Full Stop

A few hours after I published my last post, Migros Magazine finally contacted me, apologizing for the modification of my picture and claiming that I was "... completely right: it loses a bit of the intensity" but then blaming its cropping on the website requirement and its editing on the printing of the magazine, requesting the contrast to be modified.

Modifying a picture to print it doesn't mean that the same version has to be published online. And if a website can not display pictures without cropping them, then it has a serious problem, even more when it is supposed to host a photo competition. A proof that it is possible is that, a few hours after that email was sent, my picture was finally visible in its original version on their website. And I would prefer not comment on the "loses a bit of the intensity".

25 July 2014: Cruise on the Bosphorus and drinking competition between a mother and her son. Istanbul surroundings, Turkey.

I know Migros is not a photography magazine and I appreciate their efforts to promote or to show humanitarian's work under a different angle. However, their attitude is unfortunately very representative of the society today. Photographers and their work are not as respected as much as they should.  Pictures are frequently used without proper credits or edited without their author's approval. Photographers are not always paid for their work, or late or simply with peanuts, as if taking pictures was just pressing a button. Some can blame the crisis in the photojournalism industry. But as said Jean-Francois Leroy, director of Visa pour l'Image: “Magazines always say they have no money [for serious reportage]. This is bullshit. They have a lot of money for pictures of Prince William’s girlfriend, but not enough to send two photographers to Chechnya? Bullshit.”

If "a picture is worth a thousand words", maybe it is good to remember that there is some work behind it ...

P.S: That also means that you can not use the pictures of my website without my approval ;-)