I just read via a link from one of my photo forums, a very interesting take on the vanishing middle-class photographers, and how technology has opened the flood gates for competition, and the lack of perceived value from the vendor side has impacted our profession. It’s fairly long and packed with comments, but worth a read.
My problem is with unpaid internships, in any industry. I did an internship 6 years ago and from then on I vowed to never work for free again because the amount of work you put into it is worth more than the experience in my book. My time is worth money too, and I don’t think that I am a hack either. I need to eat, and I’m not a trust-fund baby. I dont think it’s fair to those in a lower-income bracket to lose out on opportunities because they need to pay their own bills.
I had a phone interview yesterday in the Bay Area for a photojournalist internship position but they weren’t willing to pay so the conversation ended there. I’m at a crossroads in my life right now, but working for free even for National Geographic, will never be a consideration for me again. I’ve interviewed for paid internships in the past such as Sunset Magazine last year, so I know it’s not an unreasonable request. That’s fine by me. The paper can have their fresh-faced, snapshot, “documentary” photographer kid out of school in that case. I know what I bring to the table and am comfortable with that. That to me is de-valuing photography, and talent in general, as well. If money is such an issue for companies, then they ought to hire the best talent they can find then they woudln’t have to worry about the return on investment. Unfortunately many are too scared.