Editorial Fashion Photography: A Truth Revealed

I was directed to another photographer's blog this morning. A fashion photographer out of California named Melissa Rodwell, she recently photographed for Flaunt Magazine & posted about the experience on her blog. I'm sure you have heard the phrase "kiss & tell". Well you can say that her posting was along those lines. She wrote about the good, the bad, and the disappointing... without naming any names.

Here is her blog posting: http://fashionphotographyblog.com/2009/09/ultrahip-magazine-flaunt/

I was amazed that Flaunt, one of better fashion magazines, does not pay for their photography. My jaw dropped when I read how much energy and effort went into the shoot, especially considering there were 14 working professionals involved. Professionals, not hobbyists. As in, they earn their living by doing this work; They are not doing it just for fun. How does a working professional earn their living, pay for their housing, bills, car, kids, and retirement if the only jobs available to them do not pay a single penny?

I'm sure Flaunt has their reasons for not paying such a large crew of people; Most likely they claim not to have a budget for thier photography. They expect photographers to photograph for them for nothing because they either feel entitled to it, or they know they can take advantage of someone who is so passionate about their career choice.

Now, I am not the type of person to speak or gripe about an issue without offering a solution, so...

Solutions for Flaunt:

1. Sell a couple more ad spaces to generate the income to pay the wonderfully creative and experienced professionals that make your magazine what it is today.

OR

2. Raise your ad rate to generate the income to pay the wonderfully creative and experienced professionals that make your magazine what it is today.

As for why Flaunt didn't use the images... only the people working on this project at Flaunt will know. My solution for Flaunt cutting an editorial from 16 pages to 2 pages: pay for the work you are having produced. If they were to have paid for this shoot & the people involved, they would have been more vested in the project. Flaunt's staff would have been more involved in the process, and thus the final project would have been to their seemingly specific expectations. To ask so many people to spend so much time on a project & then not fulfill your end of the bargain? You do the math.

The world would not be as beautiful without art and the artists who created it. Respect it & Appreciate it.