#4 - Fiona Shields (The Guardian): on trust, AI and choosing the images that matter

In this episode Kaat sits down with Fiona Shields, Head of Photography for The Guardian and The Observer, recorded in Amsterdam while Fiona was chairing the World Press Photo jury. Fiona has led the photo desk at The Guardian for 25 years, and she takes us through what that job actually looks like day to day: running a global team publishing 24/7, staying close to photo editing herself a few days a week, and making fast calls on images that reach millions of readers.The conversation covers AI and the trust problem it creates for photojournalism, why The Guardian now works with local photographers instead of flying someone in to parachute into a story, what a busy photo editor needs from your pitch (send a PDF, not a WeTransfer link), and how Fiona deals with the emotional weight of covering conflict week after week. She also shares how she landed in photography almost by accident, after a teacher pushed her toward a journalism course, and why she still believes a single photograph can do something a video can't.What you'll learn in this episodeWhat it takes to lead a photo desk that publishes across print and web, 24 hours a dayHow AI is changing trust in photojournalism, and how The Guardian is thinking about verificationWhy local photographers now get picked over parachuting an outsider into a storyHow to pitch a busy photo editor so your email actually gets openedHow Fiona processes the emotional weight of editing images from Gaza, Ukraine and other conflicts, without losing the ability to do the jobAbout the guest-Fiona Shields is Head of Photography for The Guardian and The Observer. She grew up in Scotland, trained as a journalist in London and discovered early on that picture editing, not writing, was where she belonged. She has spent 25 years at The Guardian, and in 2024 she chaired the international jury of the World Press Photo Contest in Amsterdam. Along the way she has overseen the paper's coverage of 9/11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, COVID-19, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.Links and resourcesThe Guardian: theguardian.comWorld Press Photo: worldpressphoto.orgWomen Photograph (directory for female and non-binary photographers): womenphotograph.comThis episode is brought to you by Cameranu. When Kaat needs new gear, whether it's a lens or a camera she can trust on a client shoot, this is where she goes. Their specialists think along with you and give honest advice. As a De Donkere Kamer listener, you get 10% off your next purchase with the code DDK10 at cameranu.be.free webinarI'll walk you through the five things photographers who keep growing all do consistently, and how to apply them your own way, in a free webinar. Sign up here