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Okay, I’m that friend and I’m stepping forward and calling it. “Photojournalism: time of death 11.12. GMT 1st August 2010.” Amen." was written by Neil Burgess photographer and who runs his own picture agency, NB Pictures. which was quoted in article on the Editorial Photographers UK website
I am starting to see articles like this almost on a weekly basis..."photojournalism is dead,""newspapers are dead,""The broke photojournalist" and "magazines are dying." I have decided that I am not longer reading these articles as I feel that they are just a way for people who are stuck in their old ways and not willing to get with the changes of the industry and the way a photographer markets themselves. So they decided that they have to complain and make it seem like that everyone in photojournalism school should drop out and get a job at Burger King, because they will make more money.
James Estrin wrote a great piece about the new cooperative Luceo Images and how these young and upcoming photographers have a good business sense and making good money doing what they love in the New York Times Lens blog.
I could go on paragraph after paragraph talking about how the ways that photojournalist can save the industry, how we only shoot for the respect for other photojournalist and not the consumer. We are in the business of sales, like it or not and you have to sale what the consumer wants. Yes that not might be the story about a starving family in India..instead it might be about a feature piece on a celebrity and their new movie. Even great photographers like Christopher Morris is doing stories on Taylor Swift and Ashton Kutcher.
So I am calling it..photojournalism is not dead...it is alive and well. So go out figure out what the consumer wants to read and shoot that to pay the bills. Every artist has those personal projects that they close dear to their heart. I am not saying give up on those..but realize that it might bring home the bacon. Sometimes its the most cheesiest stories that bring home the biggest paychecks.
