Frequently Asked Questions - Careers

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT INTERN PROGRAM

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Will I be asked to assist the lead photographer?

No. We like to think of this program as more of a mentorship than a internship.

With our program you are getting real experience with actual clients. Your weddings will bereviewed and critique as those of Bella’s lead photographers are. Your work will complement the lead’s. You are not there to carry equipment or set up lights.

How much time does the internship require each week?

About 12-17 hours a week: 8-10 hours Saturday, 2 hours Monday, and 2 hours Wednesday.

Are the clients paying for my services?

Sometimes. Any fees charged for interns go to cover cost of the program.

If I complete all six weddings, will I automatically be certified to shoot for Bella?

While shooting all 6 weddings and taking part in all required intern calls does not guarantee certification, if you follow the
advice given in your critiques, complete your bio page portfolio, turn your weaknesses into strengths and have the required
equipment, your chances of being certified are very high. Our interns are selected on the basis that with the right development
and experience gained while in our program, we expect them to be successful.

Of the 15 interns who finished our 2011 program, all 15 were certified, many of those have already been assigned and or shot Bella weddings as leads.

When will I find out if I am selected to be a Bella intern?

Interns will be selected on a rolling basis beginning in mid-February 2012. Final notifications will be sent not later than June 1, 2012. Interested applicants are urged to apply as soon as possible.

Will the clients and lead photographer at each wedding be told that I am an intern?

Yes. Prior to each of your six weddings, the clients and lead photographer will be told that you are covering the wedding
as part of Bella’s internship program. The lead will also receive an email briefing him/her on the goals of the intern program,
and specifically what your role is as a intern shooting as a second photographer.

May I correspond with a past intern who graduated from my school to discuss his/her experience in the Bella intern program?

In many cases, yes. A majority of our past interns have generously agreed to correspond with fellow graduates or students from their
school to discuss the intern program.

Other Information/Who to contact with questions

Successful Applicants will be given training materials and participate in a welcome conference call before attending their first wedding.

How much post productions is required?

Via the internship program, we teach our photographers to be able to capture in camera pictures that will require little or no post production.

Is this position paid?

While the position is not paid you will receive a $50 stipend to cover travel and food expenses for each of the weddings you shoot. You will receive that stipend check after you have shot each wedding.

Thank you for your interest in Bella Pictures! For more information on this program please contact Rob Paine, Bella National Internship Program Director.
Phone: 888-556-7590 ext 5326
Email: rob.paine@bellapictures.com

2012 INTERNSHIP

Bella Pictures, the country’s largest wedding photography company, is seeking talented and enthusiastic visual storytellers for it 2012 Photographers Intern Program.

PRINTABLE FLYER

Download the PDF.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must currently be enrolled in or a recent graduate of a photography program within a university or college with a focus on commercial, photojournalism, or wedding photography
• Be available to work every Saturday per session
• Be available for a group phone conference every Wednesday throughout the program and one, 1:1 conference call with the program coordinator
• Have access to two professional camera bodies, two professional flashes; a fast wide angle lens, medium focal length fast lens, and a longer lens (i.e. 70-200, f2.8)
• Must have reliable personal transportation
• Have access to a computer to upload images

What Past Interns Say

“This program has something that school can not teach you and that is real world application of skills,”
Matt Gruver, 2011 intern in Philadelphia, The Art Institute of Philadelphia.
“The internship program is the best decision I have made in my photography career thus far,”
Marie Pasquel, 2010 intern in Washington, Boston University CDIA/D.C.
“One thing I really like about Bella is that they encourage you to have your own business and shooting style,”
Erin Hoyt 2011 intern in Chicago; The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
“l would do this program again in a heartbeat. I loved it and learned so much.”
Ashley Clayton, 2011 intern in New York; School of Visual Arts, New York City.
“ I received real world experience, got to see other professionals in action and had great critiques of my work with really helpful advice on how to improve my technical and creative skills.”
Robin Garber, 2010 intern in DC, Boston University CDIA/D.C

About The Program

Bella emphasizes a photojournalistic style in its work. The program is more than an internship. It is a handson opportunity to shoot along working wedding photographers, build your portfolio and if you qualify, become a certified member of Bella’s pool of paid freelance photographers.
Interns shoot along side different Bella leads at six weddings over a seven-week period. Interns take part in a weekly group conference call and a weekly one-on-one meetings with a Bella photo coach during which their weddings are critiqued. Bella stands apart from many studios in that it shares its copyright with its photographers, so on completion of the program, you will walk away with a professional 72-image portfolio that showcases the skills you have honed. Over the past three summers, 38 graduate and photo students from nearly two dozen commercial photography programs across the country interned with Bella.
In today’s competitive market, this program provides a great opportunity to jump-start your career in wedding photography. Bella’s program stresses the fundamentals of effective, storytelling, as well as the importance of providing first class customer service. This is what makes photographers successful.
During weekly group calls you will hear from different experts at Bella, talk about topics ranging from flash techniques to best practices in customer service. We plan to have 3 intern sessions in 2012. Each session will last 7 weeks and you must be available to cover a wedding on each of the six Saturdays of the session you apply and for a one hour group call every Wednesday. Tentatively, the 2012 sessions are scheduled as follows:
• Session 1, early June thru mid July
• Session 2, late July thru early September
• Session 3, mid September thru late October

“The internship was a great way to get practical experience under my belt, along with being able to build up my portfolio quickly with a variety of shoots. The critiques, techniques, and helpful hints I received along the way from almost everyone involved were invaluable. Anyone looking to shoot weddings would have a great experience with Bella.”
Heather Scott, 2011 intern, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

More Information on Internship

Bella is seeking interns in Atlanta, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Houston, Denver and San Francisco.
For more information and to apply for an internship, please email program director Rob Paine, rob.paine@bellapictures.com. To apply online for a Bella photography internship position, please click here.

• Incredible networking opportunities
• Build your portfolio
• Shoot more edit less (no editing required for Bella)
• Coaches will do free wedding critiques and reviews
• Markets host Pizza nights/workshops
• Make money on the days you wouldn’t normally be shooting 

It depends on your availability and the market you shoot in. Our busiest shooters can do 25+ weddings a year for us. The average photographer generally does between 5 and 15 weddings every year for us.

 If you don’t get hired it does not mean we are closing the door on you.  For whatever reason it was just not a good fit this time around.  If you are placed in our developmental pool you will still have access to all of our training material, workshops and newsletters if you wish to subscribe.  We highly encourage you to re-apply you when had a chance to shoot a few more weddings on your on your own and address whatever issues did not allow you to reach certification the first time around.  Contact the recruitment team once again when you fell you’re ready to reapply.

We believe firmly in creating a win-win-win situation for all the parties involved.  That is, nobody wins unless the photographer, the client, and Bella Pictures are all happy.  Our freelance photographer agreement respects and protects your ultimate ownership of the work that you produce, but also provides rights and protections for the clients’ and Bella Pictures’ interests in the images you create.  You will always retain the ability to use your images for your own promotional purposes, and no-third party commercial use of your images will be permitted without your express consent.

We require our photographers to provide digital photographic equipment appropriate for covering weddings.  Bella Pictures has a list of approved equipment and file standards, which continues to expand as camera equipment changes.  In general, our photographers provide:

• 2 Professional digital camera bodies
• 3-4 Lenses ranging from 24-200 with an aperture of 2.8
• 2 strobe units