Being a newspaper stringer can be a fun and lucrative career, but as with all careers there are some occupational hazards challenges also.
Here are some eye openers about news stringing you may not have thought about:
Do you own a reliable vehicle?
Do you have a 1990 Honda Civic rust bucket that has a noisy exhaust and spinner rims…. Yeah that won’t work! When you roll up to the scene you need a reliable vehicle that can get you to assignments and breaking news incidents safely.
Do you have a clean record?
Chances are that you will be pulled over or detained by law enforcement; it’s just one of those things that happen. So if you have any warrants, unpaid tickets, unpaid child support or anything that you are wanted for you may want to settle those or think twice about becoming a stringer. You also have to make sure that your vehicle is current; insurance current, license not suspended, registration current etc. Like I said before cops will hassle you and they can get creative when deciding to pull you over like speeding, sudden lane changes, or illegal parking. Cops have tricks when it comes to checking out a suspicious person, but they usually have to find some sort of real reason to pull you over. Chances are they will follow you until they can find probable cause to pull you over and investigate. Basically a cop could pull you over for something dumb like following too close just to find out what you are doing driving around the same block over and over again and find out you have a suspended license. That will give him a reason to lock you up for the weekend and it could have all been avoided.
Can you deal with the stress?
Working a deadline can be stressful and accepting a last minute news assignment to get the shot they need can be stressful. Can you deal with human suffering, crime, violence and just plain sad stuff? As a stringer your biggest asset to a news editor is that money shot of a dramatic rescue, a fully involved apartment complex burning with grandma hanging out the window, or a shot of a paramedic doing CPR on a child struck by a car as the child’s parents crying nearby. Those are some things that can really shake you up and are not for everyone. When it comes to news assignments you can get a call anytime anywhere to cover a breaking story even when you are sleeping! News breaks 24-7 so if you plan to make a name for yourself and remain competitive you’re going to have to take those assignments. If an editor calls you and asks for you to shoot the fire down the street and you say you cannot they will call another stringer and you lose the sale. [private_pro]
Do you have knowledge of your town?
As a stringer speed is of the essence when responding to a call, and knowing your town better than a staffer from the competing paper gives you a major advantage. Knowing where your crime hotspots are is also helpful when you are cruising late at night looking for news to happen; staying close to the areas where crime happens also gives you an edge.
Are you chicken?
Gathering news images sometimes lead you into not so friendly neighborhoods where people dislike photographers and can sometimes be hostile. Safety is obviously your number one priority but getting that shot that the other photogs are afraid to get should be your #2 priority. Be prepared to be hassled and yelled at by angry family members and average citizens that like to heckle photographers. You have been warned!
Do you care what people think about you?
Many people dislike news photographers and say that we profit from tragedy and misery but that is obviously an overstatement. Cops hate us too, one reason is most news photographers think they are above the law and push the “Freedom of the Press” issue way too much and that angers them. One thing that you will learn as you read these articles is you will never win when it comes to cops. They think they are always right… but are usually wrong when it comes to our rights as photographers. Remember, no matter what you say or do, a cop will always think he is right and will find a way to detain or even arrest you if you disobey him.
Are you a night owl?
Like I mentioned before news happens anytime but during the daytime, newspaper staff photographers have the edge. They usually have assignment editors, reporters, and press releases that feed information to them that will then be dispatched to a photog already in the field. Overnight is the preferred time for a newspaper stringer to work as they will have the upper hand on the staffer that must respond to a call from his editor at 3am about a major accident that will effect morning rush hour. By the time he is on scene you could have already shot the photos and uploaded to the newspaper. So grab your coffee and energy drinks and be prepared to see all of the weird stuff that happens at night.
Keep your day job!
If you have a current job it is best that you don’t quit right away. I can take some time to establish yourself and make enough money to support you full time. Most stringers do this as a side job to earn extra cash but some do earn a full time income doing freelance news photos. [/private_pro]