A big statement, especially for someone who’s invested a large sum of money into a fancy MA, spent two years studying and traveling and then spent even more on a final project and show. There is, however, a big sense of relief that i’ve come to my senses.

My style of photography is different. Many might not like it, I might never get accepted into any photo agency and the frustration of dealing with photo editors, who just couldn’t be arsed about you or your work, is a futile exercise. I read Laurence Kim’s, a photographer and business man, sobering truths about making a career out of photography and the epiphany occurred: Daniel this is not for you.

I count many amazing photographers as good friends and I respect the fact they are doing what they do, what they love doing, they are much stronger beings than me, that’s for sure. The overall attitude in the photography industry is strange. You have the buyers, who are no doubt overwhelmed by the sheer volumes of photographers baying for their pound of flesh,  to the consumers of the medium, who baulk at paying for anything in this age of always on and instantly free and available.

There are articles that big publications take what they want for free, even when the photographer has said they can’t use them without paying for them.  If you knew what most big name photographers get paid for images, you’d laugh and think they were all bloody mad. I guess the more I look into it, with a clear head, the more I realise this isn’t what I should be doing.

So, as a result, I’ve decided to put two fingers up at the industry and move away from even trying to earn a single penny. I don’t need to. What I will be doing is shooting images and projects that interest me. If publications want to use them, I’ll let them use them on terms I dictate and I don’t give a monkeys what others think. Shoot for free, actually give time to others, for free, just because you can.

Greed is a big issue in todays society, everyone wants their slice of the pie and at 35, I’m in a position where I don’t need to jostle for small tidbits. Moving back to the UK has woken me up, I’ ve got some good projects lined up and I’m excited about what’s happening over the next twelve months.

Now, back to editing the last two projects…

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A big thanks has to go out to Alix-Rose for the questions and giving me a chance to appear on the blog.

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So much work was put into this show, I underestimated how much is really required to put together a show. A massive thanks has to go out to my fellow LCC’ers who really took control, Yolanda, Ivy and Amelia, much love towards you all right now (and others of course).

There was always that niggly feeling that only a few would turn up, but how wrong was I when the flood started at 6pm (30 mins before the actual opening). From then on, they just came and came.

I had a good chat with Simon Norfolk and got to finally meet Mr David Campbell, which was a highlight for me. Too often in this virtual life we all seem to lead, you forget how good it is to actually speak to someone face to face.

Seeing the work on offer and how everyone’s final projects turned out was an immensely proud moment, it really looked amazing, even if I am biased.

The beer all went, I think we had one bottle left and from all accounts, a good night was had by all. Thanks to my wife, I actually have pictures to show. Yup, bloody photojournalist who didn’t take pictures, honestly!

The exhibition will run until May 24, Mon – Wed & Fri – Sat 12.00 to 17.00. Would be great if you found time to have a look at the diverse projects we have all shot.

Update:

Phil Coomes, Picture Editor at the BBC, has kindly written about the show last night and featured some of our work. There is just something amazing about having your work on the BBC, a feeling of job well done Thanks Phil!

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The Independent ran an article on the show today, for those in the uk, it’s on page three.

The projects on show are as diverse in subject and style as they are in geographical location. Works range from a study of Socotra (a remote island off the coast of Yemen) and a look at the disappearing culture of South African Bushmen to a psychogeographical investigation of the North and South Circular roads in London, via sea nomads of Indonesia, and Asian teenagers in the UK to name a few of the projects.

Participating photographers are Yolanda Crisp, Daniel Cuthbert, Ivy Lahon, Greg Laychak, James Morgan, Nektarios Markogiannis, Claudius Schulze, Amelia Shepherd, Alice Smeets and Darrin Zammit Lupi

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Big thanks must go out to Phil Coomes and the BBC team.

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As Tomas mentioned in his blog post, ‘New funding models, Part V – Crowd funding, The Good, The Bad and The Awkward‘ he outlines the cons to each different approach. These range from no updates once the money has been given to poor communication of ideas and approaches.

I spent the later part of the ’90′s working in the DotCom boom. As stupid as that phase was for recklessness and get rich quick schemes, I was experiencing why most projects failed, and feel some of this experience could now help photographers looking at using the Internet as a new source of direct funding. These ideas are my ideas, my experiences working with some of the success stories of the DotCom period and some of the failures.

• 1: Planning is key

I cannot tell you how many silly ideas I get told about on a monthly basis from those wanting to make money using the Internet. They all suffer from one fatal flaw and that’s a complete lack of planning. If you are attempting at asking for financial support, you had better ensure your plan is water-tight. Sit down with a pen and pad and really work out your roadmap. Yes you are a creative person, you take amazing images and can tell stories but how well does your business plan stack up? Can you handle awkward questions from those you seek funds from? If not, or if you get defensive, you are doomed to fail.

Ask yourself one vital question – Why should anyone give me money? (ask your partner, a trusted friend. If you cannot convince them, your plan is flawed so start again)

• 2: Focus.

What exactly are you doing? Why should anyone invest in your plan? What makes you different to John who has a Canon 5d and is a part-time photographer? As we’ve seen with some recent crowd funding projects, they were not completely focused, leaving many wondering what they were investing in (trips to the Middle-East or retreats?).

Too often the plan looses focus.

• 3: Original ideas are always more refreshing.

If there is one thing the disaster in Haiti showed the world, it was that the public get bored of a subject quickly if everyone is doing it. Your idea should be original, no-one wants to invest in something that has already been seen before. See point 2 about focus!

• 4: Your investors are not stupid

They might not fully understand photojournalism or the struggles we go through to produce content, but writing them off as stupid and still seeking financial help is not the way to go. People ask questions, you respond in a suitable manner by sticking to your plan. See number 1, this plan is the basis of your funding request.

• 5: People are scared to give money to people they don’t know.

Who are you to ask for money? Before you go public with your plea for help, it really does help to have an online presence. Updated websites, stories already produced, publications willing to put their trust into you.

• 6: Financial break-down

You will most likely be asking for a certain figure. It doesn’t help any investor if you just say “i’d like X amount please” without giving some idea as to what the amount covers. Is it just for you to produce the project? Does it take into account air fares or post production? Are investors looking at also funding your mortgage whilst you are away or do you require new equipment. Transparency, to a certain degree, is key.

• 7: Milestones.

Once the investor has agreed to fund your project, there needs to be milestones drawn up to so that they see when the results will come in. As Tomas pointed out, many failed to stick to this rule. What happens once you return? How long will the investor get access to the content before it goes public? will it go public?

I hope these seven points help those thinking about crowd funding. If there is one thing that is certain, it’s that we need to collectively think of a manner in which to keep photojournalism alive and sustainable for the future. If we, as photographers, just started thinking more about the business side of photography and not just the creation side, we might be in a better position than we are now.

I welcome your comments.

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I’ve always been in awe of those who have proper jobs, you know, jobs that actually mean something. Maybe it’s to do with my old man who’s been responsible for a large chunk of Southern Africa’s mines and chemical plants from a engineering/design perspective.

Forget shuffling paper around on a desk, don’t think answering your blackberry is a job, real people get their hands dirty and make a difference.

With this in mind, and the fact South Africa has some of the most dangerous roads in the world. Only this last season did we see over 1100 people loose their lives to reckless driving, drunken driving and general disregard towards road safety. This has always been on my mind, heading out for my rides as I do in the early morning, I see the carnage and end-results of no doubt some fatal accident that had previously taken place.

I wanted to highlight the work that the unsung heroes do, those who rush around at all hours of the day to get to the scene and make sure the victims are stable. I’ve partnered up with ER24, here in Durban, and spent a friday night with the team.

I’m hoping, if they’ll put up with me and my countless questions, I can gain a further understanding of what they do. As one of the chaps said to me last night as we were rushing to a MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident)

Yes it’s tiring but I know when I get in the car and turn on those lights, I’m making a difference to someones life.

The best part about it is, it’s all about the patients at the end of the day. No matter what colour you are, your social standing or where you live, their aim is to ensure you get the required medical treatment there and then. For a country that’s had such a struggle with colour and integration, this is a refreshing change.

From a technical perspective, I feel this could be challenging. Before, my subjects always knew my intentions and were happy for me to take their picture. In this instance, I will be a voyeur, invading someones most desperate time in need. I’ll be aware of this every single time I climb out of the support vehicle. Thankfully the team are incredibly supportive, it’s actually refreshing to be given such access and knowledge right from the start.

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I laughed heavily when I read that this could be “..a unique bond between photojournalists and their audience.” Really? unique bond? Has photojournalism seriously stooped so low that they now have to collectively resort to begging using web 2.0 techniques in order to survive?

Don’t get me wrong, I realise that as an industry right now, we are collectively in the shitter when it comes to anyone trying to make a decent living. Papers and publications are paying less every month that goes by. You have collectives that are the talk of the town but in reality not exactly great business models (hey when you don’t have a mortgage, car, rent, family, possessions, 100 US a day is a lot) and more amateurs offering pretty decent content for free, the future isn’t bright.

So one has to ask, is adopting the virtual begging bowl, or the fancier crowd funding, method the only way to go?

Emphas.is launched with much fanfare in the blog’osphere with their statement that

It proposes a unique bond between photojournalists and their audience, and in the process aims to create a new financial model for photojournalism in the 21st century.

A very strong statement, especially when you take into consideration how poor many photographers have been from a business sense. The aim is to give you, the funder, exclusive access to the worlds top photojournalists. Ok great you say, but what do you get out of that? Many tout the Kickstarter method as being the right way to go, and a quick glance of things, it does seem that way. Larry Towell (hardly a new kid on the block) started his online begging campaign and walked away with over $12,000 in a number of weeks.

As a result, 67 funders will receive a nice postcard print, 7 will get a mixtape cd, 3 will get signed copies of his books (ok that’s not bad) and 11 will receive a 11×14 signed collectors print. From Larry’s perspective, not bad considering there are no specific outcomes he has to follow in order to deliver the goods. I’m not picking on Larry per se, he’s just that high-profile enough to be a very good example. Larry’s work has spoken for itself for decades.

As much as many people out there hate them, Mr Duck and Mr Rabbit are a breath of fresh air in this self-congratulatory back-slapping industry. They called bullshit on the approach here and here. Ben summed it up with this quote

Photojournalism in the Kickstarter vehicle is not sustainable when it acts like it deserves charity.

I’m not attacking those who have chosen the Kickstarter method, or indeed Emphas.is but the model itself. It’s not sustainable enough in the long-term. The Internet is a series of fads, from myspace to facebook to twitter and so on. Right now crowd funding is great and i’m sure those who’ve managed to elicit funds from the community are going to use them wisely, but what happens two years from now? Do the public have to fund Larry’s career choices every 6 months? Will I have to buy Tomas a new Leica every year when he fancies going to another communist country?

I think if we are looking at creating a new business model, we need to grow a backbone collectively and start convincing the editors, the publications and indeed anyone who is responsible for purchasing our work that paying a decent amount for the work is the way forward. I bet none of those working at the Guardian, the NYTimes or BBC are on salaries so small, they have to go out and beg friends for money, so why is it ok to expect those creating content for the publications to do the same?

I don’t see any of the big names getting together and saying “enough!” to those blatantly abusing the market right now? Where is James saying “no I’m not working for 100 US a day whilst embedded in some charming hamlet in Afghanistan?”.

The most ironic part of this process is that the same people who often flock to those in need, those begging for help to passers-by are now doing the same thing. They might not be in rags or in dire need of a meal but have become subjects that others should take pictures of and make into story about desperation.

Interesting times ahead, now whilst we are at it, spare us a few bob mate?

Update

After a fantastic discussion with Tomas below, he’s posted a brilliant article with his view on the current offerings. I highly recommend you read that after you’ve read this and the comments below.

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The Bang Bang Club, for those not familiar, was a name given to Kevin Carter, Greg Marinovich, Ken Oosterbroek and João Silva during the Apartheid years here in South Africa. The name itself was a result from an article in Living magazine, with residents of the squatter camps referring to the violence in the townships as bang-bang.

When it came to being in the thick of the action, this lot couldn’t have gotten any closer. The guys weren’t your usual pretend conflict photographers and often the violence and suffering was aimed at them. On April 18th ’94, Ken Oosterbroek was sadly killed by cross-fire and Marinovich was seriously wounded. In July 1994, Kevin Carter committed suicide and more recently, João Silva was seriously injured in Afghanistan whilst on patrol.

As with any story like this, Hollywood came knocking and a movie about their lives has been made, aptly named The Bang Bang Club

Whilst Greg has been busy supporting João’s recovery, he did take time out to answer a few questions I had about him and the rest of the chaps.
As one of the members of the Bang Bang Club, how does it feel to have Hollywood woo you and produce a movie about your lives?
It is odd, at times nice for the ego, but mostly uncomfortable

Talking about the movie, what’s it like seeing actors play you and your friends on screen? Did the director rely on your input as to how certain
scenes were, or did they apply their own creative view to your lives?
very much a creative view, based on some facts. mix of accurate and fiction

You’ve spent the past 18 years documenting conflict, has that had a long lasting effect on you in any way?
no why?  joke, of course, it has both hardened and sensitized me

The early 90′s in South Africa were a turbulent time, what was it like working as a photographer during that period?
extremely difficult, exciting, scary

When yourself and Ken were shot in Tokoza, ultimately ending in Ken loosing his life, did this change your view of your chosen career or did it have the opposite effect?

no changes at all. we all expected that something like Ken’s death that might happen. as for Kevin, that is not related

What do you feel are some of the struggles faced by photographers in Southern Africa today?
lack of decent work opps.

I highly recommend you purchase the Bang Bang Club book and see the film when it comes out.

Thanks to Greg for taking time out to answer a few questions.

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I can see some benefits of this, just need to get used to it more.

Anyway enjoy..

A Mellifluous Road

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