me at [email protected]. RAWB