Senior Reuters Photographer Phil Noble shared his advice as well as the emotional realities of being a photojournalist at Leeds Trinity University’s Journalism and Media Week.
Phil Noble is known for taking the infamous photo of the former Prince Andrew slouched in the back of a car after being released from police custody. This photo was published by every major news outlet and took over social media. Phil said he had “never had a picture go viral like that.”
He used this photograph to explain why as a journalist you must always be prepared. He said, “you have to expect the unexpected […] don’t zone out because you’ll miss that one nugget.”
He described how he almost missed the photo because he had already begun his journey home, but after a call from a colleague saying they thought Andrew was here, he quickly turned around. Other photographers did miss the photo opportunity because they were distracted getting food and assumed nothing was going to happen anytime soon. That’s why Phil thinks that as a journalist you “don’t assume you know anything.”
He said that “no two days are the same” in his job, but that is what he loves about it. He added that whilst not knowing what you are going to be doing everyday can be daunting at first, that is what makes it so enjoyable and why he keeps doing what he does.
His advice is that whilst it may be difficult to find a way into the industry “once you get a foot in the door someone’s gonna have to really drag you out of it […] if you don’t want it, you’re never gonna get it.”
He talked of how being persistent and having a “don’t give up” attitude whilst remaining humble is a key quality needed in the industry. Being able to “be curious about who your colleagues are” is so important, especially at the beginning of your career. He said this is because “they have all been where you are, but you have not been where they are.”
He admitted that it is a job which is non-stop, and that can mean “you will take it home with you.” He explained that being able to talk about what you see and feel is so important because “you’ll see some stuff that’s really hard” and because of this you will need to “share it with people that you trust, share it with people that have been there before.”
Although the job can be tough, he said you must “be open to what’s in front of you,” and you should “never walk past a picture” because photography is all about curiosity and luck. You don’t always have to seek out a picture, sometimes it might come to you when you’re least expecting it, or you might have even given up all hope of the picture completely. He said, “it’s not all nice stuff, but it’s about doing your job.”
You can see more of Phil’s work on his website here.