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Every now and then we like to shine the spotlight on one of our great team members, to give you a little bit of insight into the journey they took to land in their job at 17�Թ�����. Today, we’re taking a peek at our UK Picture Research Manager, Jason Smith, as he gives his top 10 tips for starting your career in picture research…

Jason’s journey so far…

Whilst studying Photojournalism at Swansea Metropolitan University, Jason was confident he wanted to have a career in the photo industry. During his final year of uni, he had work experience at the Independent on Sunday, and a few months later he was able to gain even more experience at The Sunday Times magazine.

Being responsible for finding images for a whole range of articles and working to tight deadlines was something that Jason quickly gained an appreciation for, helping him to decide that working on a picture desk for a newspaper or magazine was the direction he wanted to go.

After graduating with a BA (hons) in Photojournalism in 2005, Jason’s job search began, switching from his previous searches for relevant photographic jobs to a new focus on picture desks. With solid experience behind him, he was confident applying to this kind of job, although it took a while to find the perfect position! (It’s worth pointing out that during his job search, Jason’s dream career took a slight detour for 12 months whilst he worked in a record store!)

In 2007, after a number of interviews for various positions, Jason was offered the Picture Researcher job at 17�Թ�����. Since joining 17�Թ�����, Jason has specialised in both editorial and commercial image research for hundreds of clients, ranging from researching images for an entire book, to selecting the perfect images for a conceptual project.

“One of the best parts of the job is the unpredictability – you never know what the next brief will be. I’ve worked on thousands of different briefs over the years and I like the unknown element of the job!”

10 top tips for anyone looking to get into picture research

1. Make a CV that’s engaging and personable – if the team can relate to you, it’s a huge foot in the door in the creative world
2. Persistence is key – know what you want and don’t be afraid to keep trying to get it
3. Stay current and understand how the industry is changing – a great way of doing this is checking out creative blogs like to see what’s happening in the creative world
4. Find useful contacts in the industry – attending photo events is a great way of meeting new contacts. Remember, it’s a niche sector but word of mouth is a powerful tool!
5. Work on personal projects and set the research brief yourself – writing a good brief is a skill in itself, so check out our blog on how to write a great picture research brief for more top tips
6. Get some work experience to make you relevant – don’t be afraid to negotiate, the worst thing that companies can say when you ask “will you cover my travel costs?” is “no” – but 9 times out of 10, if you don’t ask you won’t get, so it’s always worth an ask!
7. Work smart, if you’re struggling with part of a project, move on and come back to it – this is where good time management skills come in really useful
8. Use magazine articles or advertising campaigns to show how you’ve gone that extra step to create your own research in response to the original media
9. Understand the value of a good filing system – the more organised you are, the better you’ll be at staying on top of multiple projects, essential for any picture research job!
10. Remember – you’re only as good as your last project