Sports Illustrated lays off all staff photographers: Just read that Sports Illustrated has laid off its remaining 6 staff photographers and will be using freelancer photographers only...

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Just read that Sports Illustrated has laid off its remaining 6 staff photographers and will be using freelancer photographers only going forward.

Here is one link to the story.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/sports-illustrated-photographers-lay-offs-magazine_n_6533142.html

lightcatcher Loc: Farmington, NM (4 corners)

mwsilvers wrote:

Just read that Sports Illustrated has laid off its remaining 6 staff photographers and will be using freelancer photographers only going forward.

Here is one link to the story.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/sports-illustrated-photographers-lay-offs-magazine_n_6533142.html

Called lowering the overhead..

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

lightcatcher wrote:

Called lowering the overhead..

I understand what they are doing and why. The print magazine business in general has its back to the wall and will make cuts whenever they can. Like many other magazines have done, I expect that SI will eventually leave the print medium and go 100% on line.

lightcatcher Loc: Farmington, NM (4 corners)

mwsilvers wrote:

I understand what they are doing and why. The print magazine business in general has its back to the wall and will make cuts whenever they can. Like many other magazines have done, I expect that SI will eventually leave the print medium and go 100% on line.

Yes way to many businesses have their backs against the wall and having to make a lot of changes. Some are good others are bad.

Allen Hirsch Loc: Oakland, CA

mwsilvers wrote:

Just read that Sports Illustrated has laid off its remaining 6 staff photographers and will be using freelancer photographers only going forward.

Here is one link to the story.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/sports-illustrated-photographers-lay-offs-magazine_n_6533142.html

They need to change their name, now - maybe "Sports Described"?

HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO

mwsilvers wrote:

I understand what they are doing and why. The print magazine business in general has its back to the wall and will make cuts whenever they can. Like many other magazines have done, I expect that SI will eventually leave the print medium and go 100% on line.

EXCEPT...the Swimsuit Edition - this brings in over $1 Billion (with a "B") annually to Forbes, the publisher!!

HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO

mwsilvers wrote:

I understand what they are doing and why. The print magazine business in general has its back to the wall and will make cuts whenever they can. Like many other magazines have done, I expect that SI will eventually leave the print medium and go 100% on line.

EXCEPT...the Swimsuit Edition - this brings in over $1 Billion (with a "B") annually to Forbes, the publisher!!

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

Allen Hirsch wrote:

They need to change their name, now - maybe "Sports Described"?

Don't worry, they will still have lots of photographs. All of their 'staff' photographers will become 'contract freelancers' doing the same work they always have for the same employers, except they will lose the benefits of being 'employees'. The photographers will (or may, depending on the terms of their contract) be able to do work for other publications, and the magazine will be able to use other photographers.

Allen Hirsch Loc: Oakland, CA

mcveed wrote:

Don't worry, they will still have lots of photographs. All of their 'staff' photographers will become 'contract freelancers' doing the same work they always have for the same employers, except they will lose the benefits of being 'employees'. The photographers will (or may, depending on the terms of their contract) be able to do work for other publications, and the magazine will be able to use other photographers.

I realize that - just being "tongue in cheek".

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

HEART wrote:

EXCEPT...the Swimsuit Edition - this brings in over $1 Billion (with a "B") annually to Forbes, the publisher!!

But they sure don't need paid staff photographers for that...

I imagine several fellas on this forum would be very happy to volunteer to do a few shoots. They provide the models, we'll let them use the pictures for free even!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

lightcatcher wrote:

Yes way to many businesses have their backs against the wall and having to make a lot of changes. Some are good others are bad.

Yep, and it started in 2008.
Change you can believe in.

Does your town have as many empty store fronts as mine seems to have?

krl48 Loc: NY, PA now SC

SI is not owned by Forbes. It is owned by Time, Inc.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

SonnyE wrote:

Yep, and it started in 2008.

By 2008 it had been an explosion for nearly two decades!

Back in the early 1990's, when most folks actually had yet to hear about the Internet, the change was already well underway. And the folks who bought black ink by the barrel where already having nightmares about their future!

Many magazines (Scientific American was one) published some very foolish articles about how unsafe this new Internet thing was. They were all afraid of it. For good reason too.

Virtually every newspaper and every magazine at some point in the early or mid 1990's switched to computer generated copy. Those who didn't simply disappeared. The people who resisted, found themselves looking for a new job.

The industry is still evolving, but nobody today is likely to still be claiming it isn't going to happen...

krl48 Loc: NY, PA now SC

Apaflo wrote:

Virtually every newspaper and every magazine at some point in the early or mid 1990's switched to computer generated copy. Those who didn't simply disappeared. The people who resisted, found themselves looking for a new job.

Include book publishers in the list along with newspapers and magazines. Those that didn't evolve died.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

what if Walmart and a lot of other business freelanced all their work?? oops Walmart sorta did.