As a trained visual journalist, I fully understand and respect my peers ability to tell stories with their lens. This is the core of what we do. The problem I see with the current state of the industry is the fact that the value of a good story has become far less important than an editors ability to buy pretty, cheap, stock images. Is it like this everywhere? No, but I see this as an ever increasing trend. If VJ’s want to survive and support themselves exclusively through their craft they have to be able to do many different things. They need to educate, adapt and increase their skill set to the point where amateur photographers cannot compete. In essence, we need to re-brand ourselves as Multimedia Journalists that are able to take a good picture, shoot quality video and record stellar audio.

One of the great joys, and defining factors for me, about working as a photojournalist in print, has not only been a matter of control or a sole vision, like one necessarily has, when defining one’s own personal documentary work, for books or exhibition. But lies in the very creative interaction, and collaborative role one plays within an editorial team, when doing a story with magazines. Editor, photo-editor, journalist, art director and photographer all have their distinct roles to play in editing the final outcome. Producing a multimedia piece should not be so different, however like film, there has to be one director whose overall vision defines the work, perhaps that can sometimes be the photographer, or the journalist, or an editor, but for sure, that role has to be evident from the outset.

There is a feeling with the qualities of film, in its color palette, which is hard to find in digital, and part of it is also about a discipline when shooting and a way of seeing which is defined by the camera format and viewfinder. And is not helped in any way by the plethora of banal images that dominate the internet, from amateurs and pros alike. Didn’t we cross similar bridges, have similar discussions, with the transition from b/w to color? It took me such a long while to cross that rubicon, and the same applies to digital. A different medium but by no means less.

I think quality storytelling is often stronger in collaboration with others, and should be democratic communication aimed at the widest audience. Galleries and books afford a real luxury, an intimate communication, something to be touched and touch people, but it’s hard for these spaces not to be elitist, unless you are really taking the work in grassroots spaces to communities who might not have access to the web

Thanks

Nigel

Rob
The Rights Exposure Project

Thank you so much for your article; it is a refreshing attitude to me a lot!
Hope I can return your attention and kindness.

All my best
Ali