Chicago Sun-Times lays off its entire photography staff

Pierre

I have said it in another thread new-flickr-look that eneded up with similar interest: Do some Google searches of "is-the-uk-government-trying-to-kill-of-photographers".

Looks like every locales will have their own law. Sweden will go after those that took the picture of the bridge while the UK firms that want to publish about it just need to google for pleny of usable finds.

The photographer get screwed on both face, risking local prosecutions and seeing their material used as a free lunch.

Symphotic

?...I am of the opinion that a single moment in time will never be replaced by a video......

Msmoto, I believe you have an insight into the workings of the human mind. The single moment in time is recorded in memory much better than a continuous flow of events. Each of us can recall, with great detail, the features of our favorite photographs, but how much detail do we recall from even a short video?

Newspaper photographers have created the icons symbolizing the great events in the history of the 20th century. Can they be replaced with smartphones?

DXV_Photo

Just read an article that the Chicago Sun is going to have there editorial staff take pics using an iPhone.

http://fstoppers.com/chicago-sun-times-starting-reporters-on-iphone-photography-basics

Gitzo

John asks; "What's that situation in the Chicago area? The same general economic problems as we see across the globe or something different? I don't live near the area, hence my question."

@ John; Although we live 200 miles south of Chicago, my wife is from there, so we both read the Chicago Tribune on-line every day; the big "situation" on-going in Chicago that everyone all over the country are talking about, is the ever-escalating amount of gun-related violence on a daily basis; the Chicago area hospitals will have on average, from 8 to 12 gun-shot victims coming to area hospitals, and 3 or 4 murders, almost all caused by hand guns. In spite of these grim statistics, the state of Illinois (and Chicago, by far the largest city in Illinois), has no "concealed carry" law, and the ONLY people in Chicago who ARE armed, are ALL of the street criminals and the Police. Almost every other state does have "concealed carry" laws, and gun related crime is much less. This situation didn't happen "overnight"......it's been building for years and years now, ever since the 1920's.

In addition to all of this, the citizens of Illinois pay among the highest taxes in the whole country, they have had the last 4 Governors end up in prison, ( where the last Governor is "residing" as we speak ); In spite of all of this, Illinois IS a very nice state, and my wife and I will be going there this coming week.

Myrddin

The iphone thing had me as well... Sure you can take a good picture of compelling content like a tornado destroying a house with an iPhone. But most shots aren't like that at all. And if you have proper gear you can pick exactly the right shot rather than just press and hope for the best.

That said Sun Times is not a good newspaper. Its the newspaper Conrad Black went to jail for looting. And it has been losing money since. They are second fiddle to the Tribune. So they are the paper most people expect to go to the wall first in that town.

As a cost saving measure, it makes no sense. Journalists earn an average of $35K, press photographers $56K. It is a much more skilled craft than scribbling. And the reporters aren't going to get more time to take pics as well as report. So the outcome is going to be a bunch of crappy pics and the Sun-Times is going to look like a newsprint blog.

What folk here could learn from this is that being a 'professional' photographer is not as big a deal as many claim. Sorry but the sales of a handful of $6000 super teles apart, amateurs buy the majority of all Nikon products. Most D4s are bought by amateurs, most f/1.4 gold band lenses are bought by amateurs. always has been that way and always will.

MikeGunter

Hi all,

As a cost saving measure, it makes no sense. Journalists earn an average of $35K, press photographers $56K. It is a much more skilled craft than scribbling.

Not quite. Writers are upward bound. Photographers go to editors, too, but fewer positions exist.

Papers, even broadcast outlets, like 'scribbling' folks. There aren't too many people who can find nouns and verbs and tie them together to form sentences to make sense anymore - even failing to have topic sentences in a paragraph.

My best,

Mike

Symphotic

.... There aren't too many people who can find nouns and verbs and tie them together to form sentences to make sense anymore - even failing to have topic sentences in a paragraph.
...

Truer words haint ne'er been spake.

jjdarling

@Gitzo - your description of the issues in Chicago borders between wrong and grossly, irresponsibly oversimplified. I don't think gun violence has much to do with the Sun-Times being run by short-sighted people, but anyway, let's not get political.

The Sun-Times has been a rag for years. The death throes of a failing newspaper will always look different from paper to paper, this one just happens to be slightly more newsworthy.

The state of photography is stronger than ever. People are taking more photos, cameras are better, and MORE people care about making interesting compositions and embracing all sorts of media to create these visuals. This is something to be celebrated. Take a look at the photos coming out of Turkey this past weekend: it's a tragic situation, but the photos from the protests (from amateurs and pros alike) are beautiful, and it's definitely making more people pay attention. Photojournalism is not dying.

Pierre

...Photojournalism is not dying.

No one said it was dying, but rather unpaid...

scoobysmak

I wonder how many of the ones receiving the dreaded "pink slip" will stick with photography or find another career. I am not sure where I read it but agree and think this will hurt all camera companies in the bottom line when its all said and done. Not that the Chicago Sun-Times had 28 Nikon or Canon pro-body cameras but I am sure they had a few. The pro-bodies never sell as many as the consumer models so any reduction in the number of sales here hurts.

Then I wonder if NPS might have a change in heart about the full time status. I am not sure if NPS charges for a membership so it might just reduce the number of members. In the long run, since the camera phone and digital "sharing" have taken over for general photography, you have to wonder where we are headed.

Pierre

Fashion or high-end magazines ya but for newspaper? not sure they need top-of-the line, most likely an old bruised D90 would be plenty. I do not know the ratio but I would suspect amateurs to contribute far more to the manufacturers high-end bottom line.

[Deleted User]

Two interesting links, it is becoming serious.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/03/google-glass-improbable-research

Inhibiting unwanted photography and video recording
https://www.google.com/patents/US8157396

blackfox

first off i,m sorry for the people losing there jobs ,which probably equates =income=home=marriage in that sort of order .but reading the posts it shows what a changing world it is ,here in the good old supposedly democratic u.k the goverment has just put a new law on the statute books ,slipped in under cover of darkness with no chance to organise against it ,in effect we now have NO COPYRIGHT laws at all ,anyone can go to whatever site they choose uplift your photos free of charge and use them and theres not a damn thing you can do about it .and they call it progress

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Ade

Chicago Sun-Times suburban papers to pay just $10 per photo, "give or take":

http://pdnpulse.com/2013/06/chicago-sun-times-suburban-papers-to-pay-10-per-photo-give-or-take.html

Hard to make a living at those rates.

spraynpray

@blackfox: Can you share a source for that? It is news to me and I haven't heard a thing about it since you posted - which I would have thought one would if something like that had gone through.

@Ade: Aimed at people with phones I reckon - we'll see how it goes no doubt. Come to think of it, some newspapers in the UK used to only have a picture or two on the front page and just type inside. Things were better then - no page three or smutty adverts.

rschnaible

@blackfox, please share the source. This is interesting as it has wider implications than just photography. It may / can impact all intellectual property rights.

Ade

Tough times even for freelancers:

https://nppa.org/node/63274

"REUTERS DUMPING NORTH AMERICAN FREELANCE SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHERS

Freelance photographers who have been shooting sports on contract for Reuters in North America started getting phone calls Friday from [Reuters] that their sideline services would no longer be needed as of September 15.

That's because Thomson Reuters has entered into a new agreement with USA Today Sports Images, and USATSI will be providing Reuters with a live feed of all of their sports photographs beginning on that date."

kyoshinikon

...Photojournalism is not dying.

No one said it was dying, but rather unpaid...

I beg to differ... Journalism is a dying art form just as photojournalism. Between press releases, venue pr, and government/law enforcement barriers it takes a good amount of work to even have the opportunity to shoot many events. Sure many happen out in the open but a few a week isn't going to feed the hungry hourly newscycle people demand. For the record I have done and still periodically do photojournalism... It is a rough world. I expect it to get much worse and then bounce back in 10-15 years

MikeGunter

Hi all,

Truer words haint ne'er been spake.

:-)

I beg to differ... Journalism is a dying art form just as photojournalism

In my mind's eye, journalism isn't an art form, although some may have that perception or get that sense from it. It's telling a story objectively and plainly. The facts speak for themselves and are often loud and bold, but still plain.

I might also add, that I don't know of any photographers who arose to became editors-in-chief of magazines or newspapers or periodicals (save of course the specialty magazines) except for me, and I was really out of the game of shooting photography for a long, long time, and I hardly count for much since it was military publications, and I certainly wasn't hired for my photographic background at all.

Photographers, while a substantial contribution to any newspaper or magazine (and some are the focal point), don't generally rise to editorial management.

Good photo editors will work with editors to work out budgets to get photographers where they need to be to get good photos. Logistics don't just happen; they have to be planned and paid for - that's where good photo editors and budgeting comes in. You can have all the talent and equipment, but if you can get a ride to the scene, you'll have to rely on someone else's take.

Costs are what's driving this game, and with the drop in print sales, it's clear what's happening to magazines.

My best,

Mike

spraynpray

I have often wondered why stills aren't taken from high quality video for newspaper print.

Ade

"U.K. newspapers decide photographers aren’t necessary":

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/237112/u-k-newspapers-decide-photographers-arent-necessary/

"Johnston Press’ newspapers in England’s Midlands region will no longer have photographers, Helen Lambourne reports. A source tells Lambourne “the papers would instead rely on freelance photographers, along with increasing use of submitted pictures from readers and reporters taking photos on their phones.
...
Johnston Press owns newspapers throughout the U.K. Greenslade says he’s heard reports that the company plans a similar move in Scotland."

NSXTypeR

By that same fact why do we even need newspapers? We can just have a free blog where everyone can send in their own stories!

Ade

Yeah, at this rate by 2015 all news "articles" will simply be a collection of tweets, and all news photographs will be automatically curated from Instagram. :P

Msmoto

While I am of the opinion this is very sad, it would appear that most of the print news media are going the way of film cameras. Only a very few will survive.

Hopefully, there will be some of our children who will hang onto our heritage and continue to see certain aspects of print as valuable.

I am very grateful to have been at least a very small part of the photo industry when not everyone had a smartphone.