Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/02/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ahh - the good old Bee - they are known as one of the best newspaper employers in the country and long may the continue to be so! And a damn good paper too - valuing their employees shows in the product. Something many others in the business have forgotten.(Can you believe there is a thread on the NPPA list right now about newspapers that require their staff photographers to buy, maintain and insure their own equipment - and we are talking Nikon D1's etc...) They have always paid above average rates for stock too on the few occasions they have bought some from us. tim > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Patricia > Ternahan > Sent: February 13, 2002 4:44 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: The Decisive Moment or...sounds like another > ofthose God Damn commie photographers is on some sort of socialist > tearagain!;-) > > > the San Jose Mercury paid $500 last year, so did the Sacramento Bee... > > > From: "Tim Atherton" <tim@KairosPhoto.com> > > Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 15:58:01 -0700 > > To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > > 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!;-) > > > > > > > >> 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 > > > > > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html