Dirck Halstead's perceptive two-part analysis of the photojournalism business is a must-read for photojournalists or anyone considering this career. It should also be a wake up call for stock and advertising photographers hoping to sell their images for use in print publications.
Traditional stock-photo sellers wonder why there does not seem to be any growth in demand for their product. The 2006 U.S. Census Bureau statistics of U.S. businesses could provide some clues.
This story provides a schedule that is useful when establishing a price for editorial usage. Prices should be based on the size of usage on the page and the circulation of the publication.
If you want to continue to take pictures for a living, it's time to start learning to shoot video. Why? because newspapers and magazines are beginning to move away from print and toward online. Once online offerings have been established, video and sound become more appealing and a better way to communicate editorial information and advertising messages than using stills.