“So You Got An Assignment – Now What? Working with Photo Editors” with Jehan Jillani and Olivier Laurent

When on an assignment, knowing what an editor expects of you can be challenging, especially early on in your career. Photo editors Olivier Laurent (The Washington Post) and Jehan Jillani (The Atlantic) will take a practical approach to explaining the barebones of how to make photojournalism a sustainable career, and will delve into strategies on how to work with photo editors, how to make sure your voice is heard, and how to turn in photos with the proper information.

Jehan Jillani is a Visuals Editor at The Atlantic where she commissions photography and illustrations for the publication’s digital features and special projects. She was previously the lead Picture and Visuals editor at the Guardian US. Jehan has also worked as a photo editor at National Geographic and The New Yorker. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers and American Photography, and she has spoken about photography at numerous educational institutions. Jehan is a graduate of Smith College and is based in Brooklyn, NY. You can follow her @jehanjillani.

Olivier Laurent is a foreign photo editor at The Washington Post, with a specific focus on Africa, Asia and the Middle-East. He also edits the Climate & Environment section, assigning photographers to cover the climate emergency. In 2019, he was part of the climate team that won the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for a series that “showed with scientific clarity the dire effects of extreme temperatures on the planet.” In 2018, he coordinated the newspaper’s visual coverage of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, working with Lorenzo Tugnoli, a contract photographer with the Post. The photo essay won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Photography. You can follow him @olivierclaurent.