Fellow, photographer

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for.

Join the 2026 New York Times Fellowship class as a photographer.

The Times is a worldwide leader in visual journalism, earning multiple Pulitzer Prizes and World Press Photo awards in recent years and establishing standards for excellence that have been influential across the industry. Our photographers bear witness to events around the world, and our Photo department is one of the treasures of our newsroom.

As a fellow, you will work with Times photo editors, shooting daily news and enterprise assignments for many sections. The goal is to give you exposure to news and feature photography, and the opportunity to learn about news judgment, editing choices, video journalism, building visual narratives, lighting techniques and aesthetic direction. Working with photo editors, you will also initiate enterprise projects.

You should be open to learning from others, and inclusive, generous and empathetic toward our colleagues, our audience, and the communities we cover.

You will work out of either our New York headquarters, where you will cover a mix of assignments, or our Washington bureau, where you will mainly cover Capitol Hill and the White House.

These are in-office positions and include regular attendance in the office four days each week. There may be some flexibility to work remotely per your departmental guidance. You may be required to work some nights, weekends and holidays as needed.

Responsibilities

• Create innovative visuals connected to the biggest news and themes of the day
• Create photography and video, providing accurate captions, and original reporting on the ground
• Ability or ambition to generate and pitch your own story ideas
• Work closely with the photographers’ chief
• Participate in training and social programs designed for the fellowship
• Collaborate with colleagues across the newsroom
• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world
  
  

Basic Qualifications

• No more than five years of full-time, professional photojournalism experience, excluding internships
• A portfolio of work demonstrating excellence in visual storytelling
• Some experience reporting and photographing in news situations and on deadline
• Some experience with videography or an interest in learning video
• Knowledge of photographic equipment, Photoshop, Photo Mechanic, Premiere and/or other photo- and video-editing software
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong editorial news judgment and firm grasp of journalistic ethics
• Enthusiasm for learning new technologies and working with new equipment in pursuit of innovation in visual journalism
• Interest in finding a wide range of voices in your reporting to help our readers and subscribers better understand the world
• Record of multiple photojournalism internships or equivalent experience
  
  

To apply, upload a résumé and cover letter. You should also include a link to a portfolio of your work. The application will prompt you when to upload materials and ask you for the link to your portfolio. Applications that fail to include any of these materials or follow these instructions will not be considered.

You must be authorized to work in the United States. We will not sponsor work visas for the fellowship, but we will consider applicants with valid work authorization or a valid student visa that can be extended with Optional Practical Training.

You may apply to only one fellowship position per year. For instance, if you apply as a photographer, you should not apply for any other positions in the fellowship. Duplicate applications will be discarded.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 19 .

The Times Fellowship generates a high level of interest, so we cannot acknowledge the status of applications upon receipt or during the vetting process, which can take eight weeks or more. We cannot accept applications that are mailed or emailed to us. We will contact you for interviews as needed.

The fellowship program will begin on or about June 1, 2026, and end on May 21, 2027, subject to satisfactory performance. Please note there is no guarantee of a full-time position upon completion of the program.

For more information about the Times Fellowship, visit here.

This position is represented by the NewsGuild of New York.

The annual base pay range for this role is between:

$82,414.80 - $82,414.80 USD

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s Know Your Rights Poster is available here.

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email [email protected]. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.

The Company encourages those with criminal histories to apply, and will consider their applications in a manner consistent with applicable "Fair Chance" laws, including but not limited to the NYC Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act.

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