OTTAWA, ON - JULY 01: Members of the crowd reach out to take photographs of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during Canada Day Celebrations on July 1, 2011 in Ottawa, Canada. The newly married Royal Couple are on the second day of their first joint overseas tour. Ottawa is the start of a 12 day visit to North America which will take in some of the more remote areas of the country such as Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife and Calgary. The Royal couple will be joining millions of Canadians in taking part in today's Canada Day celebrations which mark Canada's 144th Birthday. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)Chris Jackson/Getty Images
To ask a question of one of our photographers or editors, leave a comment in this thread. Our photographers and editors will also answer comments elsewhere on Photo Desk and in future live chats. These questions and answers have been lightly edited.
Specifically, what is an ideal post-secondary path which would lead to a position as a photojounalist with something like the Globe and Mail? -emmaleighgoodrich
Most of the students I talk with start out with a University background and then end up going to one of two colleges in Canada for photojournalism.
Loyalist College and SAIT in Calgary are the two schools at the top of the list for photojournalism in Canada. There are many more choices in the U.S. and they are at a University level.
After school there are internships and freelancing. The newspaper industry in Canada is rather small so there aren't that many jobs for photojournalists. The Globe has a staff of 7 shooters and 8 photo editors so jobs don't come open very often and when they do it's very competitive.
David Lucas: Assistant Photo Editor
From a photographer's point of view, can you tell us what it's like covering a story such as the upcoming royal visit.
Does one specific G&M photographer get the assignment? How does he or she prepare (equipment, review of itinerary...)? What protocols must photographers follow? Does the editor suggest what kind of images to capture? etc...
I think it would be interesting to hear how a pro seeks to record the story visually. -Post Impressionism
Good questions.
Covering a story like the Royals is tough. Typically the photographers are "penned" in and can't move much so everyone gets the same angle. If they are out shooting freely they have to contend with crowds of royal watchers, police, RCMP and British security.
As for how many photographers would shoot the assignment. We would send a staff photographer in Toronto or Vancouver and rely on our freelancers in other major cities. For something like Slave Lake we would use the wire agencies CP, Reuters and Getty as we already pay for their content.
In the past for photographers to get accredited for Royal events they had to submit a background check with Canadian Security Intelligence Service to get approved. After you are accredited you need to check each day on where you can and can't go at any of the stops.
Editors typically don't suggest what images the photographers should shoot unless it's something for a specific story. All our photographers do a great job of making great pictures that tell the story they see happening.
David Lucas: Assistant Photo Editor
I have a question about full-frame DSLRs.
How much of an added benefit does buying a full-frame camera deliver for an amateur photographer? I gather that a full-frame body allows you to get the full benefit from your lenses but I was wondering how much of an extra advantage it represents. Full frame camera bodies seem to cost about $2,500 extra -- so it's a big decision to buy one. -Steven Chase
Hey Steve,
I think the image quality gap between full frame and crop sensor cameras (1.5x etc) has been narrowed enough with the current generation of bodies that there's not *that* much to be gained from ff. Hi iso has improved a lot and there are lenses available that will allow one to shoot wide angles if that's what you're after. Those who photograph sports or wildlife appreciate the extra 'reach' that crop cameras give them so that's a plus for these cameras.
I believe the one aspect that full frame cameras have over the crop cameras would be in build quality since most users of these cameras trend toward professionals who are heavy users. For most photographers, this may be overkill and they also weight a bit more so that's another factor to consider.
So for amateur use, a crop sensor camera should allow you do what you want photographically and the cost difference will allow you to put another lens in the camera bag instead.
Fred Lum: Staff Photojournalist