[Leica] OT: Logos on vests

[images at comporium.net (Tina Manley)]

At 11:44 AM 7/25/2007, you wrote:
>Between Homeland Security rules miss-readings, and now when to wear a
>logo, what's left?
>http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2007/07/nfl01.html
>
>s.d.


It's truly depressing.  And this is what's 
left:  From a newsletter by Ed Greenberg:

July 19, 2007

                                                 UNVARNISHED REALITY


Wednesday, July 18, 2007, ought to go down as the date that
traditional bread and butter, editorial photojournalism manifested to
anyone who chooses to see, that the profession is on life support.
For years my mantra has been, ?You can?t compete against free.?  The
traditional employers and clients of photojournalists have been
newspapers, magazines and television who, I have argued, have been
phasing you out of your livelihood.

   For articulating that point of view, with a considerable amount of
vigor, I have been vilified and attacked professionally and
personally.  Many well intentioned shooters have suggested that
photographers ought ?partner? with their traditional clients in order
to assure their existence in the new media economy.  That position is
in my view na?ve and tantamount to economic suicide.

So now a massive steam explosion occurs in Gotham?s midtown, super
busy district during the middle of a work day some 75 yards from my
former office.  The resulting 400 degree steam geyser rising hundreds
of feet into the air, just one block from Grand Central Station and
literally on top of several subway lines, results in city blocks
being closed off, subways turned off, a cacophony of emergency sirens
continuing through today, one death, thirty injuries and of course
thousands of photo opportunities.

Within seconds to minutes of the explosion the local television
channels were actively soliciting video tape, cell phone footage,
still imagery and equivalents from the public for the expressed
purpose of reportage.   Websites, particularly gothamist.com featured
?live coverage? employing un-credited ?live? footage of the steam
geyser.  The publisher was on NPR this morning expounding with great
clarity how she was effectively able to beat out the coverage of the
New York network affiliates by using images freely sent to her.  The
images were and are more than adequate (take a look).  The site paid
zilch, zero, nada for the footage.

The local Fox affiliate virtually begged on air for free images and
gave instructions how to download or otherwise get the images to Fox
for broadcast.  Fox was not alone in the media world.  We are unable
to ascertain the number of images which ran in the NY Post, Daily
News and NY Times which were shot by the many ?civilian? employees
who were evacuated from their offices and hit the streets with
cellular phones held high over their heads in camera mode.

Those print photo credits which do appear may be misleading as one or
more agencies no doubt purchased images from unsuspecting amateurs
outright.  This practice pre-dates the oldest reader of this post.
We do note that of the nine photos which appear in the tabloid NY
Post of Thursday, July 19, 2007, not a single one bears a NY Post
photo credit nor indicates that the shooter has any staff affiliation
with The Post.

             My confidential and unimpeachable photo source at the NY
Post just told me that:

     1.  No staff photography (of the 9 subject images) was used;
     2.  Most images were "civilian", others were 
civilian purchased/ acquired by agents/agencies;
     3.  Citizen shooters and journalists are now considered part of
the newsgathering process and especially when lots of images from
different sources flood the newsroom, little to no fact checking
takes place.  I inquired about how the use of particular lenses could
?accurately? distort a news event and when it?s an amateur photo -
how would the publication know?  He/she laughed and laughed and
laughed.  "Hey Greenberg, are you f**king kidding me?"

Client Adrienne DeArmas, working for Time Magazine on the Virginia
Tech massacre story, was unable to procure/arrange for the creation
of images that could compete with the Myspace and Facebook images of
the students killed, their friends, families and teachers. The cover
of TIME that week was a grid of said photos, with not one
professionally shot image among them.

The days when a significant number of skilled, staff editorial
photographers were needed by newsgathering publications are over.
Those of you who still believe that you can ?partner? with your
clients/enemies in order to assure your continued business existence
are, with all due respect, hopeless.   With no intention to
disrespect any of the fine photojournalists who still work staff ?
many of whom we represent ? the days of being able to support you and
your family by hitting the streets and covering stories for
newspapers are over.

Your clients beat you at your own game.  You willingly cede your
intellectual property rights to your clients who, simultaneously and
with great calculation, enlisted the willing support of civilians who
?charge? free. They have effectively rendered you obsolete.

  Ironically, it is the news outlets and not the photographers who
have truly mastered the art of digital photography.  They have
effectively rendered you obsolete.

You need to establish alternative and creative income streams.  You
need to bring something to the editorial table that Bernie the
dentist who shoots for fun can?t.  You need to treat this business as
a business.  You can?t let yourself be bullied into giving up your
rights in a pointless effort to compete with ?free?.  You must be a
business person first and an artist second.    The handwriting has
been on the wall for years.  This episode is reflective of yet
another battle lost in a war against photographers that was won by
your friendly ?clients? years ago.

I will be pleased to appear at any legitimate venue to discuss or
debate any teacher, professor, photographer or photo professional who
trains and represents that there is an economic future in
photojournalism.  Will some truly great photojournalists survive?
Absolutely. No doubt.  Does it however, make any economic sense to
represent to any student or newbie that he has a realistic chance of
being able to support a family at a middle class life style now and
in the future by shooting traditional photojournalism?  No way.

I am pleased to consider rational opposing views.


Very truly yours,

                 EDWARD C. GREENBERG

Edward C. Greenberg, PC
570 Lexington Ave.
17th Floor
NYC NY  10022
212 697-8777
ecglaw@aol.com
.

Tina