[Leica] was:flowers of the street. now Paying!

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@islandnet.com>]

Eric Welch wrote:

<<<<Paying for the privilege of taking a picture only hurts photographers
to come, by creating an expectation for it. And photojournalists should
never pay for making pictures, any more than they should take money to put
someone in their publication.>>>>

G'day Eric,

Paying only encourages folks to "get money" if they have their picture
taken. Once they have that idea in their mind it's almost impossible to
shoot as a photojournalist doing a legitimate photo essay.

Example: Photographing Eskimos/Inuit in the Arctic of Canada at one time
was a great, you went about your assignment, never any hands out.

Then the advent of "Explore the undiscovered outposts of the Arctic!" by
the southern folks with lots of money. Damn and the next time I went north
on a health related project every one had their hand out or I was being
told, "You have to pay them if you want to photograph them."

Hell what happened was these dummy tourists were paying them a $1.00 and
more, if they didn't have a dollar in their pocket, to have a picture
taken.  So the message was, "If I have my picture taken I'll get money!"
ERGO! the damn hand was out to anyone with a camera.

Paying when it's a real time phojournalistic assignment one should keep
their money to themselves! As should the damn tourists. However today many
of the  indigenous people of the world have become very demanding of money
if you point a camera in their direction. Tourist or working
photojournalist.

Sure if they are asked to pose and go out of their way to "act as models,"
then sure enough pay them and pay them well for their services, as you
would any models. But don't go handing out money indiscriminately just to
get a bloody happy snap souvenir.  Buy postcards!

If we're talking "homeless" better to buy them a coffee or lunch than just
giving them money.  But after you've got pictures that they didn't know you
were taking. Pay first? Nope, breaks the complete real time scene and
posing kicks in and the moment of motivating truth is gone.
ted

Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant