The reality of being a freelance photojournalist for publications like NYT & AP 

Have you ever wondered what a photojournalist does?  How do you know when to snap a picture? How do you know where to look?  

Hailing from Brazil, Marco Postigo Storel is someone who trades in photos and stories. Having worked with notable publications such as The New York Times and the Associated Press, he has honed an eye for finding the stories that matter and telling them through a single, powerful frame. 

First, you need the technical know-how  

How do you become a photojournalist? There are many ways, from studying nursing in Pennsylvania like four-time Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Carol Guzy who later found her calling in photography at the Art Institue of Fort Lauderdale, to leaving a career in aerospace engineering like Marcus Yam, who was born in Malaysia and went on to be Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent and photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times.  

For Storel, it started with becoming a victim of a scam which led to him pursuing his undergraduate journalism degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  

Of course, there was a lot of self-learning as well.  

He then went on to hone his visual journalism skills at Columbia University in New York, where he pursued his Master of Science degree in journalism. It was quite the intensive programme, as it focused on hands-on experiences.  

“You had to do your thesis in the middle of that one year. I had no break. I had like one week and a half of break. But it was 24/7 of basically just work, work, work, non-stop,” he says.  

But those experiences definitely helped him develop techniques that capture stories in a meaningful way.  

When capturing an image, Storel often thinks about what he’s trying to say. From there, he’ll be able to better decide what lens to use and how to colour grade the picture. Ultimately, these little details will quite literally frame the story.  

Hailing from Brazil, Storel picked up a camera for the first time while pursuing journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Source: Marco Postigo Storel

The preparation matters, too  

To know where to look for the right stories, it comes down to research.  

“I’m always trying to find the story that is out there, but that people are not paying as much attention to,” the photojournalist says. “A lot of my work is digging for information and data.” 

He shared that he sometimes spends days cross-examining two totally different sets of data that have no similarity to each other but could result in some interesting correlations and stories.  

Once he feels like there’s a story, he’ll begin finding interviewees and subjects.   

Finding the right connections  

Sourcing for subjects takes time and patience. Sometimes, it’s achievable through online means. Other times, it’s all about going out into the world.  

But it’s not just about connecting to subjects. You have to connect with employers and publications, too.  

To have a thriving career as a freelancing photojournalist, Storel relies a lot on his connections from work done in the past.  

This was especially bolstered by his time studying at Columbia University.  

Through his efforts, he was connected to publications such as the Associated Press, The New York Times, and The Guardian. 

Having connections is especially important in today’s age, where the rise of “citizen photojournalism” have become main challenges the professional practice of photojournalism has faced in recent years.  

Storel and his peers covering protests at Columbia University. Source: Marco Postigo Storel

Beyond technicalities, you need people skills  

As a photojournalist, Storel often has to know how to talk to sources about different topics. In these situations, he needs to know how to be straightforward while still being compassionate.   

“It takes social skills and people skills to do that because otherwise they are just going to think you’re a bad journalist and you don’t know what you’re doing,” he says. 

That’s often easier said than done.  

“If you’re shy, it’s hard,” he admits. “I think sometimes I am shy, but I kind of have a switch when I’m at work. When I’m at work, I just become a more sociable person.” 

But if you’re serious about the craft, it’s just something that comes naturally.  

If you’re an introvert or shy person, it’s important to balance that with some downtime, too. 

Storel is sure to schedule days where he doesn’t do much socialising but instead focuses on research.  

“Then that builds up some energy for me to go out the next day and talk to as many people as I need,” he says.  

Storel delivering his master’s project. Source: Marco Postigo Storel

How he got his O1 visa  

Beyond all else, there’s also logistics to consider. If you’re an international student, how can you stay in the US as a photojournalist, especially when you’re a freelancer?  

For Storel, the answer lies in the O1 visa.  

It was quite a tedious process that resulted in a 200-page portfolio that included his work as well as two letters of intent and six letters of recommendations.  

His lawyer advised him to focus on collating professional work rather than student projects, even though there were projects he did as a student, such as his thesis, that he’s rather proud of.  

“I had to focus on things that have been published, so I had a whole spreadsheet of everything that has been published that has my name,” he says. “Even now, after I got the visa, I’m still like doing that because otherwise there’s things that can be deleted from the Internet. And maybe I’ll need my name either for reapplying or if I need to show someone some work.” 

Applying for it in August, he was approved by October. According to USCIS data, the O1 visa does get approved at rather high rates, with the latest one being 93.8% from Q3 of 2025. 

“I paid to expedite it, because normally it would take four to six months or more. I’ve heard people waiting for more time, so I paid to get the 15 days because I didn’t want to wait,” he says.  

This was because he already had established a lot of contacts in New York and had a lot of freelance opportunities lined up. To him, it was a justified cost as he would make it back by freelancing. After all, good stories wait for no one.