Features
Photojournalism online - The balance between business and passion
An Editorial by Jose Azel
The founder of photo journalist agency, Aurora Photos, discusses the challenges facing photo journalists and his agency as the publishing industry grapples with the Internet and more and more content delivery goes digital. Jose Azel has been a working photo-journalist since 1981. He has had his images published in National Geographic, Smithsonian, Life, Time Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and GEO Magazine, as well as shooting corporate assignments for the outdoor industry. In 1993, he co-founded Aurora Photos, an agency for photojournalists which he has expanded to carry commercial advertising imagery as well. Azel also launched theIndependent Photographers Network, which was later bought by the Dutch multinational publisher, VNU, parent of Photo District News.
On our connected planet, culture and diversity must remain, but there’s little doubt we have become a global society. Visual imagery is one of the languages this planet’s community understands. This universal language has become my business. I emphasize business. The constant challenge: How can the business of visual language story telling thrive in a global marketplace? How do we succeed as a business while remaining educational and inspiring and foster understanding of global diversity, the same diversity that is often the reasons for conflict, bigotry and hate?
It has not been and will not be easy. Quality work, pragmatism, adaptability, and clear and open agency/photographer relationships will prove effective ways to survive and perhaps thrive into the future.
Aurora Photos continues to face the future through a realistic and pragmatic view of a commercial world. Historically, syndicating photo reportage has been a mainstay for our agency. As the photo story market diminished, however, licensing single and multiple stock images, including commercial imagery, has become Aurora’s core business. As editorial fees drop, or remain low, growing a richer commercial and advertising archive has proven successful. Dedicated photojournalists join us without false pretense. Nonetheless, the Aurora community understands that we cannot be everything to everyone. We communicate to contributors an honest view of the photographic business environment and how to survive, perhaps prosper within in its constant flux. We do our best to strike a balance between business and passion.
The cornerstone that holds steadfast is a commitment to visual story telling. As our business and web-site have evolved, presenting photo essays has become an act of publishing, rather than an act of licensing features to magazines. For all intents, www.auroraphotos.com has itself become an online magazine. How to transform this into a business model is still to be seen. With regard to the feature story licensing business, two things shine clear; licensing of feature photographic essays stories needs to be an easy, no hassle process for the clients and the gross revenues need to rise through volume rather than exclusivity.
Where do we go from here as concerned and passionate photojournalists? I do not have “the” answer, but the following premises form the foundation of my thinking:
1 – Photography is a universal language.
2 – There is a global audience for a visually driven publication of international scope.
3 – The availability of visual content exceeds the demand for today’s publishing needs, driving down its price. At the same time, however, the cost of printing and delivery of the printed material has disrupted the print publishing business model.
4 – The traditional rules of journalism are being bent due to the evolution of digital information and will continue to change. New business models will emerge.
5 – Limited print publishing will become a marketing tool to drive readers to the richer core content of a digital publication.
6 – A substantial amount of the costs necessary to produce a global, visual publication is already being invested through the work our photographers do every day. We seek to turn that investment into a visual story telling business model.
Imagine multi-cultural readers from every part of the world getting visual stories from one publication. The depth of the content would be rich and diverse, and delivered on demand. As technology evolves, video and television might also play a part. How do we create such a global publication? This is a challenging goal worthy of discussion. Please accept my invitation to join this dialog. No matter at what level you choose to participate, the benefits will be worthwhile.
The same technology that is homogenizing societies can be the vehicle that encourages others to learn and understand conflicts or cultures, and to provide information that leads to equality and peace. Aurora faces many difficulties in representing photography and making a business of it. How do we arm ourselves with the dose of realism needed, but the optimism to continue? The answers are difficult to find, but we are trying to meet a challenge before all visual storytellers.
Click here for Jose Azel’s complete bio.
Click here to visit the Aurora Photos site.
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