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Portions of this column were originally written for the November edition of News Photographer Magazine.
Mark Loundy is a media producer and consultant based in San Jose, California. Full bio.
The opinions in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Press Photographers Association.
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November, 2002 By Mark Loundy
"The difference between burlesque and the newspapers is that the former never pretended to be performing a public service by exposure."
- I. F. Stone, 1952 A recent E-mail from a magazine invited photographers to submit fashion photo stories for submission. "Unfortunately," said the E-mail, "we are not paying, but it is a good way for more exposure."
On the surface, working for photo credits-only might actually make sense for a rookie shooter who is trying to establish himself in the business. The idea being that future jobs will come as a result of the exposure — along with fat fees. But with the number of neophyte photographers in the industry, photo buyers are hoping that there is always going to be somebody around who is willing to shoot for "exposure." If that happens, the paying jobs will disappear along with our profession. Unless you're shooting for a huge national publication like Vanity Fair or Esquire, the average photo buyer probably won't even see your "exposure." So not only will you have not been paid for your work, you won't even get any promotional value from it. In short, a savvy client will have taken you for a fool. Your portfolio of excellent images and your professional demeanor will do just as well as a tearsheet from a client that won't pay for its own content. There is simply no reason for a photographer — no matter how inexperienced — to work for free.
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Leftovers The Stock Artists Alliance (SAA) is a group well-worth checking out. According to their Web site, their mission is "to protect and promote the business interests of its members with regard to the worldwide distribution of their intellectual property." Photographer and founder Joe Pobereskin says that the SAA is "only global organization dedicated to providing education, advocacy and community for photographers producing rights-protected stock." If they can only accomplish part of their mission statement, they are a major step in the right direction for our industry.
In Memoriam: Many people did not know that George had struggled with juvenile diabetes since he was a child. Because of that, he could not obtain life insurance to secure the futures of his wife and young daughter. Please, take moment to sit down and write a check to support the family of a colleague who gave much of his all-too-brief time to our industry.
You can make checks payable to:
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Copyright © 2002 Mark Loundy All Rights Reserved
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Exposure to a photographer is like hammering is to a carpenter. Exposing film or a sensor to light is an ordinary part of how we do our job. The problem is that more and more clients think that a tearsheet or a photo credit is an acceptable substitute for cash payment.
According to Epictetus (ancient Greek philosopher) "The good or ill of a man lies within his own will." What I want to know is: Will somebody please send me some examples of good client practices?
