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Navy NEC · Communications

A08A Master Photojournalist

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

A master photojournalist covers and photographs newsworthy or documentary events and plans, coordinates, and supervises coverage of events, exercises, and operations. The photojournalist selects and prepares imagery, creates multimedia products from still images, video, audio, text, and graphics, approves captions and story text, maintains liaison with photo news media, and trains personnel in photojournalism and advanced multimedia techniques.

Minimum clearance: Secret

Core Skills

  • Operational news coverage planning and coordination
  • Imagery selection for news media needs
  • Integrated visual, audio, and text storytelling
  • News caption and feature copy approval

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Photographers

Photographing news and documentary events and preparing imagery for media use transfer directly to editorial photography.

How to prepare: Build an editorial photography portfolio with complete event photo stories, captions, and a brief explanation of your image selections.

What the civilian work involves
  • Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.
  • Transfer photographs to computers for editing, archiving, and electronic transmission.
  • Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment, such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Creative Cloud software

Editors

Writing, editing, and approving captions and news or feature text provide directly transferable experience for editorial work.

How to prepare: Prepare before-and-after editing samples showing corrections to captions and feature copy, with notes explaining changes for clarity and audience.

What the civilian work involves
  • Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
  • Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
  • Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Word
  • Adobe Acrobat

Film and Video Editors

Combining still and video imagery with audio, text, and graphics into military stories transfers to assembling and editing civilian video narratives.

How to prepare: Create a short documentary editing reel that demonstrates shot selection, narrative sequencing, and integration of dialogue, graphics, and sound.

What the civilian work involves
  • Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
  • Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
  • Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Creative Cloud software

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (4 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC A08A

    [1] NEC entry "A08A - Master Photojournalist"; cached text line 1297; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Operational news coverage planning and coordination, Imagery selection for news media needs, Integrated visual, audio, and text storytelling, News caption and feature copy approval, Photographers (O*NET 27-4021.00), Editors (O*NET 27-3041.00), Film and Video Editors (O*NET 27-4032.00)

  2. O*NET: Photographers

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Photographers (O*NET 27-4021.00)

  3. O*NET: Editors

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Editors (O*NET 27-3041.00)

  4. O*NET: Film and Video Editors

    [4] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Film and Video Editors (O*NET 27-4032.00)

Defense contractor jobs for A08A

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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