Speculative Photography - The Credentialing Spectrum

There is a continuum of those needing credentials to cover sports and news events, they are:

• Employees of media outlets on assignment - these are actual employees of the company being paid their normal salary to cover the assignment.
• Retained Contractors of media outlets on assignment - these are contractors who regularly serve the company, and the work they are doing is covered by their retainer. These contractors usually have a contract which transfers specific rights and also details liability for the company and for the contractor.

(Continued after the Jump)

• Freelance Contractors of media outlets on assignment - these are essentially "day laborers", working only when called, for a set rate, often plus expenses, but not always. These contractors always have a contract which transfers specific rights and also specifies that the contractor is liable for all work done on assignment, and absolves the company from all liability.
• Speculative Photographers - These are photographers who, in exchange for a credential, have agreed to cover the event for free, absorbing all expenses associated with the work, in hopes of making images that will be sold and generate enough revenue to cover their costs and generate a profit, or to produce images which they can then use in marketing themselves. Further, they're almost always NOT on assignment for a specific publication, but rather, they are there collecting image assets they hope to sell.
• Purchased Credentials - These are photographers who have paid a fee for a "press credential", and the service of having letters written on their behalf from an organization set up for the sole purpose of selling press credential kits and the letter-writing service.

  For example:

  "Lifetime dues are only $74....IFPO gives you the affiliation and back-up you need to get you and your camera where you want to go. To start you off right, you receive a handsome laminated membership ID card and parchment membership certificate..." which then goes on to promote"THE GAIN ACCESS PROGRAM." The Gold Press Credentials will get you and your camera where you could never go alone - behind the scenes at sports, entertainment and breaking news events. The unique IFPO PRESS program which includes the Press Passport and Badge Credentials is available to IFPO members only. The backbone of the IFPO Press Program is Today's Photographer magazine. IFPO member photographers who participate in the program are on assignment for the magazine and often submit their work to be considered for publication.

While coverage of news events includes a 1st amendment right to be present for media in almost all cases, courts have held that these rights do not wholly apply to entertainment activities such as sports, suggesting that, save for a significantly newsworthy event such as a riot, or other major incident, sports is entertainment, taking place on private property, and governed by restrict-able rules of privacy. Many SID's and team PR offices are familiar with the "pay for access" credentialling offered by IFPO, and others, but some may not be. However, it's critical that freelance photographers on assignment not be confused with speculative photographers "on assignment". Freelancers have been paid by a media outlet to be there, and the likelihood is very good that their images will see ink-on-paper, whereas speculative photographers' images often only go as far as the servers that proffer the images.

Read More:

• Introduction
• The Loss of Assets to Leagues and Teams
• Risks and Liabilities for Leagues, Venues, and Teams
• The Credentialing Spectrum
• The SPEC-photographer's Mentality
• Leveraging League and Team Assets to Promote External Income Sources
• The SPEC-agency's Mentality

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