JS: What has been the most successful way for you to get assignment work?
NK: The internet.
I have not gotten work any other way. The whole drop your portfolio thing off never worked for me. I found that approach to be the most frustrating and demeaning process there is. I have a portfolio but I never show it around. I really haven’t needed to.
I have also never sent out postcards or done any self promotion campaign.I just put my work online, either my website, which I have had since 2000 (it looked way different back then) or on the photo sharing websites. I started with Fotolog after I left art school and then ended up on flickr. 90 percent of the work I get now is through flickr and other 10 percent is from personal connections I have made. I have had art directors and photo editors reach out to me after seeing my work on flickr. Then it snowballs. They publish you in a magazine, another magazine sees it, you get another job. That art director moves to another magazine and hires me at the new mag.
The work just came. I always figured I would just make and share the work I want to make and the rest would come. So far it has. Although, it never really feels like it’s enough. Maybe I should try that portfolio drop off thing again.
Interview: Noah Kalina [Too Much Chocolate]
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