Virtual Expert: Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson was awarded first place in the Portrait/Personality category in the 2007 AAEA Photography Awards Program.

I'm both a writer and a photographer, so when I'm out doing interviews and researching stories, I'm trying to get both jobs done at once, which can be a challenge. That was the case when I shot this particular photo. I was looking for shots that could illustrate the story I was working on, and was looking around an old historical plantation museum outside Charleston, S.C., while the manager chattered away the whole time.

I saw this fellow working at a table near the front of a building that had one side open, a kind of shed. The light in that situation is often good, particularly in mid-day when it's harsh outside. I headed for him and he began telling about his project, which related to my story topic. I noticed light streaming through a window behind him and realized this was an ideal situation: good soft light from the front with nice backlight behind him. As he talked, he seemed to not even notice I was taking pictures, which is preferable to posing, so I snapped a few and tried some different exposures, and this one worked particularly well.

It's best to get photos of people doing things, in a natural environmental setting where they're comfortable. I often try to fit my photo efforts into whatever the subject is doing, as long as it relates somehow to the story. I will move them, if necessary, to get the photo to help tell the story.

What I actually do, whenever possible, is shoot lots of images in different settings, trying to find something that'll work. It's hard to anticipate what might enthuse an art director, so I try to have lots of shots to pick from. Sometimes what I know in my heart is the best shot is not picked to be published, for any of a number of reasons. I've learned to give art directors lots of possibilities, and that seems to keep them happy.

I'd advise any young photographer to take that approach. Shoot lots of images. Experiment with light and camera settings. Don't be afraid to try unusual things. Particularly look for different angles, high and low. Climb up on things. Lie on the ground. See what happens. If the person you're photographing seems nervous about it, hang around, be friendly, get them to relax. Joke, smile, talk about grandma or the kids or the football team or the weather, anything to get them to let down their defenses.

Be patient. Wait for good light. Light is the most important thing in photography. When it's good, it often doesn't last long, so you have to be ready and move fast to capture it. If you're there on a rainy day or when the light is lousy, compensate somehow. Get them on a porch, the edge of a shed, in the house by a window: try things until something works.

Most of all, keep an open mind and look for possibilities. Sometimes I know I have to try to shoot a certain shot. Once I have it, I look for other things and sometimes those turn out to be best. Photographers have to think fast out there and have to teach themselves to look for the special situations. The worst thing a photographer can do is fall into a routine and keep shooting the same basic shots over and over, story after story. You have to train yourself to really see, and develop a good eye. Life is full of variety, and your photography should be, too.

Familiarize yourself with your equipment so you don't waste time and effort thinking about it. Your cameras and lenses should just be an extension of your artistic nature, not something that gets in the way of capturing the moment. That's why it's best to keep things fairly simple, as far as equipment goes.

I started my ag writer/photographer career as a 19-year-old college sophomore journalism major. I went to work part-time for a small weekly farm publication, at first mostly editing copy, writing picture captions and headlines, working with layout artists and the printer. The job became one of those 40-hour-a-week part-time jobs, and I juggled classes and work. At the time, I was also writing for the college daily newspaper, so I was pretty busy. It all worked out well. I'm now convinced that college journalism students need to go ahead and get started in the profession so they'll have clips and experience when they graduate. If this is what you want to do in life, why wait for a piece of paper to validate you? If you can't land a decent part-time job, freelance. Publications are always looking for good writers and photographers.

Before long, the editor of the farm paper was sending me out to get my own stories on weekends and holidays, which was great. I discovered I enjoyed doing that, being around farmers and university researchers. When I graduated from college, this publication offered me a job as managing editor. Then a year later, at age 22, I was offered a job as editor of three small farm magazines. Before I knew it, almost, my career was rolling.

By the way, I never had any formal training as a photographer. My first boss turned me loose with a camera, critiqued what I turned in, and helped me learn on the job. Since then, every shoot has been a new learning experience. That's one great thing about photography. Each job is different. Each shoot is a new challenge. You have to keep learning throughout your career if you're going to be a good photographer. The same is true if you're going to be a good writer and editor.

My advice for those just graduating in ag communications is: get started, somehow, someway. Be determined. Sometimes the ag communications job market can be tight but I think we're entering an era of good times in the business, which could be good for job possibilities. When farmers do well, that tends to trickle down to the magazines. If a good job doesn't present itself, do whatever you have to do to pay the bills but keep your ultimate goal in mind. Freelance, if you have to. Make a name for yourself, and good things will happen.

For young job seekers, this also should be said: ag journalism and ag public relations/advertising are two different things. People switch back and forth between them but there's no real common ground between them except they both use the English language. Depending on your skills, you may be more suited for one or the other. For me, it's ag journalism. There are lots of exciting things going on in the business, and I want to be part of that. Ag journalism also provides an opportunity to serve rural America, make it stronger, make it a better place to live. To be a good ag journalist, you need to always keep that in mind.

That frame of mind helps me maintain a high ethical standard. I ask myself, how will this story benefit the reader and help the rural community? As an editor, lots of things scream for time and attention. You have to keep them at arm's length, and keep your real mission in mind. My job is not to be a PR person for any company or group, not to promote any political party or politician, but to serve the reader, to give the reader something of real value for the time he or she spends with my magazine.

I've been an AAEA member for a long time now. It's been an important factor in my career. The awards are nice, when they come, the meetings can be good, but the relationships I've built through the group are most important. As a writer/editor, it's easy to become isolated from other people in the industry except those working on your own publication. AAEA helps us avoid that, and cross-pollinates the industry.