Get yourself trained in photofilm production

If you are a photographer interested in working in the NGO/Humanitarian sector this will interest you.

Next week I am training the communications staff working out of MSF Brussels and quite a few of their overseas staff. MSF have an amazing track record of working with photographers and in Bruno, Julie and Olga they run a top photo desk. They assign a lot of photographers and a lot of photographers offer them their work for free.

Now here’s the headline:

MSF have decided that that where possible all their photo projects will have a multimedia element. ALL.

So what message will I be giving to their comms teams? Stop hiring photographers who don’t know their arse from their elbow when it comes to photofilms. Is that you?

Why?

If you’re going to produce photofilms then it makes a huge difference to work with a photographer who understands what is needed.  Think about it this way. If I am looking for a photographer who can take great portrait shots why on earth would I hire one who doesn’t have a kick arse portfolio of this kind of work.

There’s another reason why I would hire photographers who also understand audio. That tells me something about their personality. It tells me they know how to listen, how to talk to people, and how to get the best out of people.  Essential qualities if you want to tell the stories of some of the most vulnerable people in this world.

Proven training can cost you from £500 (duckrabbit) to £3000 (Mediastorm). All are a good investment.   The truth is I’ve never trained someone through a small group workshop who hasn’t raved about it as an investment.  A photofilm can earn you anything from between £300 (BBC) to £15000 (commercial client) or more.

You can teach yourself, but it will cost you a lot more in time and you will miss out on the contacts you make through training.