All of The Times Young Photographers of the Year have gone on to start
successful careers in photography. Each has their own niche, whether it’s
striking portraits, expansive travel shots or fast moving news coverage.
James Glossop, 24, The Times. Winner 2008.
The winner of this year’s Nikon sponsored Times Young Photographer of The Year
award is James Glossop. James began taking photographs for his student
newspaper while studying English at Manchester University. He later became
picture editor at the publication. Like many of the previous Times Young
Photographers, James studied press photography at Norton College in
Sheffield. “The Times asked me to take a newsworthy, stand-alone picture
that tells the story” he said. “My picture was of fans outside Old Trafford
celebrating Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea in the Champions League
final.”
James enjoys the opportunites to meet people and witness events that
photography allows him. “The camera gives you access and that’s a real
privilege.” A selection of James’s images can be viewed by clicking on his
gallery below.
Susannah Ireland, freelance. Winner 2007.
The winner of the 2007 Times Young Photographer of The Year was Susannah
Ireland. In common with five of the six winners, Susannah graduated from
Norton College, Sheffield. She was awarded a six-month contract working as a
Times photographer, which she has completed. She still works for The Times
as a freelancer.
Susannah's three winning entries can be viewed by clicking on her gallery on
the left.
Christopher Pledger, 24, freelance, The Times. Winner 2006.
Cruises may be undergoing something of a makeover, but it’s still an odd place
for a budding photographer to hone their skills.
Christopher has made the leap from there to The Times. How did the 2006 Young
Photographer of the Year beat off the competition? “I think the difference
between the final three was that I had done plenty of work experience,” he
explained. And after three years working for various news agencies, as well
as photographing senior revellers, who could argue?
Christopher then attended Norton College in Sheffield to study press
photography.
He scored his first front page picture within weeks of starting his six-months
work at The Times with a shot of Tony and Cherie Blair at the Labour Party
Conference.
Clara Molden, 24, Press Association. Winner 2005
Clara had just taken a great picture of Tory leader David Cameron when we
spoke to her. “I caught him doing a comical Mr Man sad face,” she said.
“That’s one of the tricks you learn, the kind of shot you need to please
certain picture editors.”
She learnt some of those tricks while she was Young Photographer of the Year
and has now moved on to work at the Press Association. “I really like PA
because I get sent on jobs that aren’t very Times,” she said. “I even had
pictures in the Daily Sport when I did the FHM ‘High street honeys’. I was
the only girl there, I’m just as proud of that as when I get a picture in
The Guardian.”
When Clara arrived at The Times, the picture editor Paul Sanders, told her:
“What you do in the next six months is going to affect you much more than
the fact you’ve won this.”
That pressure means the Young Photographers create a kind of 24 hour helpline
for each other. “It’s quite an overwhelming thing and you need to support
each other. When you go out on a job and you don’t want to call the desk you
can call one of the others for advice,” she said.
On some jobs, no advice in the world can help, like when you go to take a
photo of a very important QC and they arrive an hour late and bark, “I’m a
very busy man and I don’t want to be here doing this, so get on with it.”
Even after a couple of year’s experience, Clara concedes, “It’s pretty hard
in those situations to get the picture you want.”
Sophie Laslett, 28, freelance, The Times. Winner 2004.
When you’re broke, you sometimes do extraordinary things. Sophie signed up for
medical trials. While sitting in a London hospital being monitored for
reactions to a new drug, she finally found time to piece together a
portfolio and enter the Young Photographer competition. She still has a
sporadic rash, but it was worth it.
Unlike the other winners she never had any training in press photography,
instead Sophie graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in
art photography.
After a couple of years at The Times she still prefers taking pictures of
people for features to the daily scrum of news photography. “If I see a big
news story coming in I’m not one of these people immediately running to
photograph it, I’ll be the one running the other way to hide until it’s
over.”
Sophie is happiest composing portraits, but she hasn’t yet mastered
conversation and composition at the same time. “I love working with actors
and musician, but I don’t really speak to the people that much. It’s not
conscious; I’m just too busy concentrating.”
Leon Neal, 30, freelance Agence France Presse and The Times.
Winner 2003
Leon says being a photographer “is pretty damn good,” and who could argue with
a man paid to capture holidays in Barbados and fashion shows in Italy. “If
you’re happy with never knowing what you’ll be doing next, it’s the best job
in the world.”
Lucky Leon - the only consolation for the rest of us is that The Times made
him work seriously hard to start with. “They really put me to the test,” he
said. “The business editor sent me back again and again on one of my first
jobs getting a simple shot of Krispy Kremes in Harrods.”
His first set of images featured the wrong kind of doughnut, so he was told to
return and convince the bemused staff to pose all over again. Next time the
pictures he submitted had the wrong kind of nail varnish on the hand holding
the doughnut. He was allowed to go back to the office only after attempt
number three and with the laughter of the shop staff still ringing in his
ears.
The lessons during the six-month contract served him well. “You think you know
quite a bit, but you’ve got so much to learn,” he said. “If you’re the sort
of person who takes criticism badly you won’t do well.”
Leon is one of six remaining Fleet St photographers, working at Agence France
Presse as well as covering some more exotic jobs at The Times.
Katherine Batchelor, 27, North News & Pictures. Winner 2002
Katherine was the first Young Photographer of the Year. The highlight of her
work at The Times was a week touring Louisiana with a team of food writers.
After her successful stint in London, Katherine moved nearer home to work in
the York office of top news agency North News. She is responsible for the
full range of news coverage from photographing football matches to staking
out politicians. “I was waiting outside John Prescott’s house for a week,
not being able to eat or go to the toilet, that was a pain,” she said.
Endurance is not the only challenge, there are many glamorous parts of the
job, but also the threat of violence. “The worst place to work is outside
court,” Katherine said. “People are often in aggressive mood. I’ve never
been attacked but I know a lot of people it’s happened to, it’s part of the
job.”
