The depressing aspect of all this is the effect it will have on the work of all the other documentary photographers like Sara who, arguably, tell the stories that need to be told about inner city life, but which would never see the light of day if such dedicated individuals were not prepared to invest their time and skills in telling them.
Sadly the effect of this is that the suspicion that will fall upon them will make their work impossible, so the stories that will illuminate the causes of the riots will never see the light of day.
I agree with you strongly, John. And there are enough barriers to entry as it is for photographers, and particularly those like myself who have not studied photography as a degree. I’m somewhat fortunate in that I have an academic and professional background in politics, which informs my work and gives me an advantage in developing my own vision even where it conflicts with responding to market forces, but it’s still immensely tough to figure out how best to make a sustainable career doing what I love and what I feel is important. This judgement and decisions like it just add to the difficulties I’m up against, making the practice of photography more fraught with difficulties, in addition to all the usual pitfalls of the business side of things.
I know photographers are prone to bemoaning the state of the industry, but I do really feel that a strong and liberal society needs to provide a sustainable space for telling the stories that aren’t necessarily front page news or the most politically convenient thing to discuss. I can’t help feeling this decision really encroaches upon that, and does so to the detriment of all of us.
Discussion (2 Comments)
The depressing aspect of all this is the effect it will have on the work of all the other documentary photographers like Sara who, arguably, tell the stories that need to be told about inner city life, but which would never see the light of day if such dedicated individuals were not prepared to invest their time and skills in telling them.
Sadly the effect of this is that the suspicion that will fall upon them will make their work impossible, so the stories that will illuminate the causes of the riots will never see the light of day.
Freedom of the press, or freedom to opress?
I agree with you strongly, John. And there are enough barriers to entry as it is for photographers, and particularly those like myself who have not studied photography as a degree. I’m somewhat fortunate in that I have an academic and professional background in politics, which informs my work and gives me an advantage in developing my own vision even where it conflicts with responding to market forces, but it’s still immensely tough to figure out how best to make a sustainable career doing what I love and what I feel is important. This judgement and decisions like it just add to the difficulties I’m up against, making the practice of photography more fraught with difficulties, in addition to all the usual pitfalls of the business side of things.
I know photographers are prone to bemoaning the state of the industry, but I do really feel that a strong and liberal society needs to provide a sustainable space for telling the stories that aren’t necessarily front page news or the most politically convenient thing to discuss. I can’t help feeling this decision really encroaches upon that, and does so to the detriment of all of us.