Writers + Photographers: How closely do you like or prefer to work with one another when on assignment?
I'm curious about the dynamic between writers and photographers who work together on single, one-off articles, interviews, etc., as opposed to those who work alongside each other on multiple pieces, or a very involved, heavily reported piece that takes weeks or even months to complete.
Do you (as a writer or photographer) prefer to work closely with your counterpart on, say, an assignment that takes just a few hours -- discussing details, asking and giving advice, etc. -- or do you prefer to let each other work (after a quick discussion on the basics of the assignment) and have editors and photo editors work out how the words and pictures will work best together after the fact?
Personally, I've usually worked that latter way -- greeting a photographer, briefly talking about the assignment, and then letting him/her/them get to work, while I get on with mine. (And that's assuming that the phoptographer and writer are on the scene of the assignment at the same time -- which of course is not always the case.)
Replies3
- @Olga R Thanks, Olga. That's been my exprience, as well. Some assignments are intensely collaborative, and others feel very much like the various parties are on their own. (Which can be fine!)
- @Morphe Digital Design Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree: words like "we" and "us" instead of "I" and "me." can make a huge difference.
- Well, I've been in photography since 2008 (intensive work as retoucher&photographer since 2014) and I can state that it really depends on the assignment.Sometimes it's just another work when all requirements are set within first 20 minutes of the meeting and then we work almost independantly from each other.But sometimes photographer is in constant touch with writer and also other staff. For example, when commercial companies order a photographer to exhibition. Basically it's up to a few photos of the company's stands, goods, representatives and a few general photos of the expo itself. However, it requires thourough research on the scenery and the place: how the stand will be made, what will be around, what type of lighting, is additional equipment allowed (lol, but mostly it's not in here, especially at machinery expo's) and etc. Then suddenly their contractor arrives to the expo and photographer needs to make a photoshoot of the meeting.So, it is really much up to assignment itself.
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