Uncovering the Truth: Pro Photography Assignment Revealed

Рет қаралды 2,634

Күн бұрын

Ever wonder what it's like to shoot a professional photography assignment? In this episode, I break down a recent New York Times photography assignment from start to finish.
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Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:52 How it starts
2:43 How I Prep
3:30 Special Access
4:30 Visuals I Want
4:55 What Gear?
6:35 Sapa
7:00 Moment
7:30 Street Photography
8:18 Favorite Shot
8:30 After The Shoot

Пікірлер: 68

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me here.

@kenchoat7351 7 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! It really gives us a peek into the process and your work and I love it! I particularly love how dynamic many of the images are and can see why the photo editors made the choices they did. I'm sure I speak for many of your fans when I say, we love to see more of this.

@richa2495 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Justin for explaining and showing us what it’s like to plan and do a photo assignment for the NY Times. I enjoyed hearing your strategies and seeing your follow through with the photos. Very cool!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Richard , I had fun making this one but I wasn’t sure if people would enjoy it .

@zoltankaparthy9095 8 ай бұрын

"All The News That's Fit To Print" Glad the Times is treating you right and it is because you are treating them right. You have a great eye for color and composition. And I'll bet your batting average is higher than most. I'll keep looking at your stuff. Great composition and color. And light. It is always about the light. Thanks.

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words brother :)

@David-my3uu 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for this window into your work world, Justin - fascinating!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching David, I appreciate it.

@danfiorephotos 9 ай бұрын

Justin- super informative video! Amazing images. Also, the new studio has a great vibe. Be well & thanks.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Dan, I love working in my new space and I've set it up so it's super convenient to just record when I'm ready to go.

@andrewblackman4372 9 ай бұрын

This was a phenomenal episode, Justin. I particularly like the way you describe how you got the best shots, but it was also interesting to hear about the practicalities of a major shoot like this. The bottom line: you nailed it time after time. I really don't envy the person who had to pick the small number of shots that will have made it into the feature. It would also make for a phenomenal exhibition (I guess there would be copyright issues, though).

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

Thank you Andrew , I have to self edit quite a bit and then they edit but I was happy with their edit :).

@jayse1195 9 ай бұрын

Very cool to have it all laid out. I've done similar but nothing like NYT level! Cheers mate, muchos gracias.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Jay , de nada :)

@richarddenise3886 9 ай бұрын

Fascinating! Thanks!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@tcruzdesign 9 ай бұрын

Great info. Great video. Always super good to see the big picture of an assignment. (See what I did there?) Thank you for all the great info.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Love it Rudi :)

@thedarkslide 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing, Justin. Interesting story on NYTimes too.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

My pleasure, thanks for watching.

@richarddenise3886 9 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Richard , much love :).

@richarddenise3886 9 ай бұрын

Back at you!@@AskMOTT

@g8erchum 9 ай бұрын

This was great! I'm a NYTimes subscriber, read this article, and thought 'what great photos!' without realizing I'm also subscribed to your channel. I really like this behind-the-scenes video!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

That's so cool to hear, you made me start my day with a smile. I wanted to take BTS while I did the assignment but I couldn't really do that without sacrificing my work on the assignment.

@Reportageandart 9 ай бұрын

It is absolutely work. And there is a lot of pressure. Longer assignments at the NYT level are nice... When I get a run sheet from a daily news service/online paper, you need to get something back to the editor in a few hours. Less time for creativity. It's a whole different ballgame than just shooting for pleasure that many don't realize. You said it well, it isn't just shooting pictures, there is a lot more to it. Great job by the way!

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks brother, yeah, I don't even know if all the editors know much work goes into these shoots :(.

@paulbegg3489 9 ай бұрын

Just read the article in the NYT, Justin. Many thanks for sharing the process with the NYT. We often think these images magically appear, but there is a lot of planning and effort that goes into these that is often so unappreciated. Awesome photography, very inspiring how you have captured the moment and the sense of adventure of the folks within the images. BTW, just can't believe how Sa Pa has grown - one of your shots shows the view of central Sa Pa. Visited the town back in 2007 - arrived by overnight train - and it was very different to what I see now in your photo essay.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Paul, I moved here around that same time you were here , 2006z I wonder if somehow we ever crossed paths and didn’t know it :). Sapa has changed so much indeed , really built up now.

@paulbegg3489 9 ай бұрын

I was a petroleum geologist and visited Vietnam from 2004 onwards, at the time, I was based in KL and JAK. Latterly lived in HCMC for 3 years until Dec 2017. Visited Hanoi many times for meetings, vacation, street photography sorties ... Might have 'bumped' into you at Hoan Kiem lake .... Fun times ☺ @@AskMOTT

@geoffreybjohnsonphototography 9 ай бұрын

Another Great video Justin … I myself just completed a magazine assignment last week … your right one day shoot takes a few days to complete everything and get the pictures back to the editor…! I do it all myself at the moment … turn round is what it is for the moment … looking forward to the day I can hire assistant to help in some areas … 🙏🏻 Interesting video describing how you do assignments and what goes into it … start to finish …. thanks for sharing… Geoff

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Geoff, it’s a long episode that most likely won’t reach a wide audience but I thought some might enjoy it so I’m glad you liked it :(. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

@andrewbaines1831 9 ай бұрын

Great video and a very informative insight into the life of a working professional, like most things in life there is so much more to it than we often realise….Great work 👍

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Andrew, appreciate you taking the time to comment.

@bfeltovi 8 ай бұрын

Fascinating and not too long at all. I’m surprised nobody else has asked about finances. NYT is a prestigious publication so I assume they pay pretty well. Are you allowed to say how much they pay for an assignment like this? Is it a flat rate for the assignment and they let you decide how to spend your time or do you bill a day-rate after the fact and assume they’ll cover it? Do you get paid whether it gets published or not, is there a contignency fee, etc. I understand if you don’t feel comfortable discussing this side of your world, but it does seem relevant to the whole experience. Thanks!

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

Excellent questions , thanks for asking. Every publication is different but most magazines pay around $500 I’d per day and newspapers a few hundred, ong’s expenses . Travel days are typically half of shooting days and I get paid no matter if the story runs or not but some shady or less respectable magazines early in career can be delinquent or bait tape like 6 months to a year. NYT has always paid me on time and never any issues with my expenses but I’m always fair and honest .

@wanderingwongs7464 9 ай бұрын

Great info, Justin.

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

Thank you brother, appreciate you taking the time to comment.

@Gogogordy1 9 ай бұрын

How did I spend 14 days in beautiful, friendly VN….from Hanoi to the Mekong Delta and NOT see / experience a single cable car? I’ll have to go back….

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

You didn’t miss much :)

@kimw994 9 ай бұрын

great work 👃

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Kim :).

@kimw994 9 ай бұрын

...how many days did you spent on the reportage?@@AskMOTT

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

2.5 days Kim, it was a quick one with a lot of driving to reach the destinations. @@kimw994

@user-bw6dm8jy1g 9 ай бұрын

Do you have different portfolios for different publications or do you make a really diverse one and let them figure out your style and capabilities?

@AskMOTT 8 ай бұрын

Great question, in the beginning I piled everything into 1 website but as each of those brands grew I separated everything accordingly.

@donjagoe 9 ай бұрын

That was wonderful! Great to learn the process. The images are fantastic. You do make a case for “The Leica Look.”

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thank you Don :).

@RichardSilvius 9 ай бұрын

It sounds like for this story the editor doesn’t see anything until you’ve finished. Do you ever check in during an assignment and get feedback from the editor? If somehow the editor feels like you missed something, will they pay you to go back out and get it? Or will you go back out on your own if it’s feasible?

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

For a shorter story like this no , but for longer stories or deeper stories with a new editors or a new magazine that might ask to see dailies but it’s rare.

@gregorybeale 9 ай бұрын

Great work as always. As someone who used to live in Vietnam and have been to all these locations it really brings me back so thanks. As a unorganized “Dad” photographer sim starting to wonder what happened to that SD card with my Cat Bha trip?!

@gregorybeale 9 ай бұрын

I didn’t think this video was long at all! More please. I know I would enjoy a longer video with you discussing how/what body and lense you used for like say…the 10 shots or whatever that were picked by the editors. I guess 12 minutes is long for a KZfaq video but I would definitely peep it. Cheers

@willbaren 9 ай бұрын

This was great behind the scenes of a photo shoot. One question, did you need a model release from all of the people you had in the images, such the people in the cable cars? I’m thinking you did but maybe you didn’t have to?

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

For journalism assignments now I don't have model release forms, I only use those for commercial photography.

@willbaren 9 ай бұрын

@@AskMOTT thanks. Cheers.

@akilajaywardena 2 ай бұрын

Can you tell me about nearly how much you taken (i know it's depending) pictures before the publish story? If you are shoot, then after give to the rushes your editor's?

@toddpelletier2168 9 ай бұрын

Awesome video! A great behind the scenes. Has there ever been a time where you submitted your work and the publication came back asking for more and or different images. If that occurs would it change how much you charge? Thanks Todd

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Great question Todd. Rarely , as I try to cover myself with getting a wide variety to choose from but when it does happen I don’t charge extra as that isn’t a common practice in the editorial world. Different of course if they wanted me to go shoot more , then I’d charge more.

@toddpelletier2168 9 ай бұрын

@@AskMOTTthat makes sense. Thanks!

@chadrem 9 ай бұрын

I’m having trouble finding the link to the NY Times article. Looking forward to reading it.

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Here you go www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/travel/vietnam-cable-cars.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

@woseIl 9 ай бұрын

Hey Justin, thank you for such video!! This kind of stuff is actually what interests me the most

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your question, good timing as I'm going to address these things in a video very soon and I hope it helps you. I'll try to specifically answer this in a mailbag episode as well, I appreciate your question. The short answer is I don't write articles at all, just my captions, nor am I good at it either.

@woseIl 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for the answer:) Well I can't wait for that video then. I'm curious if it ever happened that you came with photographs and then after that someone wrote an article to it.@@AskMOTT

@RichardSilvius 9 ай бұрын

Cool video Justin! Thanks! Is the promoting that you do on your blog/insta etc a part of what you are being paid for? Or is just a professional value-ad for your client, plus a benefit to you for keeping your online work fresh and relevant?

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching Richard, no one’s paying for my online promotion I do it to keep my name and work fresh and such.

@Tom_YouTube_stole_my_handle 9 ай бұрын

Is the time spent on research and travel billable or is it and time spent on post assumed to be part of the shooting day rate? What happens if you're on location away from base and the weather turns against you for one or more days?

@AskMOTT 9 ай бұрын

We build weather days into our contract for commercial work but editorial not so much , however it’s typically much less weather dependent and I could always ask my editor for an extra paid day shooting if that’s the case .