Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
If we do not hit our goal we will be forced to close the site.

Current status: https://keepboardsalive.com/

Annual subs are best for most impact. If you are still undecided on going Ad Free - you can also donate using the Paypal Donate option. All contribution helps. Thank you.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.

Google Street-view. Devaluing photographers?

  • 30-09-2014 09:41PM
    #1
    ps3man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 786 ✭✭✭


    As a somewhat semi pro photographer, something of late has being really bothering me. A certain online news site seem to include in all of their articles google street view screenshots off where said news story is taking place. Maybe I am looking a little too much into this, but does this not devalue the work of photographers, particularly stock photographers if a news site with hundreds of thousands of daily readers can just go on to street view and screenshot as opposed to either a) paying photographers to go out or b) paying getty etc.?


Comments

  • #2
    Bears and Vodka
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,249 ✭✭✭Bears and Vodka


    Don't worry, The Journal.ie isn't a real news outlet.

    As far as your question goes, I think it's all a matter of technological progress. Just like boring jobs like working on production lines are being taken over by robots, the same way boring photographic tasks like going out to a street in question and taking a standard photo are becoming obsolete because an adequate costless alternative is available. Google Street view images are not great and arguably not a replacement to a traditional on the scene photo, because they are dated (in some cases a few years old), but for many stories it's good enough. I don't know about you, but I think that many photographers would be much happier to occupy their time doing more satisfying and worthwhile projects than taking pictures of street corners.


Advertisement