Our next Festival of Photography takes place at the University of Greenwich in London on January 31st, and we have a fantastic line-up of speakers from a range of genres, including documentary, reportage, portraiture, fashion and more.
Budding photojournalists should definitely attend the Festival of Photography, as our star speakers include two young photographers who have already built a strong reputation in this tough genre – James Manning and Ethan Parker. Discounted Black Friday tickets are now available.
Still only 24, James Manning is a full-time press photographer for PA Media, formerly known as the Press Association. Despite his relative youth, James has achieved a lot – he was named Young Photographer of the Year at the Picture Editors Guild Awards in 2022, and has been highly commended in recent years.
Press ups
James can be asked to shoot everything from Royal Ascot to violent demonstrations, murder scenes, royalty and even soccer matches, and his images regularly feature in the national press, the BBC and other prestigious outlets. While full-time press photographer jobs are now hard to find, he’s managed it through a mixture of talent and sheer bloody-minded determination.
‘As a teenager, I ruled out my first passions, landscape and wildlife photography, as everyone seemed to be triple my age and it was very hard to make a living,’ James explains. ‘I moved to London for uni during lockdown, and started to shoot a lot of the protests that were happening at the time. Visually, much was happening back then, around 2020/21. I became more and more interested in documentary photography and started contacting established press photographers and agencies. Eventually this led to an introduction to PA Media and I started doing freelance shifts.
So I got into this through persistence – I had to send 10 to 15 emails to get just one freelance shift. I freelanced for PA for about 18 months and that eventually led to a staff role. These days, you’ll only get a staff photographer job when somebody leaves, you can’t just apply for a position any more. I can name every single staff photographer working for news agencies in the UK because there are so few of us now.’
James will be talking more about how he landed his highly sought-after job with PA Media at the Festival of Photography, along with the skills he has needed to develop to stay on top of his game.
According to James, there are still opportunities, but you need to work smart. ‘If you are a freelancer trying to sell your images, there is no point standing next to an agency photographer – newspapers and subscribers to the picture wires will often prefer to use an agency picture as it’s essentially free for them to use given the contracts they’ve signed.
So freelancers need to be more creative, finding different angles and compositions, while we staffers often have to play it more safe. When covering a court case, for example, some freelancers will turn up with a long lens and a step ladder to try to get something different.
There are definitely opportunities, particularly for young talent,’ James adds. ‘You just need to be focused, resilient and determined. You’ve got to be prepared to graft for a year and do boring jobs, making contacts and getting your name known. Too many people give up too easily. Getting comfortable shooting video, as well as stills, will add another string to your bow, too.’
All the young dudes…
Joining James in a panel discussion on carving out a career in photojournalism and social documentary photography is Ethan Parker, another talented young creative. Ethan, a London-based street and documentary shooter, received AP’s Emerging Photographer of the Year back in February, in partnership with Canon.
SInce then he has gone on to win further awards with the British Photography Awards and Portrait of Britain. Whether covering chaotic anti-government riots in Paris, documenting communities across the UK, or working on projects closer to home, Ethan’s work captures authentic, fleeting moments of everyday life.
His cinematic approach brings atmosphere and emotion into his frames, reflecting an instinctive understanding of light, colour and the decisive moment.
The discussion with James and Ethan will be chaired by World Press Photo winning photojournalist and regular AP contributor, Peter Dench.
Other must-hear speakers at our Festival of Photography include celebrity portrait shooter Harry Borden, lifestyle and music photographer Dean Chalkley, hugely experienced all-rounder Denise Maxwell, fashion ace Amanda Akokhia and many more. Book your discounted Black Friday tickets here – hurry as offer ends December 4th.
