Photographer Sasha Maslov talks about finding topics for international media, working with subjects for photo stories, and why a good pitch should be a bit like a thriller, while a so-called cold pitch should be like a first date.
Sasha Maslov was born in Kharkiv. He lives and works in New York. His work has been featured in various venues in Europe and the US. He collaborates with well-known publications, including The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Forbes, and others. In his free time, he works on his personal projects, the most ambitious of which is currently Veterans, for which he has visited more than 20 countries in five years. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, he has been documenting life in Ukraine and working on his own projects.
How to pitch stories to top international media outlets
Sasha Maslov works with well-known media outlets, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, and others, and shared how best to pitch topics and ideas for photo projects to international media. “The types of story pitches depend on your relationship with the media. You can write a text message in two or three sentences or send a PDF file of ten to twenty pages. If you are writing to the media for the first time, doing a so-called cold pitch, or applying for a grant or award, you need to describe your project in detail,” advises Sasha Maslov. The easiest way to pitch topics is through personal connections. “I suggest two or three stories a week, and usually one is selected. I pitch topics that I find interesting and relevant to today,” says Maslov.
“I prepare for cold pitches like I would for a first date. Everything has to be perfect — a nice restaurant, candles, and a tie,” smiles Sasha Maslov. ”I would never do a cold pitch with two or three sentences, sloppily, or through social media. I send an email with a detailed PDF file, a series of sample materials, links to similar stories, and so on. This way, the person reading the proposal is less likely to say that they are not interested and that I approached it unprofessionally.” Cold pitches are always harder to prepare, and you shouldn't expect much from them. Firstly, they may simply not be read, and secondly, a stranger has no moral obligation to respond, as they have not worked with the photographer before or do not currently collaborate on a regular basis.
Events in Ukraine and various aspects of life during the Russian-Ukrainian war are relevant for Ukrainian photographers. “I am often asked what Western viewers focus on in Ukraine. Since the start of the full-scale war and over the past three years, the topics of stories have changed significantly,” the photographer emphasizes. ”At first, there was a lot of interest in events in Ukraine, and it was easy to propose stories and get assignments.” After three years of war, stories begin to repeat themselves and viewers simply lose interest in the subject, especially when looking at photographs. This happens with many wars or events. “Photos from the front lines, regardless of what is happening in them, begin to look the same. When we look at the front page of The New York Times, for example, we don't immediately understand whether the photos are from Gaza or Ukraine. The editor understands this and, in order not to lose the viewer, tries to find more visually interesting stories or images from news agencies,” says Maslov.
In the first months of the full-scale war, there were many stories like: an IT specialist became a soldier, and a salesperson became a volunteer. Then stories began about the liberation of territories, life under occupation, war crimes, and so on. At these moments, it was worth pitching stories related to significant events. Especially if you had access to these events. “Access is a kind of currency that can be used in pitches. For example, you want to tell a story about lost animals, and your best friends have a shelter. In this case, you can emotionally connect the topic to a person. Say that your friend has a shelter where many animals have been found,” says the photographer.
Maslov emphasizes that he is currently trying to understand which topics resonate with Western audiences. There was a sharp decline in interest in Ukrainian stories after the start of the war between Israel and Palestine, the US presidential election, and the events in Syria. “We need to find stories that resonate with world events and people's feelings. For example, you can tell what is happening to you as an author, photographer, or journalist. It's great if you have access to stories about specific people. For example, you heard an interesting story in the brigade and you know that it hasn't been told yet. I'm always looking for stories like that,” says Sasha Maslov. ”You can suggest topics related to the elections in the United States. Tell us what Ukrainians think about it, how the election results are perceived in society, and what the consequences might be. People see the US elections as a continuation of their own destiny, determining the course of the war and their personal lives.” Sasha Maslov currently uses this approach in his pitches.
Sasha notes that there are topics that are valuable to him as a photographer and journalist, and he can do them on his own and then pitch them. There are stories that he proposes and waits to see if they will be selected for the media. There are cases when Maslov pitches an idea to editors with several shots already taken. It all depends on the story. “If I'm working on a long-term topic or a grant-funded story, I'll write the text myself. There's a privilege in doing everything yourself, because then you have the opportunity to publish it in many publications,” explains Sasha Maslov. “You're not tied to the publication that gives you the assignment. You develop the story yourself and have complete control over what you do. When the story is ready, you can pitch it to many publications.”
When you propose a story to the media, it is important to have an understanding of how to implement the idea. “No one wants to find themselves in a situation where a story has been selected but the author is unable to shoot it,” says the photographer. “Sometimes I propose a story and immediately say that I will need support from the publication and that I will not be able to implement the idea on my own. If I understand that the logistics are worked out and I have access to the subjects, then I offer the story as a complete package. If they accept it, I can go and shoot tomorrow. It's important to be completely honest with editors.”
You have to fight for the editors' attention. There is a lot of fierce competition in photography right now. “You have to be visible — attend portfolio reviews, photo festivals, show your work on social media. Even if you get hired often, you have to constantly promote your work,” says Sasha Maslov.
What topics appeal to a global audience
According to Sasha Maslov, in 2022, the story of the Russian-Ukrainian war was painted only in black and white — there is absolute evil and Ukraine defending itself. In the subsequent phases of the war, many shades of gray began to appear. This is especially noticeable in the Western press, which is currently working in Ukraine and will continue to work after the war ends. “The Western press actually works as a local media outlet, meaning it investigates things and notices topics that are usually covered by local media,” notes Sasha Maslov. ”If you notice local stories that affect the bigger picture, you can suggest them to the media. For example, injustice or corruption, or, conversely, positive reforms and initiatives.” The personal experiences of the protagonist are always a plus. Sasha Maslov emphasizes that he always tries to reveal the topic through people's private stories.
“I try to add some thriller elements to complex, long stories. I want to show how the characters are connected to each other and to the events,” Maslov shares. ”The best pitch is when the editor is left hungry for more and wants to hear the whole story. When you write a proposal, you yourself should feel hungry for the story to be finished. That's the ideal pitch for me.” Sasha Maslov offers stories that can be described in a few sentences and start filming tomorrow. However, his favorite format is complex, long-running stories that require careful analysis.
“If the stories don't interest editors at first, they still give the author a kind of trump card for the future. People remember stories, even if they can't use them for their media. That's why pitching is important to me,” says Sasha Maslov. He explains that it's important to tailor stories to different media outlets, i.e., understand what topics they cover. For example, a nature magazine won't pick up a story about tanks, but it might be interested in the environmental impact of the explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. “If you are interested in a specific topic, if it is close to your heart, then research the media that might be interested in it. Great stories can go unnoticed in the big media; they simply get lost in the incredible number of other stories,” says the photographer. ”That's why I also try to offer quite specific stories to smaller publications that can give them more attention. Smaller publications are better at finding an audience for such stories.”
If you are pitching a story to a foreign publication, it is worth looking for points of contact between the characters in the story and the country to which you are proposing the topic. For example, if you have a story about a French soldier who went to fight as a volunteer in Ukraine, you should try to pitch this story to the media in the soldier's hometown. In this case, you need to be sure you have access to the protagonist of your story and enlist the support of local French media.
There are topics in Ukraine that, if covered, could show Ukraine in a negative light. Therefore, the question remains as to how much these topics should be raised and published during the war. “I often think about this question. However, it is wrong not to tell stories about social ills. To think that Ukraine will not be given weapons because of media coverage of stories that could negatively affect our country is a betrayal of the principles of journalism and of why we do this work,” says Sasha Maslov. ”We work to improve society. This is a personal choice for many, but I believe that stories need to be told, even if they portray Ukraine in a negative light. We help people with our work here and now.”
Many projects and stories are currently presented from the perspective of the personal trauma of the person proposing the topic. “I guess that at some point, such projects may become boring for editors and uninteresting for the audience,” explains Sasha Maslov. ”We feel very sorry for people in the first moments of a tragedy. It's like running to a car that has just been in an accident and helping. We really want to help when events are just unfolding, but then we walk away and go about our business. That's human nature. Imagine that the person you helped get out of a burning car starts coming to you with their problems every day. They start to annoy you. Similar things happen with overly emotional pitches. I'm not an editor, of course, but I think that's the reason.
The main thing is to find a great story and then pitch it. “First, find a cool topic that interests you and could interest many people, choose good characters, understand why you want to film it, and then offer it to editors,” advises Sasha Maslov.
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Researcher and author: Katya Moskalyuk
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