rss feedEnvironment Agency lands Egg on it’s Face
A dramatic week for the photographic industry. On 13th of January 2010, the Environment Agencies Twitter feed published a call looking for amateur and student photographers in England and Wales interested in works experience.
The Agency was looking for photographers to work for free and supply them with a library of images at no expense to themselves so that they could build up a library of images to do with as they wished. Apart from travel expenses their was no other remuneration offered. A job normally undertaken by professional photographers and paid at commercial rates and under an agreed usage license.
These would not just be happy snaps we are talking about, but as is seen all over the internet, there are some very talented amateurs out there and just to make sure, the agency had requested that potential applicants should send in their CV along with sample images. So they could vet them and only used the very best, to keep the high standard of imagery produced by professionals.
Needless to say it resulted in huge condemnation from organizations representing professional photographers, such as the AOP (association of Photographer) and PI (Pro-Imaging). An ill thought out and negligent request by the Agency, who never even stopped to consider that these amateurs are unlikely to carry any sort of public liability insurance.
The Environment Agencies Facebook page was immediately bombarded with outrage from photographers, and in an attempt to save embarrassment, messages started to be deleted until eventually the whole Facebook page was shut down by the Agency in the evening.
The following morning Alex Ross, head of media events for the Environment Agency, issued a statement, part of which reads ‘ ‘The initial advert could have been better worded to recognise that we will always pay photographers’. However this did not go far enough to categorically say that students and amateurs would be treated fairly and paid a commercial fee.
Following further condemnation PI, eventually received a statement on the 21st January from the Agency which makes the following observations:
1. That amateurs and student photographers will be paid at an agreed rate per normal commercial best practice for their time plus expenses.
2. That the original terms re expenses only remuneration that were sent to applicants responding to the original advert for budding photographers are withdrawn.
3. That those who have replied and accepted work on an expenses only basis will now be paid as noted above for any work offered to them.
This is an unbelievable about turn by a government agency, and after pumping billions of tax payers money to prop up the follies of the banking system. This only further attempts to undermine a substantial part of the UK creative economy, which only smacks of shear desperation.
To read the full story go here www.pro-image.co.uk
