Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2015/01/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> On Jan 24, 2015, at 11:30 AM, Greg Rubenstein <gcr910 at gmail.com> wrote: > > The SI and Reuters decisions are disappointing on many fronts. The fact is > the quality of photography, particularly for SI, likely won't suffer. true but, this represents a devaluation of photographers and the services they provide. If these outfits could easily afford it, it's very likely that they would have changed nothing. steve > > Why? > > Rather than foot the expenses for full-time photographers, they'll shift > to contract shooters, using people they know. And they will pay the known > shooters well while dumping the ongoing costs and issues that come with > the responsibilities of maintaining a full-time staff. > > Core editorial staffs across the board are shrinking -- print and online. > Have been for many years. Freelancers for writing, photography, > illustration, design and other functions are increasing in numbers through > this outsourcing. > > This raises a thicket of issues for people working in -- or wanting to > work -- in this arena. Makes a tough business tougher. It's now the age of > the freelancer, agency, collective, consultant, contractor -- whatever you > want to call these people now. > > Sad to see for old-timers such as myself and others who came up through > newspapers and magazines, but it's the way of the 21st century and much of > the new technology we benefit from. > > Many corporations used to have in-house publishing departments with > photographers, designers, illustrators, writers and more (yes, labs and > printing, too). Outsourcing of many of those corporate functions to > agencies or businesses using these skill sets as core business functions > started in earnest in the late 80s. > > Heck, our LUG yearbook through Blurb is, in many ways, a poster child for > what's happening in publishing. > > Greg Rubenstein > > Sent from my iPhone. > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information