Freebie images in press

Photodiva

Photodiva

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Name
Carol
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Yes
<minor rant>
Yeah, I know its been said before, but having recently been shooting rugby while the football club are playing at away games, I've frequently met up with one of the press snappers (who also comes to the footie) and hes done his shots and goes, I stay for the match. Not bothered personally, as I didn't do it with the intention of submitting to the press (they normally plead poverty and won't pay) so I just happened to check out the last game on one of the local rag's websites to see two really crappy pics, no doubt submitted by someone in the spectators (who stand elevated above the pitch level where I go). These pics from the Rugby match at the weekend are not from the paid press guy, nor me, who were both pitchside.
Just makes me sad that not only do they not want to pay for images, but are prepared to publish crappy ones.
Shame the press don't care about the quality, even on the web. Read today, recycled tomorrow is their view.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/rugby/10263810.Four_missed_kicks_cost_dearly/

<Rant over />
 
Could even have been the guy writing the match report, i know the RL trades writers sometimes take a P&S along with them if its an important game and no one else is covering it, could also be the village idiot who wants to see his name in lights, he'll get a shock when he reads the story as the editor hasn't even given him credit.
 
Yeah, you're probably right. Just annoys me that the website says "send us your news, videos, pictures". Get people to do a job for nothing seems to be the 'norm' these days.
 
Don't take this the wrong way - but rather than whinging about on the internet do something about it. The press these days are under severe financial pressure, so you either need to accept the low/no fee situation or persuade the photo editor that your images will bring in extra revenue and are therefore worth paying for.
 
I had to turn down a photo request from the reginal paper just yesterday, they can't pay freelance photogs, but will give credit.

Sorry but no money no photo, but I'm sure they get somebody who shot the event with a camera phone thinking its a honour to get a photo in the paper.
 
Problem is there is always someone willing to give them pics for free, until that stops them it is a fact of life. One of the reasons I never bothered with press photography when so went freelance, after 10 years as a press photographer.
 
Hi Simon. Paid press sports photography is (I think) the hardest genre to make any money in. Ref the "whinge" it's really more about the awful quality of what gets printed than its done for free. Bout time someone said "were not printing that crap, better get someone who knows what they're doing and pay them" But I stopped believing in Santa Claus long time ago.
 
Yeah its such a shame but as people have already said, aslong as someone out there will give pics for a credit (which we all know only photographers look at) then we will never make a killing from it
 
Carol - I guess what I was trying to get at is that the papers cannot afford to pay for proper photography and will take whatever free images they can get. I am sure the picture editor would love to be able to actually print some great photos, but simply does not have the budget. His role has changed from art critic/editor to Accountant.
 
Milkfloat said:
Carol - I guess what I was trying to get at is that the papers cannot afford to pay for proper photography and will take whatever free images they can get. I am sure the picture editor would love to be able to actually print some great photos, but simply does not have the budget. His role has changed from art critic/editor to Accountant.
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I'm hard pushed to think of a regional or local that still has a proper picture desk, let alone a dedicated picture editor. Most of them have been canned in the purges. At the very most the 'Chief' is acting as a picture researcher.

If the papers don't value their own (editorial) staff then they're hardly going to worry about freelancers or the standard or pictures that get published.

The harsh reality is that paying for spec pictures costs money, whereas publishing user submitted ones generates revenue in the form of copy sales.

There are a few that care about the quality of their imagery, but they are very much in the minority.
 
The Yorkshire post still has a Picture editor!! or at least "on the desk" which is shared between the 2 chief photographers:thumbs:, but on a whole I Ditto Marks comments!, only commissioned/staffers work appears in the Regional papers.
Spec work for anything less than a National is a waste of time nowadays unless you happen upon a news breaking event.

To Answer Carol's rant ;) Local papers are, on the whole, restricted to budgets passed down from their multi national media owners so, they really, no! REALLY do not have anything left for paying large amounts to freelance photographers (yes, the guys that own them do but a budget is a budget?).

My local & Regional Rag has, only just had signed off upgrades from 2006 laptops to modern ones!! + & limited number camera upgrades, (to D3s from D2h), 4 years out of sync!!.
So I guess accepting freebies from game attendants is a way of saving revenue, + the quality produced, (your's excluded Carol), on most modern P&S/low end SLR are much better than some of the old gear still used by the staffers:(,
Canon has just announced the development of a High noise reduced sensor for their HD Cini cameras , (Sky's had this for ages in my opinion!), which will filter down through the products, (a Dx1S & so on down the line?) which adds another nail in the coffin of a professional stills photographers IMHO:shake:.
 
The public doesn't pay for news anymore, so there's little to no money for freelancers to pick up anymore. Editors will cut every corner they can to keep costs down as sales dwindle, and unfortunately images are the first to go. They can get away with running crap probably because the public aren't so discerning these days. At the end of the day few if any readers will write in to complain about the poor images, whereas they are the first to speak up if the written content isn't up to scratch.
 
dafphotographer said:
The public doesn't pay for news anymore, so there's little to no money for freelancers to pick up anymore. Editors will cut every corner they can to keep costs down as sales dwindle, and unfortunately images are the first to go. They can get away with running crap probably because the public aren't so discerning these days. At the end of the day few if any readers will write in to complain about the poor images, whereas they are the first to speak up if the written content isn't up to scratch.
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Spot on David:thumbs:.
I'm glad I lived through the 35mm era!, & the onset of the Digi one but I really don't see a rosey future for freelance sports photographers TBH:shake:.
 
Bluesman graham said:
Spot on David:thumbs:.
I'm glad I lived through the 35mm era!, & the onset of the Digi one but I really don't see a rosey future for freelance sports photographers TBH:shake:.
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Yes, indeed. Which is exactly why I decided ages ago that if I wanted to make any money from photography, it isn't going to be via this route. Shame. But there it is. Hats off to Kipax and those who do.

Got two sports images in the Kent County Photographic Association's Annual Exhibition, one with a 'highly commended' this year. At least there's some recognition, but no crinkly stuff.
 
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how about go down the commercial route - if there is a local garage sponsoring a team, get THEM To pay and issue your pics to the local papers for free, making sure you get their logo clear and visable and uncroppable... this getting them exposure in the form of advertising
 
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