Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Photojournalist?

Photography Tips

There are many things that can inspire someone to become a photojournalist. For some, it’s as simple as reading National Geographic, working as a journalist on a high school paper, or simply falling in love with documenting the little things that happen in life. For others, it can be as big as wanting to make a difference in the world by documenting the injustice they find around them and bringing it to the world’s attention. In the video below, award-winning photographer and National Geographic editor Pamela Chen reveals what put her on the road to becoming a photojournalist:

Chen’s moment of inspiration came when she was an undergraduate in college. After trying to capture the scene below with the wrong settings, she realized,

“Photography was a way in which you could see the world differently than what you were seeing with your own eyes.”

Chen was inspired by the unintentional motion blur in this early photo she captured.

At that moment something “clicked” for her, and her life changed course. Beginning with the simple step of changing her major to photojournalism, Chen went on to have a stellar career as a photojournalist, including becoming the Senior Photo Editor for National Geographic Magazine and earning a number of industry awards in photography and photojournalism.

If you’re like Chen and have “never dreamed about becoming a photojournalist,” yet you

• love talking to people and hearing their stories
• love documenting the lives of others
• love capturing the right image at the right time,

and you’re willing to make the changes you need to have your life change course, you may have what it takes to become a photojournalist.