A2 Reading worksheet 5 (plus)

Photography – a dying profession?

1 Read the beginning of this magazine article and then discuss how you think photographers can
earn money. Think about:
weddings and other special occasions
news and journalism
fashion and beauty
products on websites

Photography – a dying profession?

New technology has created many new jobs: app designers, social media managers, driverless car
engineers … However, technology also means that other professions are not needed as much as in the
past. We talked to Milena O’Neill, a photographer, about changes in her profession.

A: I think wedding photographers can earn

B: Yes, but for other special occasions many
enough money. People want professional
people take their own photos these days.
wedding photos.

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A2 Reading worksheet 5 (plus)
Photography – a dying profession?
2 Read the interview and find the right question (A–F) for each gap (1–6).

Tips
Read the whole text quickly before you look at the questions. Then underline the key words in
the questions and match them to the correct answers.

Interviewer: Milena: Unfortunately, yes! That’s the way it is.

1 ?
Milena: Since I left school, and that was about
18 years ago.
Interviewer:
2 ?
Milena: I started as a wedding photographer. I
had a good camera and I took photos just for fun.
My uncle didn’t have much money, so he asked
me to be the photographer at his wedding. We
were all really happy with the pictures. Then I
did some training courses on different types of
photography and soon I opened my own little
studio. It was great!
Interviewer:
3 ?
Milena: No, lots of photographers have been to
university. Some have studied art or journalism.
Photojournalists usually have a degree. Actually,
I’ve always wanted to be a photojournalist but
even if you study, it’s really hard to get a job
doing that.
People take their own photos on special occasions,
and many of the photos in news stories were
taken by a person who was not a professional
photographer. People take photos with their phones
and send them to newspapers and websites.
Interviewer:
5 ?
Milena: Well, I think a professional with a good
camera does a much better job. But for some
people it doesn’t really matter if the photo is not
perfect. And I have to say that the cameras in
some phones today are fantastic.
Interviewer:
6 ?
Milena: I’ll find a way to stay in my job, because I
love it! One new thing that photographers can do
is taking pictures of products. People do a lot of
shopping online nowadays, and they want to see
photos before they buy something. Online shops
need good photographers to make their products
look really good. So that’s something I’m doing
now and will do more of in the future.

Interviewer: That brings me to my next question. Interviewer: Milena, thanks so much for talking
4 ? to us.

A So, you didn’t go to university. Is that true of most photographers?

B Can people really take excellent photos with their phones?
C And how did your working life begin?
D So, will you always be a photographer, or will you soon need a new profession?
E So, Milena, how long have you worked in photography?
F Is there now less work for photographers than in the past?

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A2 Reading worksheet 5 (plus)
Photography – a dying profession?
3 Answer the questions in your own words.
1 Why didn’t Milena’s uncle have a professional photographer at his wedding?
2 How did Milena learn to be a photographer?
3 Why isn’t Milena a photojournalist?
4 How do some newspapers get photos without paying a photojournalist?
5 Which people does Milena think take the best photos?
6 What kind of work does Milena think she will find in the future?

4 Would you pay a professional to photograph you or your children for these things? Discuss in
groups.
a wedding
a birthday party
a school class
social media
a passport
a job application

5 Do you think a job as a photographer would be interesting? Why / Why not?

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A2 Reading worksheet 5 (plus)
Teacher’s notes
This worksheet pushes students towards B1 by asking
them to read a text of around 350 words – about 100
words longer than the maximum they will encounter
at A2. It introduces B1 vocabulary, most of which is
pre-taught in Exercise 1. There are some more complex
structures, such as passive forms. Students need to
read for gist and understand text structure – skills
needed for Part 4 of the B1/Preliminary Reading test.
They also need to read for detailed comprehension (B1/
Preliminary Parts 2 and 3).
1 Warmer
Write new professions on the board and
check that students know what profession
means. Then ask them to brainstorm jobs
that didn’t exist 20 years ago. Write them
up, helping with language as necessary. If it
is not easy for them to find ideas, help out
with some prompts, e.g. ‘communication
and technology’ (social media manager, app
designer, podcast producer), ‘transport’ (Uber
driver, driverless car engineer), ‘sports and
fitness’ (zumba/nordic walking/SUP board
instructor).
2 Exercise 1
Hand out the worksheet and ask what the
profession of the woman with her back to us
in the photo is. Let them read through Exercise
1, which presents some new vocabulary.
Clarify the meaning of unknown words and
then let the students discuss in small groups
how photographers can earn money.
4 Exercise 3
Let students read the interview again and
then write answers to the questions in pairs.
Check the answers with the whole class.
Answers
1 He didn’t have enough money to pay a
professional photographer.
2 She did it for fun and then she did some
training courses.
3 She hasn’t got a degree and she thinks
it would be hard to find a job as a
photojournalist even if she had.
4 They use photos that people take on phones
and send to them.
5 Professional photographers with good
cameras take the best photos.
6 She will photograph products for online shops.
5 Exercise 4
Let students discuss the question in small
groups. They should run through the list of
occasions and needs, and say why they would
or wouldn’t pay a professional photographer
in each case. Ask the groups to report back to
the whole class.
6 Exercise 5
This should be a short whole-class discussion
to round off the lesson. If there is anyone in
the class who knows a photographer (or is
one), invite them to tell the group about it.

3 Exercise 2
Ask students to read the interview and then
find the right questions for the gaps with a
partner. Check the answers with the whole
class.
Answers
1 E
2 C
3 A
4 F
5 B
6 D

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