There are many staff jobs available for editors and writers but none for photographers.
Well, almost none.
The only photo jobs are those for department store portrait studios, baby photographers and school photographers. These three are always looking for photographers which tends to indicate the quality of these jobs.
• There’s a new business magazine about to start up in Toronto. It has full-time paid job opportunities for editors, writers, designers and web people. What’s missing? Photographers.
Yes, the magazine is looking for photographers but these positions will be unpaid. The magazine does hint that it might consider some sort of honorarium for the photographers.
• There’s a new online “city magazine” in Toronto. This business is looking for paid staff: editors, writers, bloggers and designers. It’s also looking for photographers but only photographers who will work for free.
• [Added August 2015] A new Toronto-based online fashion magazine is about to launch. It describes itself as “Think Vogue meets Cosmo with a touch a Flare.” In its search for photographers, the magazine says, “We all need to make money…” but its photographers will be unpaid “internships” who have to work for the magazine on contract. A contract for $0. The photographers must shoot stills and video and must help the magazine become successful. All for $0. Yes, these “internships” are illegal.
Let’s recap:
Editors, writers and designers need only the clothes on their back and they get paid for their work.
Photographers must arrive with at least $20,000 worth of cameras and computer equipment and must also have a car, and they don’t get paid for their work.
What’s wrong with this picture?
There’s something really wrong with how businesses view photographers. Technology has also placed very capable cameras in consumer hands. So any image that kinda tells the story is ok, who needs a pro to capture “the image” that really tells the story right? Sad. Even worse in 2015 :(