I did IT! Jason Parnell-brookes

Staff writer and photographer Jason explains how he gained experience by volunteering, before finding a job as a photographer at Superdry

“When I started out, I began volunteering for a local non-profit organization – they had a project set up to give budding photographers the chance to conduct shoots for local charities to gain experience and add to their portfolio. The charities benefitted by having good quality photos to use for their promotional materials. After working as a volunteer, I was asked to interview for the position of co-ordinator for the project, and I was successful. From there I photographed more and more, and got work retouching for the fashion industry. I’ve always been more of a photographer than a retoucher, however, so I carried on shooting whenever I could.

Eventually, I’d gained enough experience to become a staff photographer for international fashion brand Superdry. Superdry’s photo studios were the biggest I’d ever been in, and they had a big team. I relished the chance to shoot there, and because there was an entire retouching team, it meant I could focus on shooting.

In the meantime, I was trying to get into editorial work, by contacting magazines. Through a band that recommended me to a national music magazine, I got some freelance work shooting band portraits. These shoots formed a stark contrast to the shoots I was used to, but it was all good experience. And from there, it was a small step to (Photoplus’ sister magazine) N-photo magazine!”