From Key Note Speeches to Martha Stewart’s Quiches

Not long ago I found a blog post from the very talented team at Duckrabbit.

It seems there is a new trend going on. With Photography being not only three-quarters down the toilet and even more of a competitive marketplace then it was in it’s hey-day, “Professional” photographers are looking for any means possible to be noticed while reaching for the brass ring of the Pulitzer prize in documentary journalism. During the last 30 days I have seen what I can only call at the very least disgusting and exploiting means to make money while trying to get their name out there.

Duckrabbit had pointed out to their readers the call for a new workshop given by Andy Levin of 100Eyes Photo Magazine. Just two weeks after the Haiti disaster Mr. Levin announced a workshop in Haiti for the first week in February for the price of $1,500 exclusive of airfare, boarding and food. Mr. Levin also notes that each workshop participant will be required to “Donate” more money for “Extras”. Again, Mr. Levin touts this as a workshop and never explains if or where the money will be going to the Haitian people that so desperately require it. I can only assume that the “student’s” workshop fee will go no where except to help Mr. Levin pay his way for the trip. The workshop is said to have a limit of 6-8 students which will bring in approximately $12,000 from the workshop fee alone.

Following the comments left on Duckrabbit’s blog post where not very positive at all. I did notice one comment by Mr. John Andrew Hughes, that stood out from most of the rest. Mr. Hughes suggests that the commenter on this particular blog post are naive and “This Story Needs to be Told”. Now, I may be a bit off key here but I seem to recall that within 30 hours there was a swarm of reporters, journalists and photographers with their boots in country that had amazing coverage both with their still cameras and hi-def video.

What was most disturbing to me and frankly still is, is that even now the Haiti airport, the one strip of runway that is all anyone can use, is so backed up that much needed aid is often turned away. There is massive congestion on the limited infrastructure in country and quite a bit of that still cannot be used because of both debris and foot traffic and that any vehicles are finding it a challenge to say the least, to ferry much needed food, supplies and medical necessities around the small country. Does Haiti need more unnecessary traffic pressure on their roads from a bunch of students and a “teacher” for the sake of feeling good about themselves, fooling themselves that they are getting the story out to the world? Is CNN et. al. missing the real stories that Mr. Levin can bring us? Can one even teach during such mass confusion, death and suffering that will surround a student at every turn? Or is it that this is possibly a grab for that brass ring of journalism? A self esteem builder one may find from photographing a dead child that CNN is somehow missing?

If this is not disturbing enough, Mr. Levin posts a bit of a conflicting story about the security for students on Lightstalkers.com:

“is possible to fly-in to Santo Domingo, but the roads may not be passable…….I would also be cautious as unfortunately the security situation is not guaranteed. In other words, freelancing into this situation would be in many ways more dangerous than a war……unless you are going in with Medicine’s sans Frontiere or another group that has some presence already and would not be seen as exploitative. As I was correct in my assessment of what might happen in Haiti, see the above link from my blog from a year ago, I can tell you now that the environmental and medical consequences of this event will require something that might resemble a military mission— with dozens of large earth moving machines needed that are not available in Haiti, and housing needs that would require every cruise ship in the Carribean and more. The road structure is minimal at best and the roads into the concrete slums on the hills of Port au Prince are narrow….right now the injured are lying outside their houses, and the hospital is pancaked…..

Many of the photographers who should be there aren’t, because they can no longer get assignments and can’t invest in the trip. Then we have Boots Levinson, who claims he is in Porte au Prince, and is actually in the Dominican Republic, who based on his portfolio couldn’t get an assignment from his high school paper storming in like a New York cowboy….the end result of this will be that governments will crack down on people who are essentially disaster “freelancers” and make it harder to work. It was also mean that the Haitian people, who already are very aware of being “used” by photographers, will be even more difficult to work with in the future by the photographers who are committed to the country over a long period of time. ”

Following Mr. Levin’s lead we now can kick it up a notch and follow Mr. Zorich announcing a workshop in Haiti for, wait for it, $4,000 per student! Read about that here.

The above mentioned John Andrews Huges had blogged about these two workshop, basically giving them praise but for some reasons both the blog entries to Mr. Levin and Mr. Zorich’s workshop are no long available. Public Pressure? Did they back down in their beliefs that the story really has to be told or did they see the public comments that could cast a shadow on them. You be the judge.

I’d also be very interest in reading your comments here.

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