Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well, Thomas and all my fellow LUGers who think that photographers banding together against the likes of Corbis would make a difference, let me tell you a little story... At some point in the mid-to-late 70s - for give me for forgetting the details here - the members of the Newspaper Guild - reporters, editors, ad salesmen, clerks, etc. - at the Washington Post had been working for some time without a contract, the old one having expired. We wanted to go out on strike, but knew that it was highly unlikely we'd be supported by the other unions, whose picket lines we had crossed during an earlier strike. But some genius in the Guild came up with the concept of "with holding our excellence-" We would simply all stay home and how could "they" possibly put out the paper, or at least the same high quality product WE produced every day, the one all the subscribers expected. So without officially calling a strike, we "with held our excellence." And about two weeks later we all came crawling back to work - because very few people noticed our absence, and even fewer noticed the lack of quality in the paper, which was filled with wire copy and copy written by upper level editors. The moral of the story, sadly, is that excellence rarely means squat to any put those producing it. Photographers withholding their "excellence" from Corbis? In the first place, Corbis already has more stock photos than God. And in the second, if Big Bill Gates were to take 1500 of next June's high school grads, give them each a pair of Nikon D1s with a couple zooms and a few weeks training, he could replace all the "excellent" photographers and no one but the photographers and their friends would know the difference. Am I saying that any monkey can push the button? Not really. What I'm saying is that the average person doesn't know the difference between the monkey and Sabastio Salgado, and could care less. B. D. in a pessimistic mood. \> -----Original Message----- > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Thomas > Herbert > Sent: Monday, October 09, 2000 8:56 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: [Leica] Re: Leica Users digest V18 #82 > > > I strongly disagree that in the real world money is everything. I would > counter with people are everything. Without them (photographers) Corbis > would be nothing. The only reason money seems more powerful is because of > weak-minded photographers who would just love to see their work published > for little or no money, while professionals and advanced amateurs > suffer the > consequences. > > If all photographers took a stand against agencies like Corbis > and said "NO" > they would fall within six months. People who band together for > change have > done some of the most amazing things in history. > -- > Thomas Herbert > Photojournalist > (915) 546-2342 > (915) 485-3018 pager > (559) 677-8961 fax > iphoto@elp.rr.com > http://www.portfolios.com/thomas.herbert > > > > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Leica Users digest) > > Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 18:56:48 -0700 (PDT) > > To: leica-users-digest@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > Subject: Leica Users digest V18 #82 > > > > Quite apart from the photographic issues, the super-rich like Gates are > > _not_ just people. They are the people who set the rules of the game for > > everyone else. > > The kind of power these people yield puts them way beyond being "just a > > person". > > > > In the "real" world, money _is_ everything. > > > > Rob. > > Robert Appleby and Sue Darlow > > Via Bellentani 36 > > 41100 Modena > > Italy > > Tel/fax [39] 059 303436 > >