For one New York-based photo producer, taking her art to the Big Apple was a childhood dream. This realization for Anna Maund ’10 (Photography) came on her tenth birthday, when her dad took her to New York City to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
“I was completely taken with the city, and from that point on, I knew that I would someday move here,” recalls Maund.
The road to her current position, Photo Producer for RealSimple.com, the online division of Real Simple Magazine and Time Inc., was paved with internships. Maund says she always jumped at the chance to gain experience and recommends, “Never, ever pass up an internship, even if it is unpaid!”
Interning for architectural photographer John Korom for a semester gave her much insight and guidance for her future. Maund received advice on choosing a specific field and dedicating herself whole-heartedly to it, as well as knowledge on the intricacies of running a business, such as meeting with clients and determining pricing for products.
A second internship experience introduced her to editorial and publication work at Milwaukee Magazine, where Maund was a photo intern. Her Big Apple dream came to life with her next internship: a gallery in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.
Maund’s view on gaining experience led her to help out a friend at Redbook Magazine for a couple of weeks organizing photos for an online contest. While there, she “tried to learn as much as possible, and spoke with the photo researcher, the assistant photo editor and the photo director.”
“Jumping at the chance to help a friend, and working at Redbook unpaid for a few weeks led me to making a connection with the photo editor at Real Simple Magazine.”
As a photo producer, Maund focuses on post-production technical elements, ensuring all of the images have the correct coloring, size and resolution. She also researches images and maintains contracts for photographers and image citations, and occasionally photographs products.
Though she isn’t always shooting for the magazine or the website, Maund says, “I love that I do get to see a broad range of photographic work every single day… a lot of work and a lot of photographers that I may not have otherwise seen or explored.”
In looking toward the future, Maund continues to build her portfolio and wants to work as a freelance photographer. She also aims to provide content for magazines.
While on the road to her goals, Maund says, “One great thing I’ve learned is to consider all of my accomplishments, and realize that I have done a lot that I’m proud of.”
Top image: Anna Maund ’10 (Photography)
Second image: Screen shot of one of Maund’s photos on RealSimple.com
Third image: Image of food photography from Maund’s Senior Thesis project, 2010
Click here for more information on MIAD’s Photography major.
Click here to view some of Maund’s post-production work.
