The State of the Industry

I don't want to be one of these photography bloggers that only complains about the business side of things. I mean when it comes down to it, I get paid to do what I love. Nothing could be better than that. But, certain things do need to be said. And, at a time, when so many of us are sitting at home desperately waiting for the phone to ring, it's important to remind ourselves that certain jobs should be turned down. Case in point: I received the following from a reputable magazine in London (all identifying info removed):

I have seen your website and wanted to get in touch with regards to possibly shooting for us.

We are about to update our guide to Washington and need to photograph a selection of 80 places (restaurants, shops, hotels and some sights) for our new edition. The places featured will be chosen by our editor and we will also want to photograph 2 areas outside of Washington which visitor could do as a day trip. We would provide you with a shoot list by August 14th and would need the photos by September 18th. The overall fee is £2400, and an additional £200 if you are also happy to photograph the 2 trips.

Our photographers have to be "good all rounders" as we need pretty much everything photographed across a guide: interiors, exteriors, sights, people, details, nightlife etc. We require a choice of 10-15 images per place (different angles, exteriors, interiors, details etc). Most photographers take around 2 weeks for this but you would have up to 4 weeks (we pay a set fee so it's up to the photographer how they work).

I should also say that Foo Magazine Company retains the copyright to the images, which is mainly as some of our magazines sometimes need to re-use the photos or we may also need to re-use some in other guides. If this all sounds interesting to you, I'd love to hear from you!

Many thanks,
Some Photo Editor

So, let's recap here. Converting from pounds to dollars, this comes to $3966.24, divided by 80, means they are paying $49.58 per location. That barely covers mileage and parking (remember these are locations in DC). And, they want us to do this in two weeks. Well, if we include weekends, 80 divided by 14, means we have to shoot about 6 locations per day! That might be OK, if they didn't want us to shoot "pretty much everything... interiors, exteriors, sights, people, details, nightlife, etc." Oh, and one more minor detail, they want the copyright! OK, I know this is editorial. And, we photographers are used to being told what the rates are in these cases. But, this is ridiculous. And, an even sadder fact is that they will find someone to do it, further dragging down the market.

I implore all photographers to think twice before taking jobs like these, even if tough times, because once we do, there is no going back.

65th Anniversary of D-Day

This may be old news by now, but here are some good shots by a familiar photog: faces of d-day

Vendor Client Relationship

All of us photographers that frequently feel guilty and back down on our pricing should watch this:

Vendor Client Relationship

NY Times Photoblog

For those of you who live under a rock, the New York Times has just launched a new photoblog called lens. Not only is it pretty impressive to view in full-screen mode, but the pictures aren't bad either. Definitely, check it out!

No Second Chances...

There is an interesting article and comment thread on "A Photo Editor," about the harsh world of editorial photography. The gist is the main reason to not get a call back is a screw up and once you're done, your done. That is probably true with a given client, and especially with higher end clients. But, I don't think one screwed up job ends your days as a photographer. And, I would like to meet the photographer that has never screwed up. Of course, the best way to get a call back is consistent good work, but it takes practice to get there... A wise man once told me, never believe anyone that always tells you your pictures are awful, and never believe anyone that always tells you your pictures are great.

Non-profit Newspapers?

An interesting article in the Boston Globe on the future of dying newspaper industry.

Get out and shoot!

Occasionally, I start to feel complacent, thinking I'm doing a good job, making a decent living, taking nice pictures. Then, I come across someone with really powerful work and I doubt myself. I remember my journalistic roots, and my dreams of shooting something really meaningful. This happened recently when someone forwarded me a link to Aperture's "Photography with Purpose." In particular, I was moved by a story on Rwandan children born of rape (follow the link below to see some of the photos).

http://www.torgovnik.com/

The photographer -- Jonathan Torgovnik -- is very, very good. Every time I see images that affect me on such a visceral level, I feel like I just need to get out and shoot, and not worry so much about making a living.