Job Q&A
by Eileen O'Reilly
[ More Job Q&As ]

Jeffrey Berlin (JTBerlin@msn.com) has been a professional photographer since he graduated from college in 1987. His work has been seen in Madam Figaro (Paris), Italian Vogue and Conde Nast Bride's magazine. He also does photography for Macy's, Bloomingdale's and L'Oreal.

Monster.com: What led you to working as a photographer?

Jeffrey Berlin: I grew up in New York City and my mom always had Vogue magazine lying around -- she loves fashion. Instead of Playboy, I'd look at Vogue. First I liked the girls, then I liked the photography.

Mc: How do you start in fashion photography?

JB: You have to network with models, stylists and people who do hair and makeup. You need to put a portfolio together. You do this by "testing" -- getting a group together where everyone works for free in exchange for pictures for their own portfolio.

Mc: What was your first assignment?

JB: My first assignment in New York was shooting for Mademoiselle magazine. I was hired to shoot small black-and-white pictures in the studio for a monthly story called "What Went Wrong?" Real entry-level stuff. It took all day to shoot four little pictures of a model intentionally dressed "wrong." Then we'd do a "right" picture. If I knew then what I knew now, we would've been done in time for a nice catered lunch.

Mc: What is your day like?

JB: If I'm not shooting, it's phone calls and more phone calls. I have to drop off my book with clients, hold a casting session (called a go-see) to meet the new girls. Meet new hair, makeup, stylists, etc. By the way, models are usually called girls.

Mc: That's a little sexist, isn't it?

JB: Yes, but some of them are 14 and 15.

Mc: Do you choose the models you work with?

JB: It varies. Sometimes the client chooses the model, but more often than not you can make suggestions.

Mc: Can you make a good living in your business?

JB: Yes, but it's very tough to be successful -- there's a lot of competition. The market is saturated with people who want to be photographers. The economy in Paris and Italy has become so bad in the last three years. The bottom fell out of the market there and many photographers relocated to New York and London.

Mc: What is the most important quality to have in your line of work?

JB: It's important to be able to work well with people. And it's important to have good taste and a good eye. The technical stuff you can learn; you can't learn to see.

Mc: Do you ever date models?

JB: Sure, sometimes -- if you work in an office you date your coworkers.

Mc: What are the best and worst things about your job?

JB: The best: flexible hours and travel. I've lived in Milan, where I learned Italian and traveled on weekends. You really grow culturally when you live abroad. I also lived and worked in Paris.

Mc: What was that like?

JB: Tough. Milan is where beginning models and photographers go. Paris is more of a hub of fashion, whereas Milan is more of a spoke. Many of the top models are based in Paris and most of the magazines have Paris offices. You can work for the Germans, the English, the Americans. In Milan you work for mostly the Italians. Paris was a great city to live in but very expensive.

Mc: And the worst things?

JB: This business is so much about who you know. You can walk in with the best portfolio, but if you aren't hanging out with the right people you don't get the job. It's a subjective business and it's all based on a taste level. Do you aspire to Harper's Bazaar or New Jersey magazine?

Mc: Where do you see your career going?

JB: I'm writing a screenplay and no, it's not about modeling.