Here is an interesting statement from the editor at Getty Images in regards to payment for photojournalists. I thought those of you that have been involved in this money issue debate that we have been discussing for the past few days might be interested in reading it: "While I agree that there is a serious problem with work for photojournalists, I disagree that Getty Images is behind the decline in work for freelancers. Actually, I believe the opposite is true. The fact is that we probably give more work to freelance photojournalists than the major weekly US news magazines combined, not to mention more than any of the traditional agencies. We are also hiring staff photographers rather than laying them off like most other organizations. The decline in magazine assignment work and accompanying financial woes for the agencies came years before Getty Images began operating its news division as a wire service a little more than two years ago. Agencies and photographers have been losing editorial assignment work steadily for at least 5 years. I am proud to be able to provide a realistic income for the hard working photographers I am humbled to work with on a regular basis such as Ami Vitale, Paula Bronstein, Scott Nelson, and Chris Hondros to name a few. The fact is that most magazines no longer provide a steady income for even a fraction of the good photographers they once did. Additionally, the local shooters in foreign countries, armed with the internet and digital capability, have become more visually sophisticated, diminishing the need to parachute a western photographer in to get good coverage. The agencies filled a void, but now the wires, including Getty Images, have risen to the competition and improved their standards in terms of photography and depth of coverage. The quality bar has, in effect, been raised. The average freelance dayrate and space rates at the news magazines stands roughly at where it was ten or twenty years ago, and the number of those dayrates given out, as well as the amount of space devoted to foreign news pictures, has dwindled to a mere fraction of what it once was. I learned from my Gamma-Liaison days that agencies and photographers can't stay in business waiting by the phone for magazines to give them a call for an assignment or guarantee. What Getty Images and the wires are offering photographers is a chance to do some real photojournalism, earn money and get work in an industry where most magazines and newspapers are laying off staff, cutting freelance budgets, and devoting less and less space to news photography. It is generally the same photographers who used to be represented by the agencies who now work for the wires (Getty Images included). By contrast these photographers are digitally savvier, have the financial backing to cover their expenses (even sometimes jumping on a plane to cover a big story), and are guaranteed a paycheck. It may not be for everyone, but works well for some of those desiring sure income. I know demonizing Getty Images has become somewhat of a popular pastime for some photographers affected by the unfortunate climate in the industry, but let's consider more carefully where we put the blame: perhaps some of it lies on publications that were once considered the vanguards of photojournalism but no longer devote the budgets or space on news photography as they did in the past. Getty Images is easily scapegoated in your article for the decline in assignment work for photojournalists, but I believe the reality is that Getty Images' business model is a response to the decline of freelance work, not the cause of it." Patrick Whalen International News Assignments Editor Getty Images News Services Leslie Spurlock <A HREF="http://lesliescottphotography.com/";>Leslie Scott Photography</A> <A HREF="http://www.lesliescottphotography.com/phototours.htm";>Leslie Scott Photography and Tours</A> 1-888-381-0854 lscottpht@aol.com
