Interview with Patrick Farrell By:Paige Lacy

    Patrick Farrell has been a photojournalist for more than 25 years, he is currently working at the Miami Herald as a staff photographer. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in TV and Film Production and quickly moved into newspaper work starting at the Herald in 1987. Some of his most recent work is from his coverage of the devastation of Haiti. His work has won numerous prizes including the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography, First Place in 2008 for feature photography in the Overseas Press Club and First Place in spot news for in 2009 Picture of the Year International, among others. 


    1. Please list your full website address so our class members can view your work online?

http://www.patrickfarrellphotography.com/

2. What’s your one best piece of advice for how a college photographer can prepare now for success in the workplace/marketplace after graduation?

Students need to decide early in college if they are serious enough about photography to pursue it as a career and then shoot non-stop. Showing that you have interests and a vision will give you a step up on the competition. Every photographer must constantly work on their story telling and continue shooting because those good shots will eventually make it through your lens. 


3. If there was one mistake you could take back in your career path, what would it be?

I wish I had decided earlier in college that photography was the career for me. I would have then come out of school more prepared. I would have had a better portfolio and vision of where I wanted to go with my work.


4. What technical skills for photographers will be valued in the coming decades?

Combining video with pictures is becoming the new way to tell a story. Photographers that can shoot amazing pictures as well as capture video will be the most valued because that's the way the industry is going.

 5. With so much devoted toward new technical skills these days, how can photographers also focus toward strong, meaningful content? 

There is still a lot of power in a still image and knowing how to present these photos is key. There are so many different types of formats for you to present your work, and you must choose where your photos will look the best.

  6. What are the names of two or three photographers (and agencies/affiliations/ employers) whose work you presently admire?

My idol has always been James Nachtwey. I also like the work of W. Eugene Smith and Sebastiao Salgado. 
The use of light draws me in and how they set up composition in the photographs.The work of these photographers are too good not to be seen by young photographers.

Nachtwey's website: http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

7. When you look at portfolios of up and coming shooters, what do you look for?

I always look for the use of light and composition. At a certain stage of the interview process I will be able to notice the photographer's style to their shots. I can also tell a lot about the photographer by the way they shoot ordinary situations. I really like to see unusual angles and layering which adds more to the simple photograph. 

 8. What types of assignments do you like to shoot the most?

Issue reporting is my favorite type of assignment I get at the newspaper. I love shooting things that are of current relevance that can go in the paper the next day and make some people aware of an issue they might not have heard about before.