Unfortunately some will be happy to read this.   :'(

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Gamma�s Bankruptcy Shows Shift in Photojournalism

Lament for a Dying Field: Photojournalism

It makes me sad. Gamma was the first agency I ever worked for as a stock photographer, this was back in the late 60's and all through the 70's. I shot the opening of Walt Disney World for them. I still have copies of the photos but due to Walt Disney Productions restrictions back then that still are in effect, I cannot use them for any commercial pourpose. I have some shots displayed in my house but that is as far as I can go with them.

Most of the changes in the photography business leaves the photographer with far less dollars today. If you want to make money in photography, shoot weddings, put all the images on CD's and shoot Video right along will the stills. Instead of a wedding album, provied a bound wedding book. Charge (in the USA) at least $1,500.00 for the wedding package. I put my kids through college and lived off of weddings for 25 years. At times employing as many as a dozen freelance wedding photographer to help me. My biggest mistake: I never had one wedding couple sign Model Releases nor did I require the photographer to assign copyrights to me, even though I provided the film, cameras and customers. Live and learn.

-Larry

Revisiting that column last month, Mr. Halstead wrote that, if anything, conditions today were worse than he had predicted. To be a photojournalist today, he wrote, �You have to be crazy.�

I'm crazy, old and still enjoy photojournalism as a way to capture events, history and people.

On a related note, which probably won't make the headlines...

In 1958 United Press, as it was then known, merged with International News Service owned by William Randolph Hearst. In 1982 it was sold once more by the Scripps Howard newspaper chain for $5 million and in the next decade sold another three times.

1982 The E.W. Scripps Company said yesterday that it had sold United Press International, the news service, to the Media News Corporation, a new privately owned company. Media News, based in Nashville and owned by four newspaper and television executives from the South and Middle West.

United Press International was purchased in May 2000 by News World Communications, a media company owned by Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church. The Moonies own the Washington Times and UPI.

I can't find the story on the wire services, but if I heard right (subject to factual confirmation) UPI has been sold yet again.