Jody MacDonald

Jody MacDonaldhttps://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/about/contributors/jody-macdonaldJody MacDonaldhttps://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/create/learn/photography/how-to-make-the-leap-from-amateur-to-professional-photographerProfessional photographer Jody MacDonald can't give you a short cut, but she can offer some great advice to focus your efforts and harness your passion.2018-09-14T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/create/learn/photography/how-to-make-the-leap-from-amateur-to-professional-photographerhttps://www.worldnomads.com<div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <p>One of the hardest transitions for any artist or photographer is making the leap from amateur to pro. It is the number one question that amateur photographers ask me. What to do next? What are the secret tips? The bad news is there are no secrets, you have to do the hard work. Here's some of the advice I give people to help them move in the right direction.</p> <h2>Create a mission statement</h2> <p>Creating a mission statement lays the foundation for your work and is critically important. When you have a mission statement, it prevents you from getting distracted on projects that lead you away from the work you really want to be doing. And, while that sounds easy to do, it is actually quite difficult when you’re learning.</p> <p>When you start out, it’s natural to want to shoot everything and anything, which is a valuable part of the learning process, but sticking to what you’re passionate about can help focus your efforts towards your chosen goal. For example, if you want to be a travel photographer, don’t do weddings on the side. It’ll take away from the valuable time you should be working on your travel photography, and you'll find you keep getting asked to shoot weddings. Before you know it, you'll be known as a wedding photographer rather than a travel photographer.</p> <p>Trying to do both well is not only incredibly difficult but sends mixed branding messages, too. Whenever I’m offered a job, I ask myself, “does this fall into my mission statement?” If it doesn’t, then I won’t do it, regardless of how hard it is to say no. Your mission statement will hone your vision and will lead to you getting hired for the work you really want to be doing.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/leap-from-amateur-to-pro-in-article.jpeg " alt="a local Mauritanian draped in violet, walking past a doorway" /><figcaption><span>Mauritania. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</span><br /></figcaption></figure> <h2>Shoot, shoot, shoot and then shoot some more</h2> <p>You should be always trying to improve your craft.  If you’re not pushing yourself to be better, then your photography is not going to get noticed. Keep challenging yourself to create better work. You should be your own worst critic. Whenever I look at my photographs, I’m constantly analyzing them and trying to figure out how they could be better. Famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” Being very critical of your own work and trying to constantly improve creates a high standard for yourself and motivates you to strive to be better. You need to produce work that is worthy of being published and that takes a lot of practice.   </p> <h2>Find a niche and do work that excites you</h2> <p>Yes, you might have heard it all before – but do work that you're passionate about, whether its capturing <a href="/create/learn/photography/landscape-photography-7-pro-tips">beautiful landscapes</a>, <a href="/create/learn/photography/photographing-for-non-profit-organizations">humanitarian work</a> or going on <a href="/create/learn/photography/6-adventure-photography-tips">wild adventures</a>. You need to be very passionate about your photography because it’s going to provide you with the motivation to work hard to get the shots you want and to help you push through the tough times. Without the passion I have for my work, I would never do half of what it takes for me to get the images I do. I sailed around the world for a decade despite being seasick <g class="gr_ gr_125 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="125" data-gr-id="125">because</g> my love for exploration and photography was more important to me than feeling sick. That passion helped me persist, year after year, through incredibly challenging times.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/leap-from-amateur-to-pro-in-article2.jpeg" alt="humpback whales diving just below the oceamn;s surface" /><figcaption>French Polynesia. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2>Submit your work</h2> <p>Find publications or companies that publish the kind of work that matches your own and <a href="/create/learn/photography/how-to-pitch-a-travel-photo-story"><g class="gr_ gr_494 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="494" data-gr-id="494">start</g> submitting</a> to them. My recommendation is to start with smaller publications. Don’t start by submitting to <em>National Geographic</em>; you have to earn your way there. Your odds will be better with smaller publications and you will learn a lot in the process. I used to be a photo editor and know what it’s like to be on that side of the business. I recommend sending in only your best images, and only around 20 to 40, depending on the story. Editors receive a lot of submissions so don’t waste their time. Don’t send them a ton of images to go through, or a bunch of similar images. <br /><br />The reality is, you will only have a handful of images that are your best – so learn to be critical. Once you start getting published in the smaller publications, it will encourage you to keep working your way up and your photography will get seen. The important thing is to be ok with rejection. Get used to hearing them say no... it’s ok, it’s all part of the process. Always try to get feedback and never give up.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/leap-from-amateur-to-pro-in-article1.jpeg " alt="crowd of people colored in red and yellow powder" /><br /><figcaption>Holi Festival, India. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2>Find a mentor</h2> <p>A mentorship from someone who has more experience than you is invaluable. They can keep steering you on the right course. While I never had one single mentor, I wish I had. Mentors can be difficult to find, but if you have the opportunity to meet one, through school for example, take advantage of it. World Nomads run an annual Travel Photography Scholarship which comes with mentorship from an industry professional. If you haven't already applied for this opportunity, <a href="/create/scholarships/photography/">find out more here</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/leap-from-amateur-to-pro-in-article3.jpeg " alt="a ferryman rows his boat" /><figcaption>Varanasi, India. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2>Persistence is key</h2> <p>If you are passionate about photography, then you hopefully have the dedication to keep going despite all the setbacks. The photography industry – like most creative fields – is challenging, but the most important thing is not to give up. I love photography so much that I cannot not do it. I will always find a way to keep taking photos and that's what it takes to improve your craft and also have your work stand out. If I have to live in my car or rent a place with 10 other people in order to make ends meet so that I can keep doing photography, then I'll do it without hesitation.</p> <p>The more focus you have the better. Staying true to your vision, while continuing to practice your craft and submitting to magazines and websites, will help you transition from amateur to professional. Learn as much as you can and don’t give up. You will be surprised at what will start to happen to your photography career.</p> </div> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <h2>Are you an aspiring travel photographer? Keep an eye out for our next <a href="/create/scholarships/photography/">Travel Photography Scholarship</a>!</h2> </div>Jody MacDonald 0

https://public-web-wn.uat.wng.me/create/learn/photography/6-adventure-photography-tipsJody MacDonald from NatGeo Creative reveals her insider tips on how to make your photography stand out from the crowd.2018-08-29T10:00:00Z https://wng-kosmos-wn-cms-uat.kaos.nibit.com.au:443/create/learn/photography/6-adventure-photography-tipshttps://www.worldnomads.com<ul> <li><a href="#shoot">Shoot what you love</a></li> <li><a href="#fast">Having fast gear helps</a></li> <li><a href="#unique">Find unique angles </a></li> <li><a href="#interest">Go on interesting adventures </a></li> <li><a href="#background">Think about the background first </a></li> <li><a href="#fail">Fail often</a></li> </ul> <div class="scholarships-assignment-snippet segment-margin-break"> <p><em></em>Adventure photography is obviously exciting but it is also challenging and a lot of hard work. While there are no shortcuts to getting experience and practicing your photography skills, there are a few things you can do to help you take better photos and make your work stand out.</p> <h2 id="shoot">Shoot what you love</h2> <p>Documenting whatever sports you participate in is a great way to start developing your adventure photography skills. It allows you to photograph something you enjoy and you already have an understanding of the nuances of the sport. Your experience will help you anticipate the action and capture the critical moments as you know what’s likely to come next. It not only adds authenticity to your images but you can also inspire your audience through the depth of insight into the hardship and passion required to pursue the sport.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/jody-macdonald-adventure-photography-tips-in-article.jpeg " alt="a man surfing a wave on a paddle board" /><figcaption>The Maldives. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="fast">Having fast gear helps</h2> <p>I personally don’t think camera gear is that important; photography is much more about the way you see the world than the camera and lens you are using. However, there is an exception to this – when shooting adventure sports. It’s not 100% necessary, but if you have a camera body that has a rapid-frame rate and a fast lens or two, then you’re more likely to be able to capture the action when it happens.</p> <h2 id="unique">Find unique angles</h2> <p>Capturing images similar to what you’ve seen before can be an important part of learning photography skills, but once you’ve got the hang of it, try to take pictures from unique angles and perspectives.</p> <p>Take an experience I had on a paragliding expedition in a very arid desert area. The grass around me was brown and the landscape was lifeless. I had nothing interesting to add a sense of place to my imagery. I was struggling to take interesting photographs so I decided to use what was around me which didn’t seem like much. I found some rocks, got right down onto the ground and used the rocks to frame the image in the foreground. That photograph (pictured below) ended up winning two awards and being a finalist in the Red Bull Illume photography contest.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/jody-macdonald-adventure-photography-tips-in-article3.jpeg " alt="a paraglider photographed between 2 rocks" /><figcaption>The Sierra Mountain Range, USA. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="interest">Go on interesting adventures</h2> <p>A big part of photography is not only about taking good images but taking unique images. There is a famous quote from photographer Jay Maisel that says, “if you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person.” I think that is also true for adventure photography. If you want to take more interesting adventure photography, go on more <a href="/create/learn/photography/alpine-photography-get-prepared">interesting adventures</a>. You’re more likely to get your work published if you’re taking images, unlike anything anyone else has seen. Everyone loves unique content.</p> <p>When I went on my train-hopping surfing adventure through the <a href="/explore/north-africa/morocco/three-day-itinerary-in-sahara-desert-morocco">Sahara Desert</a> (pictured below), I took images that not a lot of people had seen the likes of before and quite a few magazines wanted to publish them as a result. I often say that chasing the absurd has never let me down and that trip, in particular, is a great example of that.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/jody-macdonald-adventure-photography-tips-in-article1.jpeg " alt="Train hopping in the Sahara desert" /><figcaption>The Western Sahara Desert. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="background">Think about the background first</h2> <p>Taking photos of the action is obviously important but what’s really going to make your work stand out is if you also use the background to create a sense of place in your photographs and tell a bigger story. I think a lot of photographers, especially in the beginning, just shoot the action or subject and don’t think about the composition. Slow down and imagine the shot you want in your head. Shoot for the <a href="/create/learn/photography/landscape-photography-7-pro-tips">background first</a>, wait for the subject to come into the frame and then take the shot. The result will give you a well-thought-out photo that’s interesting from the foreground to the background. It will add layers and depth to the story you’re trying to tell.</p> <figure><img src="https://media.worldnomads.com/create/learn/photography/jody-macdonald/jody-macdonald-adventure-photography-tips-in-article2.jpeg" alt="paragliding over the desert" /><figcaption>Mozambique. Photo credit: Jody MacDonald</figcaption></figure> <h2 id="fail">Fail often</h2> <p>Being an adventure photographer is a tough job and a tough industry. You are likely to get rejected a lot, but once you learn that failing is an important part of any learning process, it can make it more bearable. I try to embrace adversity and failure as much as I can because in my experience the most growth and learning opportunities come from adversity and overcoming it. Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s always more important that you go for it.</p> <p>There are no shortcuts to taking great photos or becoming an adventure photographer. First and foremost, you have to be passionate. Then you have to go out there and shoot. Shoot and practice as much as you can. Photograph the sports that you connect with and that mean something to you. Be very critical of your own work and submit only your absolute <a href="/create/learn/photography/how-to-pitch-a-travel-photo-story">best shots to editors</a>. You will start making contacts and as you get better you will begin to get published. Be patient and persistent. The photographers who succeed are the ones who don’t give up. Their passion doesn't allow them to stop.</p> </div>Jody MacDonald 0