November 10, 2011 by pmelcher.

And you thought there was no money to be made in photography ? Well, you were wrong , there is and it doesn’t involve taking exclusive pictures of Angelina Jolie’s new twins. In fact, it looks more like it involves taking pictures of the most boring things, blowing them big and putting the whole thing signed up for auction at Sotheby’s. Of course, you have to have made a name by getting lots of exhibits of your work around the world before. You just can’t get big bucks if you didn’t.

Andreas Gursky’s photograph called “Rhein II”( apparently his second try at this) has just be sold for $4.3 million at Christies. Yes, you read this correctly :$4.3 million, making this the most expensive photograph in the world.

Andreas Gursky is a German photographer who has already reach record price for his images in the past. However, he will not see a penny of that money, since these transactions happen from collector to collector. Ironic that, in a time where photography has become so ubiquitous, where space rates for editorial images have plummet to historical lows, where assignments are increasingly diminishing, one could witness such through the roof prices for such flat and boring images.

Because, quite frankly, anyone with an Iphone can take a similar image. It is clearly the results of pure speculation, similar to what we see happening in the stock market ( The Wall Street kind). We are not saying to occupy Christies but seriously, what does this say about photography ? Is this what photographers should aspire to achieve after years of study and creation ? Is this what one should consider the ultimate photograph ?

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November 1, 2011 by pmelcher.

Tired of hearing how photojournalism is dead ? Tired of going to photo festival where everyone whines and dines ? Not sure if crowdfunding is for you ? well, a new photography festival has been created for you.

Brainchild of ex director of photography for Paris Match, Didier Rapaud, the Festival of Saint Brieuc ( that’s in Brittany, France) is offering the first photo festival where any worldwide photographer can submit their project and receive substantial funding. You have until November 21 to submit your project ( there are no set topics) and the winners will be announced on December 2011. Next year, on October 2012 , the works of the winners will be shown to the public in various locations around the region.

Besides being a breeze of fresh air in the dusty photo festival , this festival also brings originality as it brings funding from local companies. For the first time, photo journalists are introduced to companies that are interested in funding original work. In a time of global recession,when magazines worldwide are cutting back on their assignments, it is surprising, and very much welcomed, to see private companies willing and eager to support the work of photographers.

So, without any further delay, head on to their site here and submit your project. You might just get that $25,000 you needed.

Photoreporter, Festival of photojournalism in Baie Saint-Brieuc

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