Freebie F/Os II
For the myopic among us: this from the NY "Everyday Ethics: - Randy Cohen. .. .An amateur photographer, I occasionally offer my photos to. . a small professional journal. I enjoy seeing them in print. . and don't care that I'm not paid. A friend, a professional. . photographer, argues that I shouldn't provide free photos. . because I unfairly take jobs from professionals who depend. . on payment for their livelihoods. Should I ask to be paid?. . *******(poster's deletion, Boston . .. . You have the right to offer your work at any price you. . choose. You could, for example, walk a friend's dog,. . although there are professional dog walkers in the world.. . However, this question also concerns the effect of your. . actions on your friend. Were all amateurs to do as you do,. . there would be a race to the bottom, imperiling all. . professional photographers. . .. . If photographers compete on the quality of their work, a. . result will be better photographs -- happiness. If they compete. . by ruthlessly cutting their fees, a result will be impoverished. . photographers -- misery -- and, eventually, no professional. . photographers at all. . .. . Are the joys of publication sufficient to justify undermining. . your friend's ability to make a living? For me, the answer is. . no. Looked at this way, you should ask the journal to apply. . its own policies consistently and to treat you as it does other. . photographers -- that is, pay you. . .. . If the journal rejects your pictures unless it gets them for. . nothing, your self-esteem might be bruised -- a painful but. . rarely fatal injury -- but you'll discover the real value the. . journal places on your photos. That way, you can improve if. . need be and shed the sobriquets ''vanity press photographer''. . and ''treacherous ego-crazed so-called friend.'' . .. . Randy Cohen's book, ''The Good, the Bad & the Difference:. . How to Tell Right from Wrong in Everyday Situations,''. . based on this column, has just been published by. . Doubleday.