The position of staff photographer at The Philadelphia City Paper was eliminated this week. Hardly shocking. In the same week the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News filed for bankruptcy and the Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) announced its last issue. The kicker of the City Paper position? It was mine. I created the job in 2002. It was a dream job at a time when my wife was pregnant and I wanted to shoot the streets of Philadelphia every hour of every day. I needed work and I hounded Paul Curci until he hired me. For 7 years I photographer the politicians, musicians, news makers, neighborhood workers, high rollers, bottom feeders and everything in between for the paper. I worked with a slew of amazing writers, editors and designers. The fact that I won't have a staff job at a newspaper for the remainder of my time on earth brings on the nostalgia, but change is exciting and I'm inspired to find new ways to communicate through my visual language. I won't miss the blurred images, misaligned plates and all around horrible printing of my photography in newsprint. I'm pushing my work in a new direction and I'll continue to shoot musicians for The City Paper (until they join the Rocky Mountain News and other fine publications that have drowned in the internet). I saw the writing on the wall years ago and I have other outlets to keep my head above water. I just hope the many others who are without work can do the same during these strange times. Stay tuned for more projects, there's a lot of 'em in the works.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Change is gonna come
The position of staff photographer at The Philadelphia City Paper was eliminated this week. Hardly shocking. In the same week the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News filed for bankruptcy and the Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO) announced its last issue. The kicker of the City Paper position? It was mine. I created the job in 2002. It was a dream job at a time when my wife was pregnant and I wanted to shoot the streets of Philadelphia every hour of every day. I needed work and I hounded Paul Curci until he hired me. For 7 years I photographer the politicians, musicians, news makers, neighborhood workers, high rollers, bottom feeders and everything in between for the paper. I worked with a slew of amazing writers, editors and designers. The fact that I won't have a staff job at a newspaper for the remainder of my time on earth brings on the nostalgia, but change is exciting and I'm inspired to find new ways to communicate through my visual language. I won't miss the blurred images, misaligned plates and all around horrible printing of my photography in newsprint. I'm pushing my work in a new direction and I'll continue to shoot musicians for The City Paper (until they join the Rocky Mountain News and other fine publications that have drowned in the internet). I saw the writing on the wall years ago and I have other outlets to keep my head above water. I just hope the many others who are without work can do the same during these strange times. Stay tuned for more projects, there's a lot of 'em in the works.
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2 comments:
Best of luck on your new path. Loved all the photos that've come in since I've been following the blog; hope to keep seeing more!
Thx D! Keep your head up!
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