Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-)
From: "Tim Atherton" <tim@KairosPhoto.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 15:58:01 -0700
References: <20020213183920.42345.qmail@web10204.mail.yahoo.com> <LNBBLBNFHNEHGFKFMALGMEBAPKAA.tim@KairosPhoto.com> <6mpl6usf9koq40h51cgca2u1q13o86a694@4ax.com>

> Tim:
>
> >They'd need it if the going rate was between $75.00 and $200.00 per job
> >total
>
> If money is such an important issue, then why would you *want* to try to
win
> a job that pays that in its entirety?
>
> I'd think that if money were equated that closely with success, you'd be
> better off working for yourself than somebody else.
>
> What am I missing?

What you're missing is - there's not much point working for yourself as a
photojournalist if you can't sell your work to a publication.$200 is the
standard assignment rate from the NY Times. The photographers IS working for
themselves as an Independent contractor - this is what the client pays - and
that's now one of the higher rates. A rate that hasn't changed in oh - close
to 20 years, when it was a decent rate.

This is why you will hear people on here who work in the industry crying woe
about the death of photojournalism as we know it. Can you think of one
really compelling image that came out of the 'war" in Afghanistan? I can't -
why? Apart from US military censorship, virtually no publication will pay
photographers for quality images. Rather, on the whole, you get a large
flock of young, eager photographers willing to work for peanuts - and in the
process, generally producing mediocre images.

I was looking at my new Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection and his long,
incredible series of images covering the Spanish Civil War (and I am in no
way comparing those two wars...). You would be unlikely to find anyone
paying for a photographer of such caliber to cover any conflict in such
depth today - with one or two possible exceptions.

My last few assignments for the NY Times have allowed me to negotiate my own
fee - but recently I have turned down jobs at their $200.00 as they stick to
it more an more (and that rate includes all the post-production work -
scanning/editing/Photoshop work and transmitting - all at my expense). More
and more photographers are refusing to accept such rates - which just means
more mediocre images in the end.

Tim A



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Replies: Reply from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-))
In reply to: Message from Mike Gil <dtt2150@yahoo.com> (RE: [Leica] The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-))
Message from "Tim Atherton" <tim@KairosPhoto.com> (RE: [Leica] The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-))
Message from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another of those God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist tear again!;-))