Mlambo volcano, Tanzania

In a recent article on travel photography published in Photo Professional magazine, London College of Communication alumnus Geoff Crawford talked about working for charities.

Geoff, who studied photojournalism and periodical journalism, told Photo Professional that he had begun his career as a freelancer before negotiating with Tearfund to work part-time as a writer so he could continue shooting.

“Inevitably within Tearfund (TF) I was touting my photography and I managed between 1995-2000 to work in Uganda, Niger, Brazil, Tajikistan, and India… I also worked with other NGOs such as Water Aid, Leprosy Mission and the Mission Aviation Fellowship,” he told the magazine.

Geoff warned that fees had barely risen at all since he started in the nineties, and that the recession had put a squeeze on the amount of work that NGOs could offer.

“Travel photography can be seen as quite a glamorous way to make a living, but the fact is that it’s very hard work and hotels are non-existent in the middle of the Congo.  You have to learn to cope with the conditions and do the best you can,” he said.