Writing and Photographing for Travel Journalism
Pros and Cons of Being a Travel Writer and Photographer
Jul 30, 2008
Pulling double-duty to focus on the writing aspects of a good travel story and the photography, too, creates some interesting challenges.
Tom Uhlenbrock, Travel Journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has years of experience dealing with these challenges. Here, he discusses how he balances the need for having both skills with producing quality work.
Suite101: Tom, your title is Travel Writer, but you’ve been juggling writing and photography during your travels for the Post-Dispatch since the late 1990s. (Tom has been a reporter with the newspaper since 1987, however.) How and why?
Tom: I was trained in photojournalism also, at the University of Missouri (School of Journalism). Photography has always been a hobby of mine and when I became the first fulltime travel writer here several years ago, we had determined, because of budget reasons, we could not have a fulltime writer and a fulltime photographer.
But, under the Newspaper Guild, I really couldn’t do that because, officially, I’m a writer, not a photographer. They had to give me a special dispensation to allow me to take photos, too. I’m probably the only person on this staff that does both.
Now, because I’m able to do it fairly well, or well enough for their purposes, they allow me to continue to do it. If I wasn’t doing it well, I’m sure there would be more of a cry that we need a photojournalist to go with me.
S101: How do you balance the two roles? Does it make your job much more difficult?
Tom: It makes it way more difficult. Sometimes, if you think you’re going to do photos and writing, each job is going to be done half-way. I would rather a photographer come with me; it makes my job twice as easy, but I know I can’t.
Juggling the equipment, that’s a problem. If you’re taking notes and you’re thinking, “Oh, that would be a good photo,” and you stop taking notes and start taking pictures. One of the good parts is, I know what my story is going to be and which photos I need to illustrate my story. That’s the best part.
S101: Which role takes more effort?
Tom: Photography has become 60 percent of what I do. My job of illustrating is a little more than my job writing now, which is okay with me. I like photography. If I didn’t like photography, we’d be in a world of trouble.
If I were to stop this job – they’ve said that there are writers on this staff that are just as good as me, and there are photographers on this staff that are just as good as me, but we don’t have anybody that does both things.
S101: Is there a sure-fire formula you’ve found by now, or is it still a fresh, exciting world?
Tom: You’ll fly into a place like Cancun and you’ll get off a plane and think, “What the heck am I going to do for a story? What am I going to do for photos?”
I’ve been on a four-day assignment and by Day Three hadn’t taken a single picture, and you’re panicking but somehow it usually comes out. You come back with lots of pictures and two notebooks full of notes.
S101: The perception of life as a travel writer is one of glamour and fun. As a long-time veteran, have you found this to be true?
Tom: A lot of people think “Oh, travel writer. That is the greatest.” But it’s nothing like a vacation. It is work. Especially considering that the best times for photography are early morning and late afternoon. I get up early and stay up late every day.
And I’ve never sat in a beach chair. You’re never sitting down in the sun and drinking a pina colada. Having said that, it’s the best job on the newspaper.
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