Been on a cruise with Nat Geo photographers. Was told they send EVERY image to the magazine, no matter how bad.
“The Great Courses” offers a series about photography entirely done by National Geography photographers. It is worth every penny. It is hard to believe that one of their guys spend 11 month and a few cameras just to get the perfect shot of two tigers. I have this course and have watched it twice. I know that I will watch again some day.
WJH
[quote=Dikdik]I remember reading an article 'way back' that described their equipment... second to none. They started with super
I talked with one of their photographers and here is how he said it works. One of the staff photographers suggests a photo assignment. Then submits a proposal in great detail. If this is accepted, then the editors decide which photographer is sent on assignment. In film days they would shoot hundreds of rolls of film and send the film stateside.
I doubt that $500 per assignment is accurate.
My original reply should have said $500 PER DAY... fingers were moving faster than brain. And I have checked multi-sources since replying and that is the going rate and still photographers are all independent contractors (freelance) now although obviously the best are probably used often. Most shoots come from the photographer suggesting the theme, location, etc. Times have changed from some comments referring to decades ago.
Vietnam Vet wrote:
I doubt that $500 per assignment is accurate.
That was supposed to say PER DAY which I kind of corrected later when I said a 10-14 day shoot would be $5,000-7,000.
tennis2618 wrote:
I have the fortunate opportunity to frequently go on photo trips with Nat Geo photographers and know several of them pretty well, although none of the ones readers of the magazine recognize as the superstars. There has been a lot of incorrect info in this stream. Nat Geo goes have strict editorial guidelines which could be summed up as not allowing any more than the basic "editing" capabilities as were possible back in the film days. The equipment that they shoot with is pretty much the same as the more serious who I read regularly on this site. I was surprised to see on a trip last month that three of them were using mirrorless-each a different brand. Two of them were just trying them out. And they were getting great pictures. They do get equipment support from the manufacturer of equipment they use, but normally this amounts to use of new cameras or lenses--which they can purchase at a discount after the shoot.
What they do better than us which leads to so many excellent shots is practice. I have heard one say that he will be playing with the controls on his camera every day when he is relaxing over tv, etc, so that he will be very familiar with every control on his camera when he is shooting--not having to think about how to adjust something, but just doing it. They all say they shoot daily, even if they don't have an assignment. For the most part they use our equipment and glass and get better results because they do this for a living and they have a great eye for what they want to get in a picture. I have been challenged by these people as I try to get pictures they might be proud of. My first such shot occurred in the Arctic shooting a polar bear on sea ice. She was jumping from one ice flow to another and I caught it perfectly--all four feet off of the ice, sharp, great light, etc. (the picture is on the dust cover of my book of the trip). One of the Nat Geo people has become a good friend and he was taking pictures of the same activity. He told me that none of his got the scene like mine--the proudest photo experience in my life! By the way, that hasn't happened since then.
I have the fortunate opportunity to frequently go ... (
show quote)
Sounds about right, as I also have several fellow pro friends who have and are shooting for Nat Geo when they can. Many are using mirriroless cameras nowadays as the quality and performance is top notch. But that is a personal choice what gear to use. Skill at this level is the key, and the ability to work in all environments and under all conditions to get those special shots.
Dikdik wrote:
I remember reading an article 'way back' that described their equipment... second to none. They started with super equipment.
Dik
Yeah, and the writers use the very best word processors available.
Geesh!
[quote=Vietnam Vet]
Dikdik wrote:
I remember reading an article 'way back' that described their equipment... second to none. They started with super
I talked with one of their photographers and here is how he said it works. One of the staff photographers suggests a photo assignment. Then submits a proposal in great detail. If this is accepted, then the editors decide which photographer is sent on assignment. In film days they would shoot hundreds of rolls of film and send the film stateside.
I doubt that $500 per assignment is accurate.
I remember reading an article 'way back' that desc... (
show quote)
Part of the reason in the film days they shot hundreds of rolls of film is that often those assignments could entail many weeks or even months on remote location. Nat Geo photographers have to shoot in all the different scenarios and lighting conditions as they tell their stories photographically. It IS NOT about getting that lucky shot folks. The person that said that has NO clue.
These photographers spend months researching their subjects and locations and planning the proper gear to take, including survival gear in many instances. So no photo is by dumb luck, but instead by smart planning ,skill, diligence and persistence. Back in the film days, there were more shots bracketed for lighting as no one had the benefit of a digital image to review and then delete any not perfect. Remember Nat Geo photogs were shooting color transparency film which has a very limited dynamic range, unlike the amazing up to fifteen stops of dynamic range of the best modern digital camera sensors.
In the digital age Nat Geo and other pro photogs have more control and in-the-field review of how the shoot is going. back in the HEYDAY of photo magazines, Life magazine Photographer John Dominis spent months in Africa photographing big cats and was paid a six-figure fee for the amazing final shots he got after shooting for hundreds and hundreds of hours in tough conditions. Those days are long gone and to be sure, beyond any standard rates, today's freelance photographers can negotiate their fees based on many factors including the difficulty and danger of the assignment.
nadelewitz wrote:
...put a bunch of monkeys in a room with typewriters...
While there's an element of chance in most endeavors, photography as consistently excellent as that produced by National Geographic is likely attributed to preparation, immersion and skill. I suspect any monkeys involved are in front of the cameras.
ggab wrote:
Well regardless of the payment or ability to professionally "brag" about being used in NG, I can see the personal effect of being honored to have your work used.
Unfortunately it is not something I will experience!
All the greatest photo equipment in the world means nothing without the right equipment to print it. That's the question maybe?
tennis2618 wrote:
I have the fortunate opportunity to frequently go on photo trips with Nat Geo photographers and know several of them pretty well, although none of the ones readers of the magazine recognize as the superstars. There has been a lot of incorrect info in this stream. Nat Geo goes have strict editorial guidelines which could be summed up as not allowing any more than the basic "editing" capabilities as were possible back in the film days. The equipment that they shoot with is pretty much the same as the more serious who I read regularly on this site. I was surprised to see on a trip last month that three of them were using mirrorless-each a different brand. Two of them were just trying them out. And they were getting great pictures. They do get equipment support from the manufacturer of equipment they use, but normally this amounts to use of new cameras or lenses--which they can purchase at a discount after the shoot.
What they do better than us which leads to so many excellent shots is practice. I have heard one say that he will be playing with the controls on his camera every day when he is relaxing over tv, etc, so that he will be very familiar with every control on his camera when he is shooting--not having to think about how to adjust something, but just doing it. They all say they shoot daily, even if they don't have an assignment. For the most part they use our equipment and glass and get better results because they do this for a living and they have a great eye for what they want to get in a picture. I have been challenged by these people as I try to get pictures they might be proud of. My first such shot occurred in the Arctic shooting a polar bear on sea ice. She was jumping from one ice flow to another and I caught it perfectly--all four feet off of the ice, sharp, great light, etc. (the picture is on the dust cover of my book of the trip). One of the Nat Geo people has become a good friend and he was taking pictures of the same activity. He told me that none of his got the scene like mine--the proudest photo experience in my life! By the way, that hasn't happened since then.
I have the fortunate opportunity to frequently go ... (
show quote)
I'd love to see your prized photo. Have you posted the shot on this site?
Thanks for sharing, Jerry. Have you taken these courses?
Great topic. Thanks for sharing. Simply amazing.
univac1103 wrote:
I’m sure that we have been in awe as we looked at the superb quality of the images regularly published on the pages of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazines over so many years. Exotic settings - yes, but outside of that, the artistry and technology in bringing the images to print is always to be admired! We know that these images are for the most part not what you would expect to be SOOC… Can anyone provide information about the technology used by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC in processing the images that they publish?
I’m sure that we have been in awe as we looked at ... (
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I have also heard, can’t verify, that they work their way down to 1 or 2 keepers for every 5,000 they shoot. First and foremost top notch photographers, then good glass, and a critical eye.
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