Recent years have seen a huge decline in Editorial & Documentary Photography made by Independent Photo Journalists and Visual Story Tellers. Especially revenues for producing visual storytellers declined hugely. Both Market Conditions & Individual Circumstances are Responsible, including Main Stream Media, who nearly totally stopped publishing Stories that Matter Most. It’s Mayhem all over the Place! Meanwhile there is an ongoing debate among colleagues in The Netherlands on how to proceed, given these circumstances, and how to keep doing our valuable jobs. 

Then I stumbled upon this Linkedin-post this morning, made by my agency Imago Images in Berlin, Germany. It’s a story inside their own: The Game Magazine, about Sudanese Refugees fleeing the ever ongoing War in their Country. An ongoing story that does not get the attention in Main Stream Media it deserves. However, this example does show the direction the debate among my colleagues is progressing. The Game Magazine is a publication made by an agency itself, highlighting and showcasing valuable work by Documentary Photographers, Photo Journalists & Visual StoryTellers who do have a change to take matters into their own hands. 

So, Question is: if Photo Journalists & Visual StoryTellers have so much difficulty doing their valuable work and getting published, why not follow this Great Example, and take things into your own hands? Another Question that has been asked: “Why not Establish our own Agency?” and: “Why not create our own Magazines and Publish Ourselves?”.  The Issue is mostly: Reoccurring Answer: formulating a Good Concept and Financing the Idea. It’s difficult, to raise the money to invest, most of us wouldn’t know how. 

Guys! Especially considering recent developments in Europe, the US and other regions of this World, this is the Perfect Moment, to Start Thinking and to Think Outside The Box! Formulate a Good Concept, work out a Business Plan & Find the Finance! It Should be Possible!

Want to respond to this Post? Please send your opinion or remarks via: visual@guidokoppes.nl.