An overview of the world photojournalism sector in 2015

What is the state of photojournalism now and where is the industry headed? That is the question posed by a major new survey.

The survey was conducted in collaboration between World Press Photo, the University of Stirling in the UK and the Reuters Institute of Photography at the University of Oxford.

The current state of photojournalism in the world.

1,556 photojournalists from more than 100 countries around the world responded to 63 survey questions on everything from how much they earn to whether they stage their photos. The results were pretty revealing, and here are the 20 key findings from the report:

1. This is a male-dominated field: Professional photojournalists are overwhelmingly male, making up 85%.

85% of photojournalists are men.

2. 60% are freelance reporters

3. 75% work full time

4. 40% consider themselves “reportage photographers”: when asked about their specific role, 40% called themselves reportage photographers, 30% said they were documentary photographers, and 14% said they were news photographers.

5. 19% news photography: News photography is the most popular category within photojournalism (around 19%), followed by personal projects (18%), portraits (14%) and sports (10%).

19% take news photos.

6. 80% work alone

7. 54% focus on still images: While about 54% of survey respondents said they focus on taking still images, a whopping 93% of respondents would prefer to only take still images if given the choice. 1/3 of people are doing video journalism, whether by choice or necessity.

8. 2/3 have a college degree: photojournalists are relatively well educated, with more than 2/3 of the participants having a college degree, although 1/3 of them have no professional photography training.

9. It’s not a lucrative profession: Photojournalists earn very little, with three-quarters earning less than $40,000 a year and one-third earning $10,000 a year or less. Despite this, many say they manage their finances and feel good about their financial situation.

Photojournalists' income is not high.

10. Copyright issues: using photos without paying copyright fees is very common nowadays. Most photojournalists are affected by this problem and they do not receive any compensation.

11. Photojournalism is scary: photojournalism is a dangerous profession, with over 90% reporting that they are at risk of being injured or attacked while on the job. Some journalists believe that South Africa, Central America and the Caribbean are the most dangerous regions, while Europe and North America are the safest.

12. Digital photography has changed the game: Participants said the digital age has made photojournalism more complex and uncertain. Most said it was important to understand professional ethics. However, many admitted that guidelines and regulations on this issue are unclear in some cases.

13. 76% said manual manipulation was a big problem, 25% did it themselves: photo editing is a serious problem for many photojournalists, especially those who shoot news or feature. 75% said they have never edited a photo, and the remaining 25% said they have had to edit the content of a photo at least a few times.

14. 52% said they sometimes stage photos: When asked about staging photos (such as asking partners to pose, repeat actions or wait until reporters are ready), 36% said they never do it but 52% said “sometimes”.

15. 51% claim to edit photos: only 10% of photojournalists said they never edit original photos by contrasting, changing color or balancing, while 51% said they always do so or do it very often.

16. Most are satisfied with citizen journalism: while some feel that freelance photojournalists, or citizen journalism, could affect their livelihood security, most respondents do not see it as a major problem.

17. 63% say having a personal website is important: When it comes to working online, 63% of people say having a personal photo website is important and good for work, while others say they regularly use social media for work.

18. 62% say Facebook is the most important social portal: Facebook is dominating the social media portals around the world, and photojournalists see it that way too. 62% of people rank Facebook as number one, and 26% rank it as number two or three. Instagram and Twitter follow.

Social media plays an important role in photojournalism.

19. 75% benefit from social media: ¾ of photojournalists surveyed said they received many benefits from social media with 40% saying the benefits were non-financial and 23% saying they brought them some income.

20. Photojournalists love their jobs.

Despite the low income and dangers of working, the survey showed that photojournalism is quite satisfying. They can freely express their creativity and personal mark among professional photographers. 2/3 of the participants said they were happy with their choice and 55% felt optimistic about the future.

Most photojournalists are satisfied with their work.

The survey concluded: “The future of photojournalism remains uncertain and we intend to continue to conduct similar surveys in the future to assess how conditions change over time.”

According to Infonet