          
          
          
                        The Photojournalism Angle: 
                    A Picture Can Be Worth a Free Trip
          
               Your attic is probably filled with photo
          albums...which in turn are filled with hundreds of
          photographs taken during your world travels...pictures
          of the Great Wall in China, the Tower of London, a tiny
          church in Dubrovnik, sunset over the Greek Isles, the
          tidy, white houses that line the hills of the island of
          Madeira, the Swiss Alps in winter, a lone fisherman on
          the Spey River in Scotland... 
               And some of your photographs aren't half-bad.  In
          fact, there are two or three that you're quite proud
          of.  They're at least as good as those photos you see
          every month decorating the pages of your favorite
          travel magazines. 
               So what are your travel photographs doing hidden
          away in the attic? Pull them out, dust them off, and
          put them to good use.  Those old photographs could pay
          for your next overseas adventure.
          
          Becoming a free-lance photographer
          
               The editors of travel magazines and newsletters
          are always looking for good travel photographs.  Many
          employ staff photographers whose job it is to travel
          the globe, tripods, lenses, and cameras in tow, in
          search of the perfect shot. 
               Travel publications also employ free-lance
          photographers.  Some of these free-lancers work on
          assignment; their editors tell them where to go, what
          to take pictures of, when the photos will be published,
          and how much they will be paid.  These are professional
          photographers with years of experience. 
               But not all free-lance travel photographers work
          on assignment.  It is possible for amateur
          photographers to have their photos published.  All it
          takes is a contact, a little persistence, a good
          photograph, and a bit of luck. 
               If you have never been published as a travel
          photographer, your chances of receiving a photo
          assignment from the editor of a travel magazine are
          slim and none.  But your chances of being published
          depend on how hard you are willing to work at it. 
               It is best to make contact with the editors you're
          interested in working with before you depart for your
          trip.  Contact as many as you can think of to increase
          your chances of making a sale. 
               Begin with a letter of introduction.  Explain that
          you are an amateur photographer, who is planning to go
          on safari in Kenya for two weeks.  Explain also what
          kind of camera and equipment you will be using.  Offer
          specific suggestions on photos you plan to take. 
               Follow up on this letter with a phone call.  You
          may not be able to get through to the editor
          personally.  Try the art director or an editorial
          assistant.  Ask if the publication uses free-lance
          photographers and how much they are paid.  Also ask if
          the art director prefers color photos or black and
          white, slides or prints.  Request photographer's
          guidelines and a sample issue of the publication and
          offer to contact the editor or his assistant again when
          you return from your trip. 
               The photographer's guidelines and the sample
          issues will give you a good idea of what kind of
          photographs each publication is looking for.  This, of
          course, is what you also should be looking for while
          you're riding through Kenya's game parks in the back of
          a jeep. 
               When you return home, develop your photos, choose
          one or two of the best, and send them off, in a padded
          envelope, with a cover letter, to each of the editors
          you contacted prior to your trip.  Do not send more
          than one or two; most publications do not take
          responsibility for returning unsolicited material, and
          you probably will never see your photos again.  In your
          letter, explain that these are only a sample of what
          you have available and that you would be happy to send
          additional photographs if the editor is interested. 
               Follow up with another telephone call.  In this
          game, persistence is the key.  Editors receive
          unsolicited photos and letters from photographers every
          day.  Editors buy photos from those photographers who
          make themselves stand out from the crowd.
          
          Making the sale
          
               The editor of Travel & Leisure is planning an
          issue devoted to Africa, and your photograph of the
          sunset behind Lake Bogoria in Kenya is one of the best
          he's ever seen.  He calls and says he would like to use
          it and that he would also like to see all the other
          photos you took during your trip. 
               Your first question should be, "How much am I
          going to be paid?" This varies tremendously, depending
          on the publication; it can range anywhere from $50 to
          $500 per photograph.  Your next question should concern
          rights of ownership.  Do you retain all rights or does
          the publication assume rights of ownership with
          purchase? If you retain the rights to your photo (as
          you should if at all possible), you can sell it again
          to someone else. 
               You will be sent a contract to sign, verifying the
          photograph to be purchased, the fee, the question of
          rights, and the date of publication.  Payment may be
          upon acceptance of the photograph or upon publication,
          again depending on the magazine. 
               All it takes is one sale.  Thereafter, you are no
          longer an amateur; you are a professional photographer. 
          It may not be enough to get you an assignment from the
          travel editor of The New York Times, but it will help
          when next you contact the editor of your local paper.
          
          Tips on how to make it work
          
               It is possible to pay for your travel by selling
          your travel photographs.  But, to be honest, it isn't
          easy.  Travel editors buy only a small percentage of
          the number of photos and queries they receive.  Why do
          they choose one photo over another?  Of course, the
          first concern is quality.  Is the picture clear and in
          focus? Is there enough contrast? These are the basic
          requirements for any photograph to be considered by any
          editor anywhere.  But to make a sale, your photo has to
          offer much more than the basics.  It should be
          different.  Unique.  It should provide a feeling of the
          place without being a cliche.  Snapshots of the Arc de
          Triomphe are a dime a dozen.  Yes, they give you a
          feeling of Paris, but it is a feeling of Paris for the
          tourist.  You'll get much further with a photo that
          conveys the feeling of Paris for the Parisian. 
               How many photos you have to sell to pay for your
          travel depends on where you sell them.  A single
          photograph sold to Travel & Leisure probably will cover
          all the expenses of your trip -- and then some.  If
          you're dealing with smaller publications with tighter
          budgets, you'll have to sell several to make it
          worthwhile.
          
          Can you write?
          
               Of course, the editors of travel magazines and
          newsletters are also always in the market for good
          travel articles.  They depend on staff writers for much
          of their material, but they also depend heavily on
          free-lance writers, both professional and amateur, to
          fill their pages. 
               Selling the story of your recent adventure
          bicycling through Holland is handled in much the same
          way as selling the photographs you took of the famed
          cheese carriers of Gouda.  You must query as many
          editors as you can name (the secret of paying for your
          travel as a free-lance writer is lining up as many
          assignments as possible for each trip you take), follow
          up with telephone calls, and request writer's
          guidelines and sample issues to give you an idea of
          each publication's focus and style.
               In the case of the free-lance writer, however, the
          query is much more important than for the free-lance
          photographer.  Your query must show that you can write. 
          That you have a good command of language.  And that you
          have something to say.  You want to tantalize and
          tempt.  The letter of query is the free-lance
          journalist's strongest marketing tool.  It must sell
          the editor, both on the article idea and on the
          writer's ability. 
               In addition, the query should be as specific as
          you can make it.  The editor you are addressing reads
          dozens of queries every day.  Your offer to write an
          article on Britain will be tossed immediately in the
          nearest waste-paper basket.  But your offer to tell
          that editor's readers about a driving tour through the
          Peak District of Derbyshire, the first national park to
          be designated in the country, will likely catch his
          attention. 
               Once he's hooked, tease him further by mentioning
          Melbourne Hall, in the southeast corner of the Peak
          District, which boasts one of Britain's most
          outstanding formal gardens, laid out in the manner of
          Le Notre's design for Versailles...or Speedwell Cavern,
          also in this region, where a boat takes you on a
          subterranean canal tour of the ancient lead mines...or
          the ruins of Peveril Castle, high above the village of
          Castleton, situated in the northwest corner of the Peak
          District and immortalized in Sir Walter Scott's Peveril
          of the Peak. 
               If your query does its job, you will be rewarded
          with a letter of interest -- perhaps even a letter of
          assignment.  With this in your pocket, you're ready to
          take off on your trip. 
               While traveling, keep copious notes and collect
          all the brochures and literature you can get your hands
          on.  When you return home, sit down at your word
          processor and go at it.  Then package your manuscript
          with a cover letter and send it off. 
               Your work is done.  You've nothing left to do but
          sit back and wait for payment.
          
          The writer's edge
          
               The free-lance writer has an edge over the free-
          lance photographer.  Rarely do editors advertise for
          photographers for short-term assignments, but editors
          advertise frequently for writers.  One of the best
          places to look for specific writing assignments is the
          TravelWriter MarketLetter, published by Robert Scott
          Milne.  Contact him at the Waldorf-Astoria, Suite 1850,
          New York, NY 10022.  A one-year subscription to the
          newsletter is $60 in the United States, $70 overseas. 
          Each issue lists travel publications across the United
          States that are looking for articles on specific
          topics.  Information is included on how long the
          article should be, payment, and rights. 
               In addition, the TravelWriter MarketLetter also
          includes information on trips that are available free
          to writers traveling on assignment.  To apply for one
          of these free trips (recent offerings have included
          free stays at the Hotel Metropole, a five-star hotel in
          Geneva, a free ride on the Venice-Simplon Orient
          Express, and a complimentary stay at the Seiont Manor
          Hotel near the Isle of Anglesey in Wales), you must
          have a letter of assignment from the editor of a travel
          publication.  If you have never been published before,
          this will be difficult to arrange.  But if you can
          produce even one clip (or copy of an article you have
          had published), and you can convince the editor that
          you know how to write, you have a good chance of
          getting your letter.
          
          Other sources
          
               Once you've exhausted the listings in the
          TravelWriter MarketLetter, visit your local newsstand
          and pick up the latest issues of all internationally
          oriented magazines and newspapers.  The classified
          sections of these publications are usually filled with
          listings for free-lance travel writers.  Publications
          to try include The New York Times, New York, NY 10108;
          the International Herald Tribune, Box 309, 36 Long
          Acre, London WC2E 9JH, England; and The Sunday Times,
          200 Gray's Inn Road, London, England.  Other good
          markets are in-flight magazines, and you should check
          with airlines serving the destination you are covering
          for the editorial addresses of their inflight
          publications.
          
          Never let a story die
          
               Suppose you travel this summer to the island of
          Bermuda with your two young daughters.  You arrange to
          sell two pieces when you return: one on the most
          affordable lodgings on the island, the other reviewing
          the island's many first-class restaurants.  You earn
          $250 for each article and pack your notes from the trip
          away in the attic. 
               Two years from now, go back up to the attic and
          pull your notes out again.  Send out another batch of
          query letters.  What you'll find is that the new editor
          of Caribbean Travel & Life is looking for a piece on
          family travel and would like you to write a piece
          titled "Ten ways to amuse your children on the island
          of Bermuda." And he's willing to pay you $300, bringing
          the total income for the trip up to $800.
          
          And it's tax-free, to boot
          
               If you can manage to sell one photograph or one
          travel article as a result of your trip, you can deduct
          all your costs -- airfare, hotel, transportation,
          meals, even sightseeing -- from your taxes as a
          business expense (in most countries). 
               In others you must apportion your time and expense
          between business and personal.  For help with this,
          talk to your lawyer or accountant.
          
          
          
