Frilans - a dying breed
A view on this from the US.
Over here it is getting harder and harder to make a living as a freelance. Major papers such as New York Times are forcing unreasonable WFH (work for hire = equals no insurance, no retirement costs for the paper and the WFH contracts always try to take the copyrights away) - contract on anyone wanting to work for them. The Times now pay $150/day, insist on sharing the copyright(!), which means they now own the image(s) you shoot - can sell the images anywhere for whatever price - have to share that with the shooter who also must share all other sales with this huge corporation. This contract is being fought by all major photog associations and all those who understand that giving away your copyright is the same as killing your retirement fund, losing out on stock sales and hasten the time when you will have to stop shooting due to not enough income.
A photographer's copyright and images are his major retirement account - hopefully the images will be worth something as time goes on - look at a Sunday or almost anyday copy of the New York Times and you'll see a whole page of old images being offered for sale by the paper!
Remember, any time you work for FREE for a paper - there is absolutely no reason for them to pay you in the future - at the same time you are undercutting every other shooter out there trying to live off his camera. Why should a paper pay YOU if all these other photogs are giving away their work just to see their name on an image - and most of the time the paper will not give you credit anyway.
A very, very good place for information and learning about the business and anyone wanting to be a freelance editorial photog is to join EP:
http://www.editorialphoto.com/
if you're accepted you can join a daily email list which will educate you and keep you abreast of what happens both in the US and the world.
Please, for yourself, your future and for everyone else out there - do not work for free - anyone who does is hastening the death of the freelance photographer profession - and never, ever give away your copyright...=*^)
Anyone interested in knowing what the copyright can mean to you - in dollars - at least if you live in the US, can write me directly and I'll tell you.
Christer
