AIPA NEWS: APRIL 2006
Back in October 1999 then AIPA president Mike Reeves started up the ‘NZPhotographers’ online forum as a means to encourage dialog across a broad spectrum of the photographic community (i.e. not just members of the associations). Six years later and with over 350 subscribers I think it would be fair to say that the NZPhotographers forum has been a resounding success.
The forum is free to join and open to all New Zealand commercial and consumer photographers, assistants, and students of photography. To become a subscriber simply open a Yahoo account (via http://groups.yahoo.com/) search for “NZPhotographers” and hit the “Join this group” button. The more the merrier, so if you have any interest in the local photographic industry you should sign up today.
Over the years the forum has seen a number of spirited discussions; including the ACP debacle (which sparked the birth of another short lived editorial group), Tourism New Zealand’s rights grabbing tactics, the ongoing rights managed vs. royalty free debate, and the constant battle to convince our government to abolish the ridiculous commissioning rule. But it’s not all serious stuff, there’s also a lot of useful and practical information being shared; everything from “which is the best monitor to buy” through to “how to respond when a client demands raw image files.” The depth of knowledge is truly astonishing, so if you have a photographic question the NZPhotographers forum is a great way to get an answer (or two).
A recent hot topic has been the “students undercutting pros” debate. No one can deny that photography students are taking on the occasional professional assignment as a means to earn income (which they sorely need to pay their fees) and gain relevant industry experience. This has been happening for years and I can’t see it stopping any time soon (nor should it in my opinion). The real issue is whether those students are being taught how to operate professionally (i.e. charge appropriately, retain copyright, etc) before they dive head first into dangerous waters. There a numerous sharks out there in the photography market looking for fresh student talent they can manipulate and exploit for their own financial gain. Therefore I believe it is the duty of tertiary institutions to educate their students about proper professional practice as early as possible in their curriculum. It should certainly take place BEFORE students take on any ‘real world’ assignments. And at no point should students be allowed to use tertiary owned and tax payer funded equipment and facilities as a means of providing cut price photographic services for the commercial or consumer markets.
Here at the AIPA we have a vested interest in the education of the next generation of New Zealand photographers. So if there are any lecturers, students, or assistants reading this who wantto learn more about pricing, copyright, licensing, or the like, then please feel free to contact me or any other member of the executive. We’re here to help!
Aaron K
AIPA President
