All you younger photographers, all you independent photographers, all you freelancers – break out the notebooks because this episode is not one you’ll want to miss. While we’ve talked in previous episodes about making photographs and crafting stories that are meaningful, we haven’t really looked hard at how to get that work seen by the world. (Don’t worry, in a future episode of Photo Forward, we’ll be talking with an expert on pricing and the financial side of creating your work.) But today we’re taking a brief detour from photographers to take a deep dive into the other side of visual storytelling: photo EDITING, with today’s guest Coburn Dukehart.

Coburn Dukehart is the Digital and Multimedia Director for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism where she directs its visual strategy, creates visual and audio content, manages digital assets and trains student and professional journalists. Our conversation centered around her decades of distinguished work at national news organizations as a photo editor for National Geographic, National Public Radio, and The Washington Post among others.

Coburn has received numerous multimedia awards from the National Press Photographers Association, POYI and the White House News Photographers Association. Her multimedia work also has been honored with a Webby, a Gracie, a Murrow and duPont awards, not to mention a nomination for a national Emmy.

In this episode, Coburn and I talk extensively about a number of visual storytelling topics like: what to do and what NOT to do when you’re making a story pitch to an editor, why building trust with the individuals in your photo stories is critical to making meaningful visual work, and how understanding the ethics of shooting and publishing photos (even captioning them!) can make a key impact on how visual media is viewed. You can find show notes with photos we talked about and links online at photoforward.media/podcast/Coburn . So, without further ado, our interview with Coburn Dukehart.

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PHOTOS FROM THE EPISODE: Coming Soon!

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments!

SHOW NOTES: Coming Soon!

COURTNEY PERRY // Mindful Photography to Change Your Career (#019)

Courtney Perry is a photojournalist based in Minneapolis, MN. Formerly a staff photographer at the Dallas Morning News, she now freelances for various local and national clients while based in the Twin Cities. Her home is filled with a spouse, his children, their dogs, and much love.

On today’s episode, Courtney and I explore how to enjoy photography without basing your happiness on your work, how she’s been able to build a stable and healthy client-base as a freelancer, and why having a “dark night of the soul” moment in your creative career can be a game-changing event to sharpen your focus as a photographer or multimedia creator. Without any further ado, today’s beautiful and timely interview with photojournalist Courtney Perry.

ALYSSA SCHUKAR // People over Pictures (#017)

Today’s episode is all about connections. Not in the smarmy, LinkedIn Request, crap networking sort of way, but in the genuine engagement and empathic authenticity that you can only achieve from true photojournalism greatness. Who better to learn from than a photographer would you self-proclaim to rather be a good person than a great photographer, building meaningful connections with the individuals and building a rapport through words before ever picking up a camera to capture images, today’s guest, Alyssa Schukar is an excellent resource to learn from for any working photographer.

Alyssa Schukar is a Washington, DC-based documentary photographer and educator. In her personal work, she is most interested in documenting how the environment and public policies affect communities.

In this weeks’ episode, we explore the process of transitioning from a staff position to freelancing work across the country, how to deeply connect with the individuals in your photos, even in a fast paced news scenario, and why the art of the personal project (and sharing it with editors) is the ultimate fast track to getting your work seen and being hired for similar jobs. Without any further ado, today’s killer interview with photojournalist Alyssa Schukar.

LAUREN JUSTICE // A Persistent Vision (#015)

So, everybody listening to this podcast probably knows either from practical experience or just intuitively that crafting a career as a photographer or other visual creator is no small feat. From staving off burnout to managing finances, freelancers have to DO IT ALL. So why is it then that freelancers so often fail to actually break out of the vicious cycle of feast or famine workloads?

Well, our guest today is the perfect example of how to make it happen as a freelance photojournalist by diving in headfirst into new locations and experiences and figuring it all out along the way. Lauren Justice is a freelance photojournalist currently based in Madison, Wisconsin. Trust, intimacy, and time are cornerstones of her work and believes in using photography as a tool for education, awareness, and understanding.