Photography

We Want to Change the Photo Industry. Come Help Us

Chris Gampat
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07/17/2023
11 Mins read
Chris Gampat The Phoblographer Mobile redesign 2.51-125s160 5

To change the photo industry, we need your help. And in case you weren’t aware, we’re hiring freelancers! The Photography World has lots some precious publications lately. Media, as it stands, is going through a fundamental paradigm shift. With all this in mind, the Phoblographer is working on several projects behind the scenes to cater to the photography world. We see this as a time for us to lean even harder into our progressive approach. Women make up around half the staff. POCs are the other half. Members of the LGBTQ community also work for us. The Phoblographer is a certified Minority Owned Business and a TIPA member. You’ll find in our media kit that Gen Z and Millennials make up most of our readership. Want a steady gig? Take a look. Want an internship? Take a look!

Editor’s Note: If you’d like to apply for a college internship, please let us know! We’ll figure out a way to work with you. Just fill out any of the applications and make a note that you’re looking for college credit. You’ll still be paid, of course.

The Gist of Where We’re Going

Here’s a bit of what we’re working on:

  • Cutting-edge hard journalism stories: We’ve started to work on bringing these back. This, personally, is my background and roots until I pivoted into trade journalism. For years, I’ve been really sick of reading fluffy stories, guest blog posts from manufacturers, and self-centered influencer and Youtuber posts. Journalism has a chance to take a stand again right now.
  • A Return of the Phoblographer’s Insurance Program for Photographers: Last year, we launched an insurance program to cover photographers, their gear, and their business within the United States. Complications made it go away. And we’re working on bringing it back.
  • Strong Consideration to Get Back Into Print: Don’t think about Outdoor Photographer, PDN, Digital Photo Pro, or any of those other magazines that I like to call pulp journalism. Think more about Whalebone, Huck, etc. but in the photography world. We made a Zine several years ago on Kickstarter. And I’ve been talking with some seriousness about bringing it back.
  • Staying the Course: Some publications like to copy lots of stories on the web. We’re not going to do that. And we haven’t been for years.

With all this said, please apply and share this posting with your colleagues.

Print Director (Located Inside or Outside of the US)

The Phoblographer wants to remind photographers about how important print is. With that said, we’re strongly considering printing a publication a few times a year. The Print Director will work with our team of editors and writers on organizing stories, layout, coordination of printing issues, handling distribution, coordination of launch events, etc.

Requirements

  • Understanding of how to work with WordPress.
  • Strong command of the English language, the American dialect, and spelling is a plus.
  • Previous imaging writing experience and editing experience. Must know how to work with writers
  • Will be able to demonstrate knowledge of copyright laws pertaining to using images, etc.
  • Must have industry technical knowledge!
  • This is a part-time gig. Mental health is pretty important to us and we don’t want to take all your time.
  • The ability to meet deadlines is an absolute must.
  • Must work well with a team and be able to take guidance (sometimes constructive criticism) well
  • You’ll have a trial period of three months. Interns cannot apply for this position.
  • We have a very serious non-compete policy.

How to Apply

Skip the resume and send an awesome cover letter to chrisgampat@thephoblographer.com citing all the best stuff you’ve done, along with published samples demonstrating that you can do the type of work we’re looking for. Links to your website, portfolio, and published writing samples should be included.

Be sure to make the subject line say your name and the position you’re going for. For example: Chris Gampat: News/Culture Writer Position.

After your application is received, it will be reviewed by me.

Because of how we work, being located in the following areas is a major advantage: Mexico, Latin America (Spanish and not Spanish speaking), the African continent, Manila, Spain, France, the UK, (or the Philippines in general), the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

We are sincerely looking at every application to choose the most qualified candidate to apply. With that said, we want to empower women, people of color (POCS), Gen Z, Millenials, and the LGBTQ+ community to not be afraid of applying. Diversity within the photo industry is incredibly important to us.

Pay

Typically, the Phoblographer works by looking at standard writing rates. In the US, $0.25 to $0.33 a word has been a standard for freelancers. Many pay below it. We often pay at that rate or above. Internationally, we look at standard journalism rates and pay over it. So it will vary by country. Other questions can be answered and discussed with negotiations.

Monetary payments are made through PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Western Union, or check. Everyone is paid, on average, no more than 24 hours after submitting an invoice. The Phoblographer is well known for fair and honest compensation in the photography blogging world.

Investigative Journalist (Hiring Inside and Outside the US)

When I first got into journalism, I wanted to be an investigative journalist. But the safer and more sustainable path was to go into trade journalism. We really need to get back to the roots of hard journalism in the photo industry and get our hands dirty. We’ve been strong on authenticity for years, but we’re leaning even harder into it. Our investigative journalist team will work closely with the rest of the tech team and art team to expand the site’s coverage. You will be crucial to helping steer the site into a brand new space.

These people will be responsible for working on both tech and arts-centered articles in the photo world. There are lots of things that we’ve known for years that need to come to the fore.

Requirements

  • Must be proficient with WordPress. This is absolutely mandatory. Other apps that we use are Trello, Gmail for work, and Grammarly. It’s a big plus if you’ve worked with the Gutenberg editor.
  • Strong command of the English language; the American dialect and spelling are mandatory. Being able to create enticing leads and headlines will really convince us.
  • Previous investigative journalistic writing experience. Ideally, we’d like to see articles that you’ve written. There’s a huge plus if you’re well versed in the tech and art side of photography.
  • The Phoblographer champions its ethics and has since day one. And we’re also looking for someone with high moral standards.
  • Must have industry technical knowledge or artistic knowledge. We’re talking about more than just apertures, shutter speeds, and Ansel Adams. There’s going to be research and interviewing involved with this job.
  • Negotiable one article a week. Longer articles are at least 1200 words. You’ll have to do interviews and format them into cohesive pieces. Otherwise, you can also just write from your own knowledge; but you’ll have to demonstrate this to us. This is a freelance job. No one on staff (except me) needs to work more than 8 to 12 hours a week. Mental health is vital to us. If you’re working longer than that, then you’re doing something very wrong. We’ve had people waste a lot of time before unnecessarily, and we’re not looking for that. The site treats its workers very well, and we expect the same in return. Realistically, it could be more like two or three a month.
  • Must be able to meet deadlines and have open communication. We’re usually pretty okay with lateness as long as there’s open communication and it doesn’t become a habit. We’re incredibly flexible.
  • Must work well with a team and be able to take the guidance (sometimes constructive criticism) well
  • You’ll have a trial period of three months. This position cannot be done by an intern.
  • We have a very strict non-compete policy.

How to Apply

Skip the resume and send an awesome cover letter to chrisgampat@thephoblographer.com citing all the best stuff you’ve done, along with published samples demonstrating that you can do the type of work we’re looking for. Links to your website, portfolio, and published writing samples should be included.

Be sure to make the subject line say your name and the position you’re going for. For example: Chris Gampat: News/Culture Writer Position.

After your application is received, it will be reviewed by me.

Because of how we work, being located in the following areas is a major advantage: Mexico, Latin America (Spanish and not Spanish speaking), the African continent, Manila, Spain, France, the UK, (or the Philippines in general), the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

We are sincerely looking at every application to choose the most qualified candidate to apply. With that said, we want to empower women, people of color (POCS), Gen Z, Millenials, and the LGBTQ+ community to not be afraid of applying. Diversity within the photo industry is incredibly important to us.

Pay

Typically, the Phoblographer works by looking at standard writing rates. In the US, $0.25 to $0.33 a word has been a standard for freelancers. Many pay below it. We often pay at that rate or above. Internationally, we look at standard journalism rates and pay over it. So it will vary by country. Other questions can be answered and discussed with negotiations.

Monetary payments are made through PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Western Union, or check. Everyone is paid, on average, no more than 24 hours after submitting an invoice. The Phoblographer is well known for fair and honest compensation in the photography blogging world.

Tech Specialized News/Opinion Writer (Hiring Outside the US)

The Phoblographer approaches news a whole lot different than other publications. You can read more or less the same story everywhere else. But not here. And we’re looking for an intelligent perspective.

Requirements

  • Must be proficient with WordPress. This is absolutely mandatory. Other apps that we use are Trello, Gmail for work, and Grammarly. It’s a big plus if you’ve worked with the Gutenberg editor.
  • Strong command of the English language; the American dialect and spelling is a plus.
  • Previous imaging news writing experience or columnist experience.
  • Will be able to demonstrate knowledge of copyright laws pertaining to using images, etc.
  • Must have industry technical knowledge!
  • Negotiable Two opinion pieces a week. Usually, pieces are a minimum of 750 words each. This is a freelance job. No one on staff (except for me) needs to work more than 8 to 12 hours a week. Mental health is very important to us.
  • Must be able to meet deadlines
  • Must work well with a team and be able to take guidance (sometimes constructive criticism) well
  • You’ll have a trial period of three months if you’re not doing this for college credit. Otherwise, you have to prove that you’re doing this for an internship. We’ll pay you, of course. If you’re out of college, we’ll treat this as an ordinary freelance gig.
  • We have a very serious non-compete policy.

How to Apply

Skip the resume and send an awesome cover letter to chrisgampat@thephoblographer.com citing all the best stuff you’ve done, along with published samples demonstrating that you can do the type of work we’re looking for. Links to your website, portfolio, and published writing samples should be included.

Be sure to make the subject line say your name and the position you’re going for. For example: Chris Gampat: News/Culture Writer Position.

After your application is received, it will be reviewed by me.

Because of how we work, being located in the following areas is a major advantage: Mexico, Latin America (Spanish and not Spanish speaking), the African continent, Manila, Spain, France, the UK, (or the Philippines in general), the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

We are sincerely looking at every application to choose the most qualified candidate to apply. With that said, we want to empower women, people of color (POCS), Gen Z, Millenials, and the LGBTQ+ community to not be afraid of applying. Diversity within the photo industry is incredibly important to us.

Pay

Typically, the Phoblographer works by looking at standard writing rates. In the US, $0.25 to $0.33 a word has been a standard for freelancers. Many pay below it. We often pay at that rate or above. Internationally, we look at standard journalism rates and pay over it. So it will vary by country. Other questions can be answered and discussed with negotiations.

Monetary payments are made through PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Western Union, or check. Everyone is paid, on average, no more than 24 hours after submitting an invoice. The Phoblographer is well known for fair and honest compensation in the photography blogging world.

Arts Specialized News/Opinion Writer (Hiring Outside the US)

The Phoblographer wants to tackle the art world with greater fervency. There are lots of big stories in the photo world that happen around the arts that aren’t reported on. And we want to start tackling those.

Requirements

  • Must be proficient with WordPress. This is absolutely mandatory. Other apps that we use are Trello, Gmail for work, and Grammarly. It’s a big plus if you’ve worked with the Gutenberg editor.
  • Strong command of the English language; the American dialect and spelling is a plus.
  • Previous imaging news writing experience or columnist experience. If you come from a publication that writes about the arts in photography, we really want you.
  • Will be able to demonstrate knowledge of copyright laws pertaining to using images, etc.
  • Must have industry art knowledge!
  • Negotiable minimum of two opinion or news pieces a week. Usually, pieces are a minimum of 750 words each. This is a freelance job. No one on staff (except for me) needs to work more than 8 to 12 hours a week. Mental health is very important to us.
  • Must be able to meet deadlines and pitch
  • Must work well with a team and be able to take guidance (sometimes constructive criticism) well
  • You’ll have a trial period of three months if you’re not doing this for college credit. Otherwise, you have to prove that you’re doing this for an internship. We’ll pay you, of course. If you’re out of college, we’ll treat this as an ordinary freelance gig.
  • – We have a very serious non-compete policy.

How to Apply

Skip the resume and send an awesome cover letter to chrisgampat@thephoblographer.com citing all the best stuff you’ve done, along with published samples demonstrating that you can do the type of work we’re looking for. Links to your website, portfolio, and published writing samples should be included.

Be sure to make the subject line say your name and the position you’re going for. For example: Chris Gampat: News/Culture Writer Position.

After your application is received, it will be reviewed by me.

Because of how we work, being located in the following areas is a major advantage: Mexico, Latin America (Spanish and not Spanish speaking), the African continent, Manila, Spain, France, the UK, (or the Philippines in general), the Indian subcontinent, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

We are sincerely looking at every application to choose the most qualified candidate to apply. With that said, we want to empower women, people of color (POCS), Gen Z, Millenials, and the LGBTQ+ community to not be afraid of applying. Diversity within the photo industry is incredibly important to us.

Pay

Typically, the Phoblographer works by looking at standard writing rates. In the US, $0.25 to $0.33 a word has been a standard for freelancers. Many pay below it. We often pay at that rate or above. Internationally, we look at standard journalism rates and pay over it. So it will vary by country. Other questions can be answered and discussed with negotiations.

Monetary payments are made through PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Western Union, or check. Everyone is paid, on average, no more than 24 hours after submitting an invoice. The Phoblographer is well known for fair and honest compensation in the photography blogging world.

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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.