From a Photo Editor job posting at Time, inc, the world’s biggest publisher of magazine in the world:
-Excellent editorial judgment and eye, must generate story ideas and identify topics to cover, must react to news.
-Edit and build various online photo galleries, notably never-seen LIFE archival content and LIFE.coms weekly feature: The Weeks Best Photos
-Oversee and perform the digital restoration of LIFE archival photos (basic retouching and color correction)
-Experience negotiating and managing usage rights and rates for digital, mobile and video content
-Assign, produce and direct original photo essays
-Liaise with Editorial, Legal, Sales and PR Teams in the execution of featured content packages
-Manage freelance staff
-Strong eye for young talent
– Must be creative in terms of doing more with less for less and must be ready and willing to do so
Revealing, isn’t it ? Especially the last phrase, which could be rewritten like this : Must be capable of getting the best images for peanuts and not complain about it. Ever.
This is symptomatic of the photo world today : Publishing companies profiting from the recession to squeeze top talent into a dilapidated photo department and forcing them to put pressure on photographers.
When will we see photo editors salaries only constituted of the money they save ?
Here is you budget. Whatever you do not use for photo purchase, you can keep for yourself.
Thus putting photo editor in direct survival competition with photographers.
As long as the publishing companies keep on treating photography as a necessary evil that needs to be crushed into “misc.” category along with other parasite expenses, nothing will change.
And, as long as there is photographers or photo agencies willing to accept this pathetic treatment , nothing will change.
O yes, if you wondered why we all had to sacrifice ourselves:
Time Inc. Operating Profit Jumps 50%, Ad Revenue Climbs 4%
