Q & A with a TeenVOGUE Photo Assistant

PDNedu interviews Photo Assistant Mardi Miskit of TeenVOGUE. She explains how she transformed from photographer to photo producer.

PDNedu: Where did you go to school and what did you study?

MM: I studied photography at Parsons School of Design.  I originally started out studying journalism at a liberal arts school in Rhode Island.  While there, I took some photo courses with a wonderful professor and fell in love with taking pictures so I decided to come to New York to pursue it.

PDNedu: How did you get started in photo editing?

MM: While at Parsons, I got an internship with Conde Nast Traveler magazine where I assisted photo editors with photo research and shoot production. After interning with them for 2 semesters, I was hired as a freelancer - in charge of film returns. During my senior year, I continued my freelance position while interning at Time Out New York.  At Time Out, I gained experience in shooting for a magazine.

PDNedu: How did you get your job at TeenVOGUE?

MM: Right before I graduated, I interviewed with human resources at Conde Nast. They informed be about the Photo Assistant position at TeenVOGUE and I immediately jumped on the opportunity.

PDNedu: What is a typical day like for you?

MM: So much goes on in a given day here.  I do everything from calling in portfolios and overseeing interns to arranging still life shoots in our digital studio and producing portrait and composition still life shoots.

PDNedu: As a producer, can you give a detailed description of how you helped out with a recent photo shoot from pre production to print?

MM: With every shoot, we first sit down with our Photo Director and Creative Director to decide on the best photographer and stylist for the specific job.  We book a hair and makeup team, scout locations/secure a studio and arrange all other specifics like catering, location vans, etc. I think the most exciting part of the process is when the film finally arrives.  We make our selects and hand them over to our art department.  Final selects are made and placed into layout.  The Uptown Girls shoot was one of the first shoots I produced at TeenVOGUE.  It was great to see all of the images come together in the final layout and even more rewarding to see one of the images also run as a portrait on our Snapshot page.  

    

PDNedu: Do you have any advice for young photographers looking to work at TeenVOGUE? 

MM: I definitely recommend doing as many internships as possible while in
school.  It is a great way to learn about the industry and discover what it
is you might want to do when you graduate.

Check out TeenVOGUE at teenvogue.com.  Learn about their job opportunities at Conde Nast careers.

Comments

[Andrea]

I just graduated with a degree in photography and fashion.. I am trying very hard to get into the photo editing industry, but unfortunately I didn't do any internships while I was still in school, and now it's super hard to find an entry level job with no experience!

[Ryan Pfluger]

Mardi is awesome, as are all the people at Teen Vogue. Complete pleasure to shoot for.