"An Open Letter to the Art Directors Club." The letter writers, who were from American Society of Media Photographers, Stock Artists Alliance, Advertising Photographers of America, and Editorial Photographers, addressed the letter to Myrna Davis, the executive director of the Art Directors Club (ADC). The letter was about another apparently benign thing, sponsorship of an ADC event. The problem, as the letter writers told Davis, was in the identity of one particular sponsor: On Request Images.
This company has stirred controversy in the photography industry because of what On Request Images calls "custom stock" and the letter writers call "assignment work done on speculation" -- that is, with no guarantee of pay.
The letter writers aren't putting down all stock -- they understand that there's a place for stock photos -- but they don't agree with On Request Images' business model. They say it's not a good one for photographers because it "does not appear to provide a viable and sustainable income." As such, the letter writers think it's not appropriate for the ADC (whose mission is to "promote the highest standards of excellence and integrity in visual communications") to allow On Request Images to sponsor an ADC event.
They end the letter by calling for a "future in which art directors and photographers are working together with respect and recognition of business practices that serve both well." I don't think anyone would be unhappy with that outcome. But with continually shrinking budgets and timelines, is such a paradise possible?
It's a complicated issue. You can share your thoughts about spec work, stock photography, or advertising ethics with your colleagues here.
