Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/05/07

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Subject: The state of PJ Today - was: BD's Re: [Leica] So for... -
From: s.dimitrov at charter.net (Slobodan Dimitrov)
Date: Sun May 7 21:06:40 2006
References: <6.2.3.4.2.20060507185618.02af53e8@mail.rhtc.net> <C0840A2C.104A9%bdcolen@comcast.net> <6.2.3.4.2.20060507230801.02d2bb38@mail.rhtc.net>

I also agree with what's been said by your, and B.D.'s, more rational  
commentary.
I was asked to do a presentation about my job at a local high school  
for career day a few weeks ago.
I don't think that the teacher was expecting my bluntness about  
photography as a poor career choice.

Slobodan Dimitrov
Studio G-8,
Angels Gate Cultural Center
http://sdimitrovphoto.com





On May 7, 2006, at 8:15 PM, Tina Manley wrote:

> B.D.   I agree with everything you say.  Every time I'm asked to  
> speak at a school about photography as a profession, I tell them  
> exactly what you are saying.  But many young kids still see  
> photojournalism as a glamorous profession where you get paid to  
> travel and do what you love.  That photographer who busts her hump  
> on a story might get more photos seen if enough people go to a  
> gallery or web site, but she doesn't get paid any more and the  
> recognition doesn't put food on the table, buy memory cards, or pay  
> her health insurance.  I advise the kids to only go into  
> photography if they absolutely can't do anything else and live.
>
> Tina
>
> At 08:33 PM 5/7/2006, you wrote:
>> And there's nothing new, Tina, about the fact that photographers -  
>> and
>> reporters - are not paid extra for the work they do as paid  
>> employees when
>> that work is reused. Yes, there's a lot of work out there for  
>> which people
>> don't get paid - there always has been. Do you think that Eugene  
>> Richards
>> makes squat doing his documentary work? If you do, you're living  
>> in fantasy
>> land; he makes his money doing advertising work and other  
>> commissioned work
>> to support his real work - same with almost any documentary  
>> photographer you
>> can name, and it's essentially always been that way. The thing  
>> that has
>> definitely changed is that there are far, far fewer staff photo  
>> jobs these
>> days, particularly at magazines. But many papers do have slide  
>> shows, photo
>> galleries, displaying work - and in the past that outlet didn't  
>> exist. A
>> photographer could bust her hump on a story, over a period of  
>> months, and
>> end up with, if she was really lucky, a half-dozen photos in the  
>> paper. Now
>> she can have those photos in the paper, and have a gallery,  
>> perhaps with
>> sound, on line.
>>
>> Being a photographer - if we're talking about freelancers - has  
>> always been
>> a really tough way to make a living, and teaching, or having some  
>> other way
>> to supplement the photo income has always been a smart idea.
>>
>>
>> On 5/7/06 7:07 PM, "Tina Manley" <images@InfoAve.Net> wrote:
>>
>> > At 05:28 PM 5/7/2006, you wrote:
>> >> Actually, I'd like to suggest that the advent of the web has  
>> caused a
>> >> blossoming of PJ work, and has given photographers at virtually  
>> every size
>> >> newspaper opportunities they really never had before to do  
>> interesting work.
>> >>
>> >> B. D.
>> >
>> > And they are being paid a living wage to post on the internet?  Who
>> > is paying them?  Do they retain the rights to their photos?  
>> There are
>> > thousands of blogs - some of them have wonderful photos from great
>> > photographers who are posting them at their own costs with the hope
>> > that someone will see them.  How long can they continue to do that
>> > without pay?  There are also web sites for most newspapers, which
>> > many times post the articles but no photos.  If there are  
>> photos, are
>> > they copyrighted by the photographer?  It's an exception if they
>> > are.  It has become accepted practice that photojournalists are not
>> > paid extra for web use.  Ask any newspaper photographer.  There are
>> > more photos out there than ever before, but nobody is getting paid
>> > for them.  The microstock agencies are proliferating like fleas and
>> > selling all rights to all photos for pennies.  It's not a good time
>> > to be photographer unless you have another source of income like  
>> teaching.
>> >
>> > Tina
>> >
>> > Tina Manley, ASMP, NPPA
>> > http://www.tinamanley.com
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Leica Users Group.
>> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more  
>> information
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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Replies: Reply from gwpics at googlemail.com (Gerry Walden) (The state of PJ Today - was: BD's Re: [Leica] So for... -)
In reply to: Message from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) (The state of PJ Today - was: BD's Re: [Leica] So for... -)
Message from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) (The state of PJ Today - was: BD's Re: [Leica] So for... -)
Message from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) (The state of PJ Today - was: BD's Re: [Leica] So for... -)