Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]the San Jose Mercury paid $500 last year, so did the Sacramento Bee... > From: "Tim Atherton" <tim@KairosPhoto.com> > Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 15:58:01 -0700 > To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those > God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-) > > > >> Tim: >> >>> They'd need it if the going rate was between $75.00 and $200.00 per job >>> total >> >> If money is such an important issue, then why would you *want* to try to > win >> a job that pays that in its entirety? >> >> I'd think that if money were equated that closely with success, you'd be >> better off working for yourself than somebody else. >> >> What am I missing? > > What you're missing is - there's not much point working for yourself as a > photojournalist if you can't sell your work to a publication.$200 is the > standard assignment rate from the NY Times. The photographers IS working for > themselves as an Independent contractor - this is what the client pays - and > that's now one of the higher rates. A rate that hasn't changed in oh - close > to 20 years, when it was a decent rate. > > This is why you will hear people on here who work in the industry crying woe > about the death of photojournalism as we know it. Can you think of one > really compelling image that came out of the 'war" in Afghanistan? I can't - > why? Apart from US military censorship, virtually no publication will pay > photographers for quality images. Rather, on the whole, you get a large > flock of young, eager photographers willing to work for peanuts - and in the > process, generally producing mediocre images. > > I was looking at my new Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection and his long, > incredible series of images covering the Spanish Civil War (and I am in no > way comparing those two wars...). You would be unlikely to find anyone > paying for a photographer of such caliber to cover any conflict in such > depth today - with one or two possible exceptions. > > My last few assignments for the NY Times have allowed me to negotiate my own > fee - but recently I have turned down jobs at their $200.00 as they stick to > it more an more (and that rate includes all the post-production work - > scanning/editing/Photoshop work and transmitting - all at my expense). More > and more photographers are refusing to accept such rates - which just means > more mediocre images in the end. > > Tim A > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html