Comments on: Choosing Photos

By: il futuro dei giornali (e dei fotografi editoriali) « il fotografo laterale - blog di Paolo Nobile

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:47:40 +0000

[...] nostrani, soprattutto se all’inizio della carriera. Per avere un punto di vista diverso. In uno dei suoi post ha scritto, al fondo, questa [...]

By: scott Rex Ely

scott Rex Ely — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:54:09 +0000

Not this info isn’t stellar, I think it applies to a different context . I can’t help but think that risks are prevalently taken in good times and during economic conditions similar to the one were in now, along with the current anemic status of the industry, the old safe”senior” way will rule even more so.

By: Jan

Jan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:38:32 +0000

“There is no future for magazines that don’t challenge and surprise their readers with original sophisticated imagery.” Which is a surprise the biggest most well known (I wont mention any names butcha know who they are) are still around showing the same *@#$# year in year out…

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:21:57 +0000

Thanks Rob! Great to see I’m not alone in this ongoing battle! Cheers,

By: Alexis Evanoff

Alexis Evanoff — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:56:55 +0000

Hear! Hear! That was an awesome post!

By: Reader

Reader — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:32:42 +0000

Sounds like the Dan Winters “deliver one frame” approach would solve this problem entirely.

Look to the Editor, and say, “Uh, we can use this good one, or uh, this good one”.

Problem solved.

By: Robbie McClaran

Robbie McClaran — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:54:12 +0000

Not that I would ever employ such tactics (ahem), but this seems like a primer on how a photographer could convince a picture editor the pictures you delivered, that were nothing like the ones they requested, are in fact superior.

By: Courtenay

Courtenay — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:01:57 +0000

Thank you for this post…as a brand new PE at a small publishing company, in my first month (January) I was convinced I was going to be fired every day cause I had opinions…

Lots of writers in charge here, and photo has always been an afterthought, it seems. As a photog, it saddens me to be in situation to bargain with folks I want to hire, but I figure its an excellent opportunity to advocate as well…as long as I have the patience for the fight.

I was just lamenting these points last night with a friend on the phone, and I was amused to find that you recommend base manipulation to get your way…I’m starting to see that’s how I’m going to keep my job and keep my lunch.

By: A Photo Editor

A Photo Editor — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:12:59 +0000

@andy anderson,
yeah, well I talk a big game… it’s always easier said than done.

By: andy anderson

andy anderson — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:39:29 +0000

people can never call you a pushover Haggart, the good PE’s always go for the good fight. great post!

By: aaron m fraser

aaron m fraser — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:16:29 +0000

Fantastic!

By: Adrian

Adrian — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:09:28 +0000

Excellent information, it’s a good way to see how the photography is changing of old stereotypes, it’s a nice method to redefine the concept of photography in these days!
Great and useful post

By: Andras Bartok

Andras Bartok — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:04:01 +0000

Yeah, this piece is really good… have you thought about becoming a life-coach?

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:52:40 +0000

I spent my editorial career as a writer and all the tactics you mention could be applied to editorial content as well. I never had many problems with images — probably because the expectations for writers with cameras were so low that any identifiable image was considered a win.

Maybe this one would fit under your “withholding” category but the tactic of “planned rejection” is also useful. If you are working with an editor who always has to change something, deliberately give them something that needs minor adjustment. That way you wind up making trivial changes vs. starting from scratch.

Also things always get more acceptable as the deadline approaches. If you know your original work is going to be rejected, submit it just a tad early (so you get the brownie points for submitting things on time), let them reject it, then wait until the last second to submit your revisions. I had one editor where I rarely even made edits — just wait until 10 minutes before the deadline and resubmit my original. It always seemed to be “much better” 10 minutes before the deadline.

By: Finn O'Hara

Finn O'Hara — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:06:19 +0000

This reads like a chapter out of a seminal “How To Photo Edit” book.
Well done.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:36:09 +0000

best piece you’ve posted!

By: the future of magazines « Paolo Nobile’s blog

the future of magazines « Paolo Nobile’s blog — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:23:09 +0000

[...] Tagged future, magazines, photography Rob Haggart: [...]

By: ct

ct — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:02:35 +0000

thanks, this is nice.
…’meteorological conditions’.. hehe