Not too long ago, the Chicago Sun-Times fired all of its photographers...a move that has floored photographers all over the country.

Obviously people who are not photographers don't understand all that goes into the making a great image, just like I don't understand what all it takes to be a great doctor or world renowned chef or high ranking officer in the military. But do people really think that writers, armed with iPhones, are going to be the next Pulitzer Prize winners? Do you think they're going to make beautiful, emotional images that will stop people in their tracks?

I don't mean to rant, but it really hurts me personally knowing that my career choice, in the eyes of some, is basically worthless. Those who did the firing are saying (with their actions) that photographers with years of training and experience are no better at taking photos that someone holding an iPhone.

I know the newspaper industry hasn't been in the best position lately. For newspapers to survive in a world where people crave instantaneous information, they have to adapt. Lots of newspapers have begun producing more online news with up-to-date information and video clips to compete with the internet news sites and TV stations. There's nothing wrong with that. I applaud them for taking steps to do so, but giving up photographers isn't the answer to anyone's budget issues. 

I am getting a little extreme with the reference to the iPhoneographers or whatever you'd like to call them. The Chicago Sun-Times does plan to rely on wire services and freelancers in addition to the latter. Photographers from wire services, such as the Associated Press and Reuters, have some amazing photograph and for nationwide and world events, the paper will have great images, but those photographers aren't necessarily going to cover local events. With the Chicago paper, being that it's a massive city, local high school football games and such may not be as big a deal as in smaller communities, like Baytown where I was the newspaper's only photographer for 3.5 years. But the newsroom in Chicago isn't the only one getting rid of photographers due to budget cuts. It's happening all across the country and Chicago is what made it known to the general public.

And freelancers can also be great photographers. But if they're not working for the paper full-time, they may not be available when breaking news happens. They don't develop the same relationships with the police department, elected officials, school representatives, etc. as staff photographers, because they aren't covering their events on a daily or weekly basis to have time to establish those relationships. And it's those relationships that sometimes give a photographer the opportunity to get "backstage" for key events, where unknown freelancers are going to get turned away. 

Back to the writers armed with iPhones (who are replacing the photographers)...
1) iPhones are not real cameras. 
2) Writers are not photographers. 
3) One person can't do it all.

Point 1...iPhones just won't cut it. Don't get me wrong about iPhones...they're great! I love mine. I use it all the time to keep up to date with social media, find my way around Houston, take snapshots (keyword) of funny things I see out and about, schedule appointments, etc. But an iPhone camera will never compare to a digital SLR (professional type of camera). The sensor (digital version of film) is minute, compared to a DSLR, so quality isn't nearly the same. You can't change lenses when you need to get a wider angle or zoom in. And the flash is basically worthless.

Point 2...Writers cannot replace photographers, just like photographers cannot replace writers. Even if you arm your writers with top of the line cameras instead of iPhones, they may get lucky and get a decent shot or two, but if the lighting gets tricky or people start moving quickly, they're not going to know how to make a proper exposure. Just because they're great at getting the inside scoop and knowing what questions to ask to generate awesome quotes, doesn't mean they know where to stand to get a great image. If you handed me a pen and notepad, I can ask a few questions and get a basic story together, but I'm not a journalist at heart. I don't have much writing experience, so even if I turned in some copy you can put in a paper, it doesn't mean it will be interesting or award-winning.

Point 3...Each person excels at certain areas, but you can't be good at everything. Even if you are a great writer and photographer, if you're the only  one covering an event, either the story or the photographs are going to suffer because you can't devote all your time and effort to two things at once. Trust me, I've tried. When I was a photojournalist, sometimes the writers would all be covering other events and they'd ask me to step in. I could get a story and photos at an event, but my stories were never great...mainly because that wasn't my expertise, but also because I was spending time photographing when I needed to be listening to a speaker or asking questions. And my photographs suffered, because I had to spend most of my time asking questions and writing notes.

I'll get off my soap box now. I hope I haven't offended anyone in the journalism field. Since I've worked there, I feel I have the right to state my opinion. It just hurts to think that some people have such a low opinion of my profession.

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