AND THE WINNERS ARE ....

Congratulations to the 7 winners of our 2nd annual EP Education Grants.

Images from the winning portfolios are now online at EPedu »
ValJean Anderson
Academy of Art University
Eliot Crowley
Academy of Art University
Joseph Escamilla
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
Ross Feighery
Columbia College, Chicago
Samuel James
Tufts University
Theresa Juarez
Academy of Art University
Leah Tepper-Byrne
ICP

Editorial Photographers (EP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and profitability of editorial photography. Our mission is to educate photographers and photography buyers about business issues affecting our industry, and in the process raise the level of business practices in the profession.
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THE FREELANCE DILEMMA
by Doug Menuez

ON CHAOS, FEAR, SURVIVAL & LUCK: LONGEVITY IS THE ANSWER

To survive the creative, economic and emotional chaos of a life in photography your career must be designed for longevity. To achieve longevity, you must reconcile the conflict between what you shoot for money and what you love to shoot. Ideally, you get paid to shoot exactly what you love to shoot, every day. Reaching this nirvana requires making tough choices, a careful business strategy and attention to basic business practices. (Or be super talented/lucky, born wealthy or marry a brilliant business manager.)
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INTERVIEW WITH A PHOTO EDITOR

In the fall of 2007, the photo industry was captivated by a blog with the musings of an anonymous magazine photo editor within the New York photo industry. The blog aphotoeditor.com became a daily must-read for many in the industry and touched off rampant speculation as to APE's identity. Last December APE outed himself as Rob Haggart, the departing Director of Photography at Men's Journal who was headed off to Tucson, Arizona. Eager to know more, EP Board member Keith Green peppered Rob with questions.
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Q&A WITH BRIAN SMITH, President of Editorial Photographers

Excerpted from "The Art and Commerce of Magazine Photography", Presented to ASMP Washington DC

Q: How important are relationships with editors?
I think it's less a case of being buddies with your editors and more important that you're someone they know they can count on to produce a great photo without fail, no matter what forces conspire against you.

Q: So, is it still possible to make a small fortune as a magazine photographer?
Absolutely. It's actually easy to do. Just start with a large fortune...
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EP Education Grants Competition 2009

Editorial Photographers is pleased to announce the winners of the 2nd Annual EP Education Grants student photo competition.

You can view the EP Edu 2009 Winner Portfolios here: www.editorialphoto.com/epedu/2009/

ED GREENBERG'S TOP 10

Forget Letterman; new for 2007, here is attorney Ed Greenberg's Top 10 list of things experienced photographers insist upon doing (or not), despite logic, law, money, advice and screaming.
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THE VALUE OF PHOTOGRAPHY by Debra Weiss

[Superstar photographers] understand both the real and the perceived value of their work. They have figured out that the client can potentially generate millions of dollars from the use of their images. They recognize that it is not only the image, but the photographer himself that has value.
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OUTCAST OF ORIGINALITY by Chip Simons

"I think that innocence; excitement, entertainment, wonder and just plain fun have taken over in my photography. I keep wondering if photography is a means to an end…and I will just quit some day (having gone so far off the deep end that nobody will hire me or buy my pictures)…or if these ideas will lead me to things I never imagined."
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FILMOTOGRAPHY: SHOOTING ON SET by David Strick

The act of photographing involves shutting out the world while examining it through a camera, and it's very easy to forget that dozens of people are moving themselves and an array of large and even larger objects around a working set. Take the phrase "watch your back" very seriously!
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ABOUT EP

see: WHAT IS EP? by Brian Smith

EP advocates for fair contracts from publishers and promotes the position that both photographers and publishers must maintain a healthy symbiotic relationship in which both sides can prosper and profit. EP's goal is to find positive solutions to issues confronting all of us in this rapidly evolving industry.

Our organization continues to evolve, as well. What began in the spring of 1999 amongst a small group of Bay Area photographers by 2004 had grown to over 4000 members. While membership in Editorial Photographers has always been by application, limited to editorial photographers and students, it has been free.

All our efforts have been funded by donation and energized by volunteers. Our key advocacy in contract negotiations with Business Week and Forbes yielded vastly improved compensation for photographers, while retaining our licensing rights. Our OutreachEP program has educated and mobilized hundreds of photographers, both veterans and neophytes. Our online forum has changed the way photographers communicate with each other, providing vital information and insights.

In order to improve our ability to advocate for photographers, increase photographers' profitability and communicate the need for change in our industry, Editorial Photographers is being restructured. Our website will now include, along with many of our previous features and helpful information:

• Find-A-Photographer search feature
• New reprint sales price database
• New stock sales price database
• Improved and up to date city guides
• Threaded discussion forums
• Guest columns by industry experts, including attorneys, art directors and editors

Membership will continue to be limited largely to editorial photographers and students. Annual membership, which includes access to the discussion forums, sales price databases, city guides, and inclusion in the Find-A-Photographer database, is $50 (USD). Student membership will be $25, but will not include a listing in the Find-A-Photographer database.

OutreachEP educational information, copyright information, helpful links, and the ability for non-members (e.g. editors and art directors) to search the Find-A-Photographer database will be freely available to the general public on the new website.

EP intends to use this revenue for the benefit of its members by regularly maintaining and updating the valuable information on the website, by actively scrutinizing and influencing contracts, and by continuing to reach out to educate both photographers and photo buyers.

Ready to join our mission? Apply for EP Membership.

EP Bylaws (PDF)