Young photojournalists at London College of Communication (LCC) were this week told to ‘be slinky’ to stay afloat in the industry today.

The advice came from a debate, ‘The New Ecology of Photojournalism’, on the first night of the degree show for this year’s MA Photojournalism students.

American photojournalist, Ed Kashi, told graduates they needed to be ‘slinky’ and that adaptability was a key skill for succeeding in the media at the moment. He said: “Photojournalism has never been more exciting than now.”

Other panellists included: Lucy Davies, the Telegraph’s photography critic; Simon Norfolk, photographer; David Campbell, professor of geography, Durham University.

All the panellists gave a positive outlook for photojournalists, but also advised young photojournalists not to rely on editorial photos and magazines for their income. Norfolk gave the example of British photographer Stephen Gill who makes his own photography books and sells them on eBay.

One of the students on the MA is Ian Buswell whose collection, ‘Silence in the Salween’, is part of the exhibition. The photos give a glimpse of life for the persecuted Karen community of Eastern Burma.

He said: “This is my first exhibition in London. I’ve spent three years in south east Asia as a freelance photographer, but sometimes felt isolated in Bangkok. In London, I’ve been exposed to more photography and had the chance to get better involved with the city’s art scene.”

The exhibition, called ’28 Stories’, runs from 10 – 23 December and 4 – 15 January, 10am – 5pm, at the LCC, Elephant and Castle.