Shoot! Interview: Stella Kramer

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Two interviews in one day! Fun!

We just spoke to a photographer who’s working on self-promotion; now we’ll speak to a photo editor who can help you with your edit.

Stella Kramer is a Pulitzer Prize winning photo editor who has worked for many top industry publications, and one of a few who has gone on to consult and lecture as well. She began her career at Vanity Fair, was a photo editor at Newsweek, and served as Director of Photography at Brill’s Content. She has also worked as a freelance photo editor for major publications including The New York Times, People, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, and Money. She clearly knows the industry inside and out, and allowed me to ask her a few questions about her experiences.

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How did you get started as a photo editor? Was there a particular niche that was most interesting to you, or did you fall into it?

I got started as a photo editor in a sort of roundabout way. I was
asked by the temp agency I went to work for whether I wanted to work
for companies on Wall St. or for midtown magazines. I chose the
latter, having majored in journalism/political science in college. My
first gig was in the photo department of Vanity Fair, where I simply kept
track of film that came in and sent it back.

From there I went to a
promotional department at Time Inc., gathering images for use in TV commercials. After I cut a direct deal with them to get out from under
the temp agency, I worked there for about a year. My next gig was
PEOPLE magazine, then Sports Illustrated. That’s how I started. I
really hadn’t known that there was such a thing as a photo department,
since I didn’t come to it from school or from a photo agency. I was
lucky, and it proved to be a great fit for me.

I was always most interested in photojournalism, but each job I’ve had
(entertainment, sports, business, etc.) has had its moments. I went
wherever I found work. It wasn’t until I got to Newsweek that I got a
real chance to work with news. We did an incredible cover story called
“Murder: A Week In the Death of America” that won several awards.

newsweek cover.jpg
photo by Eugene Richards

That was really thrilling for me.

What’s the most rewarding project you’ve worked on?

Without a doubt, the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done was the
work I did at The New York Times related to 9/11, both the “Portraits
of Grief” project I worked on for several months, and the initial
editing work I did on the day of the attacks.

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photo by Ruth Fremson/ The New York Times

It
was the first time I felt like a real journalist, and working for such
an important and professional publication like The Times was
extraordinary. There was so much film that came into the newspaper that
day (after all, the attacks were the most photographed event in
history) from staff, freelancers, and just people off the street; I
cannot remember how much I saw. I can’t even really separate events of
the first week– all I remember was long hours, not leaving the
building, looking at film, and stumbling home to cry and watch cable
news late into the night.

When I was asked to work on getting the photos for the “Portraits of
Grief”, I didn’t realize I was going to be part of something that would
become almost a sacred rite for some people.  It was so difficult
getting the photographs from family and friends that were of happy
times (weddings, births, graduations, etc.), and cropping them down to
obituary photos.

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from “Portraits of
Grief”

It became vital to me that I had a
photograph to go with every bio, as I wanted people to look into the
eyes of those killed, so that the event wouldn’t become an
incomprehensible statistic. How could you not feel the impact of the
event when you saw people who might even have been your own family?
 The work took its toll on me emotionally, and I will never forget it.

I also discovered an amazing photographer, Michael Lisnet, who had been
shooting the scene at Ground Zero for days and I was able to get The
New York Times Week In Review to publish an essay of his work.  I am
very proud of that.

Michael-Lisnet.jpg

photos by Michael Lisnet


What is an ideal assignment for you– how much involvement do you like to have in the development of a story; do you consistently work with the same stable of photographers?

My ideal assignment is one that I help bring into being, from
discussing the idea to choosing the photographer, to being at the shoot
and collaborating with them, to editing and presenting the photographs
to the editors. Having some autonomy to do my job without
interference. One great example is a shoot I did with Nathaniel
Welch, who photographed Chris Brown for me when I was at PEOPLE. It
was a great time all around.

chris-brown.jpg
photo by Nathaniel Welch

Sometimes I’ve gotten to be there from the initial editorial meeting,
sometimes I’ve jumped in when the story has been turned over to me to
visualize. But being able to come up with creative ideas and choose
the right photographer is the best part of Photo Editing. That, and
the excitement of seeing the images for the first time. Depending on
where I was I might use a lot of the same photographers. But the best
part of having had a varied career is that I’ve worked with a wide
range of wonderful photographers: from still life shooters to conflict
photographers and everyone in between. I couldn’t have asked for more.

What does your career consist of now– are you able to cobble together both consulting/teaching with editing work?


Nowadays I spend more time working with photographers than editing for
a publication. And with the way things have gone in publishing I have
the better end of the deal. I am involved with creative work, and creative
people. I am not just the data entry person, inputting images to show
to editors who won’t listen to my opinion. Photo editing has changed
so much that there is less autonomy than ever, and that’s too bad for
everyone.

Working in
magazines for so many years allows me to explain from the inside out
how magazines approach photography. I know how important a strong,
tight edit is. And with fewer pages in magazines, there is more need
than ever to be able to present a strong project, whether it’s for
print or for the web. Too often I find photographers unable to focus
their essays, choosing the wrong photographs or adding text where it
isn’t needed in order to explain what their stories are about. I’m
hoping to show people how you can tell a story without words, in a
complete way that gives the viewer everything they need to know.

I love looking at photography and showing people a different way of
looking at their own work. I think there is even more need now for
photographers of all levels to open themselves up to other eyes.  And
anyway, it’s so much fun!

Take a look at Kramer’s site, portfolio, and upcoming events. Or contact her for a consultation.

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