« Back | Home » At work with Scarlett Steer: Photojournalist

At work with Scarlett Steer: Photojournalist

Job title: Photojournalist

Company: Media 24

Highest standard passed at school: Matric

High School attended: Roedean Girls High School

Previous occupations: Editor

My qualifications:

• BSOC.SCI : Psychology (UCT)
• Photography Diploma, with Honours (City Varsity)

I financed my studies by...

• UCT - bursary and help from my parents
• City Varsity - waitressing

I love my job because...

My job is one big adventure! I get the opportunity to travel and explore parts of South Africa and beyond that I never thought I'd see. I also meet the most fantastic, diverse set of people. I have the freeedom to be creative and imaginative. iget to be in the bush and outdoors a lot, which is what I love most.

A typical working day:

A day in the office is spent either writing up stories I have already been on or researching the next adventure. When we're on deadline I help with proof reading, checking copy, corrections etc - basically any job that others need me to help with.

Deadline days are long - we start around 7am and often only finish at about 8 that evening.

Being a journalist means you waver conventional office hours, and often have to work over weekends etc without getting that time back, or being paid overtime, but it's such a great job that it doesn't matter to me in the slightest!

A day out on a story usually starts at dawn - the light for photography is best early morning and late afternoon - and typically entails a lot of driving and exploration.

Highlights of the job:

• Adventure travel
• Being out in the wilderness/bush
• Meeting completely different people from all walks of life
• Living a creative life

Challenges:

• Travel can seem much more romantic than it is. i often travel by myself and it does get lonely.
• The biggest drawback is that, because I'm away a lot, I really miss my friends and family. Having a relationaship can also be more tricky.
• Journalists seldom get rich!

I would recommend this career because:

Being a photojournalist makes you more aware of the world and the way other people and cultures live. It allows one to be open-minded and more tolerant to practices and beliefs different to ones own.

It's such a fun job - I never have Sunday blues or wake up in the morning feeling that I don't want to go to work.

South Africa is such abeautiful country and to be able to explore it, and other countries, and be paid to do it is amazing. It's a lot of hard work, but the result is tangible - seeing your work in print is incredibly rewarding!

What next:

I wouldn't consider moving from the travel side of things. One day I'd like to be an editor again.