How I pitched a photo assignment
Wildfires in southern Georgia
ATKINSON, GEORGIA - APRIL 24: A member of law enforcement redirects traffic because of heavy smoke from the Brantley Highway 82 Fire on April 24, 2026 in Atkinson, Georgia. The wildfire is one of many burning in the southeastern United States. Words and photos by Sean Rayford/Getty Images - All photos made April 23-24 in southern Georgia.
After conducting interviews at Bluetile Skateshop in Columbia, South Carolina I walked outside on Wednesday afternoon and smelled smoke. When I discovered it was coming from southern Georgia I thought it might be national news.
With much of the region in a severe drought, I thought there could be multiple layers of relevancy and emailed editors at Getty Images. Here’s that email, word for word. Typos and missing important words included.
Keep in mind I’ve been working with these folks for 5-10 years, and they’re not going to care about typos on a breaking news pitch. I probably used talk-to-text on my phone.
Subject: Georgia Wildfires
“So I just walked outside and it smells like smoke and it’s hazy. This is the resort of wild In south eastern Georgia down near the Florida border in clinch County. Near Waycross and Valdosta.
Smoke is also reaching Atlanta.
We have been in an extreme drought in this area although I’m not sure about the rest of the country.
Here’s a news report. I’m available for the next few days if needed.
FYI. It’s a 4.5 hr drive there from Columbia. The fires are about 4 hours drive from Atlanta.”
About two hours after I sent the email, I received a phone call from an editor and got the assignment. At the end of the first day of coverage we decided that a second day would be valuable and I stuck around for more.
The problem for us freelance photojournalists is that there are very few paying clients left in the industry and even if you do everything right in terms of the actual pitch, it doesn’t matter if they don’t allocate funds for freelance photographers.
To see more or license these photos, visit Getty Images.
As of Sumday morning, April 26, the Brantley Highway 82 Fire continues to grow, now reaching 20,933 acres at 7% containment. Evacuations now include areas in Glynn County. Officials believe this fire has consumed more homes than any other in state history.
