252+ Professional Photographers Say Enough Is Enough
In a letter to "potential photo buyers" 252+ self-identified professional photographers outline why they can't "work for free." This letter appears designed as a link that photographers can send to individuals who request the use of images for no monetary compensation.
In a letter to “potential photo buyers” 252 self-identified professional photographers (and counting) outline why they can’t “work for free,” including “Pleas of ‘We Have No Money’ Are Often Difficult to Fathom,” “We Have Time Constraints” and “We Have Real Budget Constraints,” which are only a few of the many notable points on the webpage.
This letter appears designed as a link that photographers can send to individuals who request the use of images for no monetary compensation.
The problems outlined on the website aren’t unique to only photographers and this paragraph should ring true for anyone who has given in and provided something for free:
One other experience we have in common is that when we do provide photographs for free, we often do not receive updates, feedback or any other form of follow-up letting us know how the event or project unfolded, what goals (if any) were achieved, and what good (if any) our photos did.
I think if the internet is going to come to terms with creative professionals and not just creative amateurs, there will have to be a way to resolve this. This is not a copyright issue, this is more than that. Even appropriation artists who use others images, like Richard Price, often forbid and prosecute those who copy their “appropriated” images. No more double standards. Photographers deserve the respect of everyone in the creative field, because they’re right, “you get what you pay for.”
