So you're asked for free photographs by a NGO (non-governmental organization) for the gazillionth time. The request comes in the form of an email and says something like, "Today I write to you to discuss an opportunity which quite simply excites me."
Uh oh, not again you say to yourself. The email continues by describing your photos as if you’re the second coming of James Nachtwey and then the other shoe falls when they say, "What I would like to propose is your consent to use your photos for……." fill in the blank.
Next comes the "guilt trip" which sounds something like, "We would be delighted to have your support and to use the photos but that depends on whether you think the work being undertaken by our NGO is worthy of your support."
In other words, if you say no you are a heartless SOB. Of course, nearly 100% of these pleas come from the Western World and I live in the Third World but that fact is of little concern to folks sitting in air-conditioned offices.
Normally, these emails are long-winded and consist of prose of between 300 and 700 words. I usually reply by sending the trollers a link to my thoughts on the subject. Most respond by firing back a 20-word email if they reply at all.
How Much Exposure Will An NGO Website Give You?
Not much. The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) is a large Cambodian human rights NGO employing 135 full time staff that has NEVER asked me for free photographs. Good for them. At least they have manners. As large as they are however, their web stats are paltry.
Some statistics for the LICADHO website:
5,000 unique visitors per month.
Top five countries/regions visiting the website:
1. The United States of America
2. Australia
3. European Countries
4. Cambodia
5. Great Britain
Top four pages/topics viewed on the website:
1. Photo album
2. Reports
3. Media Release
4. Audio section
As one may notice, the most viewed page is the one with the photos and this holds true for most NGO websites but the people visiting these sites aren't exactly photo editors. One would think that the trollers would recognize these facts.
Am I The Only One?
Unfortunately, I am not the only one putting up with this seemingly endless nonsense. While last week I was only asked to feed orphans in Cambodia and help cure prostate cancer in America, Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen is having similar experiences.
As he recently noted in this blog post, "One of the UN organizations recently had the nerve to ask me to provide a cover photo for their magazine. Only thing, they wanted it for free! Who is the UN anyway? Some poor sod sitting on the street with an eye patch and a tin cup in one hand?" (To paraphrase Harlan Ellison (Video).
Uh oh, not again you say to yourself. The email continues by describing your photos as if you’re the second coming of James Nachtwey and then the other shoe falls when they say, "What I would like to propose is your consent to use your photos for……." fill in the blank.
Next comes the "guilt trip" which sounds something like, "We would be delighted to have your support and to use the photos but that depends on whether you think the work being undertaken by our NGO is worthy of your support."
In other words, if you say no you are a heartless SOB. Of course, nearly 100% of these pleas come from the Western World and I live in the Third World but that fact is of little concern to folks sitting in air-conditioned offices.
Normally, these emails are long-winded and consist of prose of between 300 and 700 words. I usually reply by sending the trollers a link to my thoughts on the subject. Most respond by firing back a 20-word email if they reply at all.
How Much Exposure Will An NGO Website Give You?
Not much. The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) is a large Cambodian human rights NGO employing 135 full time staff that has NEVER asked me for free photographs. Good for them. At least they have manners. As large as they are however, their web stats are paltry.
Some statistics for the LICADHO website:
5,000 unique visitors per month.
Top five countries/regions visiting the website:
1. The United States of America
2. Australia
3. European Countries
4. Cambodia
5. Great Britain
Top four pages/topics viewed on the website:
1. Photo album
2. Reports
3. Media Release
4. Audio section
As one may notice, the most viewed page is the one with the photos and this holds true for most NGO websites but the people visiting these sites aren't exactly photo editors. One would think that the trollers would recognize these facts.
Am I The Only One?
Unfortunately, I am not the only one putting up with this seemingly endless nonsense. While last week I was only asked to feed orphans in Cambodia and help cure prostate cancer in America, Nepal based photojournalist Morten Svenningsen is having similar experiences.
As he recently noted in this blog post, "One of the UN organizations recently had the nerve to ask me to provide a cover photo for their magazine. Only thing, they wanted it for free! Who is the UN anyway? Some poor sod sitting on the street with an eye patch and a tin cup in one hand?" (To paraphrase Harlan Ellison (Video).
4 comments:
Okay, I vow to return to your page to express just how much this resonates. But it is already midday, and I have yet to hit the streets... it's kinda tough 'explaining man to himself (via our method),' while being simultaneously glued to a desktop computer. Editing, metatagging, blogging, networking can be reserved for the overnight hours!
I agree, it's nearly impossible to keep up....maybe I'll start looking for a suitable cave to call home.
John you are absalutly right, I'm a graduate photojournalist looking to get into the NGO field. Here comes catch 22 for lots of us little guys.
NGO's want free work, we have no money to go there, no money for shiny new equipment..thus can't get into the industry. I may if I do have time with all the other things we generally do that Avril said - is make my own NGO and take pictures of myself - sell buns in the market or something at weekend.
Yea...we are all little guys these days it seems....yet foreign donors will give Cambodia over ONE BILLION DOLLARS THIS YEAR (2010)
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