The flap about James Nachtwey’s studio soliciting unpaid interns has already bounced all over the internet, even showing up on Gawker before settling to the floor to be forgotten until the next spontaneous outcry for interns rights. So it’s not exactly something we at Meridian are keen to regurgitate. That said, I couldn’t help but use the case to point out what to look for and what to avoid when it comes to photography internships – particularly unpaid ones.

Getting the photo of cargo ships was as simple as chatting up a Queens native named Mike.

It’s never too early to break out the ugly sweaters and craft a festive photo shoot for next year’s holiday season. This thrifty tip not only helps you save on a custom background, it’ll shave 12 months of wrinkles off next year’s greeting card.

I did some last minute shopping of my own, and with the hectic atmosphere inside and outside of the shopping center I couldn’t help but hang around and take a few quick photos.

You won’t find any white Christmas here, but you will get an 80-degree Hanukkah. Maybe that’s nothing to carol about for some, but I bet plenty of people would like to be able to drink iced tea on the beach the weekend before Christmas.

Man that guy was hairy. I was editing an essay to go up in the morning when I got sidetracked by some photos I took on the beach during the summer.

I was in La Jolla enjoying the warm weather when I chatted up some beach-goers. Even though I took 42 photos of the same couple I think my favorite shot is still the very first one. My second favorite is the last of the 42, so it worked out.

When I don’t have anything else to work on, I try to put a few miles on my sneakers with a couple cameras around my neck and my big dorky camera fanny pack bouncing down my hips.

So you’re a freelance photographer, digging through the trash for aluminum cans to recycle for lens money. While you’re at it, how about you make yourself a pinhole camera out of one of those soda cans while you’re at it, like Wes Pope does.

This is an autobiographical essay. Between the first photo and the second I had to off this rooster with an ax.