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Regional press photographer: Anna

This Case Study belongs to Press photographer.

Anna works for PA Photos, the photography agency for the PA Group, the UK's national agency. She covers news and sports assignments to be used in newspapers and on websites.

Anna worked in computer graphics after leaving school but always had a passion for photography and an interest in following news and sports items. After deciding on a career change, Anna took a City and Guilds photography course at night school, got some photos published in her local paper, put a portfolio together and got a place on the one-year National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) accredited Press Photography course at Sheffield in 2005.

After qualifying, Anna did some paid shifts for the local paper and for PA Photos before securing a salaried staff photographer position. She works from home and does a lot of travelling, covering the Yorkshire region and other parts of the north of England.

A typical working day? 'There isn't one! Sometimes I'll have one job in a day, other times three. If it's a diary job, for example coverage of the Queen at the Yorkshire Show, I'll know in advance. Sports fixtures, for example rugby, football, horseracing, are all diary jobs. Breaking news, however, will be as and when it happens. There's a lot of news which is bad news, for example if there's been a shooting or stabbing, I may take pictures at the scene, for example of people laying flowers, on that day.'

Anna loves the flexibility and variety of her job. She works 40 hours a week on a flexible basis and the job can involve early mornings and late evenings, covering an evening sports event, for example. 'All jobs are different, and the equipment I use varies depending on the job, for example I use a telephoto lens for sports coverage and a shorter lens for portraits.'

Anna operates with two cameras, edits her pictures using Photoshop and sends her pictures into the agency via a software system. All pictures published are entered onto an online database at PA Photos, so Anna can see where her pictures have been used. 'There's a lot of satisfaction in seeing my pictures published, and it's interesting to see how different papers use different styles.'

The only downside in the job for Anna is when she doesn't get the picture she wants, or doesn't get one at all. 'It can be frustrating. I was outside court all day recently waiting to take a picture only to find out the person I was waiting for went out of the side entrance, under an umbrella with a crash helmet on!'

Anna's top tips for someone hoping to pursue a career in press photography would be: 'Be proactive. If you like sports photography, approach your local amateur football team and ask if you can take pictures of them practising. In the first instance, contact your local paper for work experience. Papers are usually really helpful and will send you out with one of their photographers. Getting your name known with the local paper can also expand your informal contacts. Approach newspapers with an email, attach four to five of your best pictures, and follow this up with a phone call. Don't expect to get paid when you're first getting into the industry.'

Anna recommends the Press Photography course at Sheffield, currently the only NCTJ-accredited course available in press photography in the UK. On this pre-entry course she learned the relevant skills to get started and gained work experience on different papers.

Anna's tips for getting on are: 'Work hard, always improve and be determined. Keep working hard and you'll get better and be sent on bigger assignments.' In terms of her own career, after gaining more experience and confidence, Anna would like the opportunity to cover bigger assignments, for example a major sports event abroad.

Her final words of encouragement are: 'Press photography is a really interesting direction to take. Ladies, don't be put off pursuing your career! If you're really interested there is nothing stopping you.'

Case Study sourced by Caroline Barker of AGCAS, 28 August 2008.